The Gameday Game

Well the Trojans survived the trap last week. They did so in brilliant fashion behind an excellent night of running by Ronald Jones. Jones rumbled in for four touchdowns on 20 carries for 179 yards. Sam stayed true to form completing 28 of 40 for 309 yard and two touchdowns. By early in the fourth quarter Helton pulled most all starters and allowed our second line to chew up the clock capping off a solid night of Trojan football. The one ailment that continues to plague us is our high amount of penalties. In this instance, 13 for 129 yards. This is a clear issue as we have had many penalties all year and it will cost us games against high level opponents like the one we will face this weekend. Speaking of…..let’s get on to Saturday and the trip to Seattle.

The Trojans go on the road to play in a fierce environment where the #4 CFP ranked Huskies await. The weather, noise, and hype of College Gameday all play in favor of UW and Sam Darnold will be truly tested for the first time in this game. Thus far he has had incredible poise for a redshirt freshman and shown maturity beyond his years, but things will be different Saturday night and it’s important to recognize the strength of our opponent. UW enter the game undefeated and with still much to prove to the playoff committee. Only one week ago they were passed over for a 1-loss Texas A&M. Now up to #4, pundits largely agree that should UW win out in decisive fashion, they should have a place in the playoffs. Others claim that a weak strength of schedule (preseason 52 and remaining sos 15) could inhibit their chances of making it in. So what does all that mean? It means that UW is going to come out of the tunnel with an absolute fire under their tailpads to beat USC. How will USC react and what do they need to do to overcome the Huskies on the road? Here are my keys to the game:

• Establish the run: It could be a rainy night in Seattle so the ground game will be important. Get Justin Davis and RoJo working in tandem early, then stretch the field with our receivers later.
• Protect the ball: We cannot sacrifice important offensive minutes, and our defense will need some reprieve. Hold onto the football and extend the drives as long as we can.
• Keep the yellow marker off the field: The Trojans need to buckle down and eliminate the stupid mistakes.

In summary, Helton and the boys will have a true test in what could be his first defining win as head coach but it will not come easily. Strangely, most of the eastern half of the country will be pulling for the upset so their teams might have a better shot to make the playoffs. Regardless it promises to be an excellent game in Seattle and I am glad the Trojans get the exposure that college gameday provides. Here’s to beating the Huskies in front a big crowd, maybe Corso will even don a Trojan helmet!

FIGHT ON