Behind enemy lines: Trojans Wire gives us the inside scoop on USC

The biggest difference to me is stability at coaching and quarterback with Caleb (Williams) and Lincoln (Riley). But the biggest overall difference is the talent they have on defense.

That’s a very interesting question. Frankly, we don’t yet know if this team is in fact different from 2022. The game against Arizona State raised a lot of questions about whether the coaching staff is going to figure things out and guide the team to the Pac-12 title. USC came off an idle week against a very undermanned ASU team, and more specifically, an ASU offensive line which was missing four starters. USC physically dominated that ASU offensive line late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter, but not in the first half. Arizona State scored 28 points one week after being shut out by Fresno State. USC was simply not prepared to play after having the previous week off. That’s bad coaching. USC missed 14 tackles against ASU. That’s bad coaching. It’s really difficult to sit here and say, “Hey, Alex Grinch will figure it out. He’s in control and he will fix things.” Why would anyone trust Grinch at this point? This Colorado game is interesting because a lot of people think CU’s offense will get healthy against USC’s defense. The Trojans face a lot of skepticism, and for good reason. This team has to prove on Big Noon Saturday that it is in fact different. We don’t know that yet.

The best USC offensive player other than Caleb Williams has been MarShawn Lloyd. The running back blocks, he catches passes, he is shifty, and he can run straight ahead with toughness and force. Ask any USC fan about the run-pass mix in the offense: Fans will tell you they want Lincoln Riley to run the ball more and feed Lloyd. USC’s offensive line against Colorado’s defensive line is a position matchup the Trojans should like. They need to lean on Colorado’s defensive line and establish territorial dominance at the line of scrimmage.

The amazing true freshman Zachariah Branch at WR and Brenden Rice, other top weapons are MarShawn Lloyd and Dorian Singer.

Tackett Curtis will be used as a spy and in coverage versus CU and other player to look out for is Bear Alexander. CU will try to run the ball and the Trojans need Alexander to bring on double teams and dominate in the middle of the trenches.

USC has safety Calen Bullock, who received preseason All-Pac-12 recognition, and pass rusher Jamil Muhammad, a transfer from Georgia State who has been USC’s best pass rusher so far this season. However, we haven’t seen the depth on this defense emerge. Anthony Lucas, the transfer from Texas A&M, hasn’t made much of an impact as a pass rusher. Mason Cobb, the linebacker transfer from Oklahoma State, hasn’t played much due to injury. He was sluggish against ASU after sitting out the previous two weeks. USC’s linebackers and secondary missed a lot of tackles against Arizona State. Colorado is much more talented than ASU, so this is not an easy defensive assignment for the Trojans’ back seven.

USC wins if the Trojans’ defensive line dominates Colorado’s offensive line. The defensive line is the most important position group for USC. If it can dictate at the line of scrimmage, everything comes together for the Trojans’ defense, and opponents can’t control the ball in order to keep it away from Caleb Williams. If the USC defensive line is shoved around or at least held to a draw, Colorado’s skill players should get plenty of chances to catch passes in open space and make plays.

USC keys to victory are to run the football, get pressure on Shedeur Sanders and for Caleb Williams to be great.

CU will need to do a lot. They have to create momentum and turnovers. Shedeur Sanders needs to have a game of a lifetime and they have to stop USC on third down.

Colorado wins if its offensive line can play to a draw against the USC defensive line. If Shedeur Sanders gets enough time to throw, and if Colorado receivers are able to catch the ball in open space, CU will be able to put USC on its heels and reduce the margin of error for the Trojans’ offense. If USC can’t establish and sustain physical superiority in this matchup, the Trojans will either have to win 56-49, or they will have to force some turnovers and hope for the best.