Star reporter Michael Lev breaks down key matchups, strategy and starters for both Arizona and USC, and offers a prediction for Saturday night's Pac-12 bout.
Khalil Tate is looking for his first win over his hometown Trojans after dropping his first two starts against USC.
Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star '16Who: USC Trojans (2-2, 1-1) at Arizona Wildcats (2-2, 1-0)
Where: Arizona Stadium
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
Follow: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook
Like counterpart Cameron Smith, Schooler is the do-it-all leader of the UA defense. His ability to diagnose run plays is top-notch, and Arizona has started to use him more as a blitzer. He leads the team in tackles (44) and TFLs (10).
USC hasn’t fully committed to its running game or a running back as of yet, but this could be the time. Carr is the most talented and explosive of the bunch. If he’s the lightning, 215-pound Vavae Malepeai will be the thunder.
Poindexter knows what to expect from Marshall and his fellow defensive backs. “They’re aggressive,” Poindexter said. “The corners are very aggressive. They’ll put hands on you. I’ll just have to adjust my style of play.”
The veteran has been so effective that opposing QBs aren’t throwing his way that much. Marshall — whose nickname is “Biggie” — is also as sturdy and strong a corner as you’ll find in college football. He has six career interceptions.
USC fans have been clamoring for a firmer commitment to the run game. Tailbacks have totaled 92 carries; freshman QB JT Daniels has attempted 143 passes. Given the Trojans’ talent on the outside, you can understand the temptation to air it out. Arizona’s defense is coming off its best performance of the season. But despite its struggles this year, USC represents a significant step up from Oregon State.
New week, same question: How much will Khalil Tate run, and how effective will he be? He won’t rush as much as he did in last year’s matchup — a career-high 26 attempts — but we should see more than we’ve seen so far if his ankle is sound. Whether it’s Tate or his teammates, look for Arizona to try to continue to establish the run. J.J. Taylor is coming off a career game (284 yards, two TDs).
USC is the more talented team — and the more desperate one. The Trojans have played well below expectations so far and know they can’t afford to fall to 1-2 in Pac-12 play. They haven’t played well on the road under Clay Helton, though, and Arizona is trending up. To spring the upset, the Wildcats will need a Herculean effort from Tate and some #Pac12AfterDark magic in the form of a pick-six or special-teams TD.
Offense
WR 21 Tyler Vaughns 6-2 185 So.
WR 1 Velus Jones Jr. 6-0 190 So.
TE 82 Tyler Petite 6-4 250 Sr.
RT 70 Chuma Edoga 6-4 295 Sr.
RG 72 Andrew Vorhees 6-6 315 So.
C 50 Toa Lobendahn 6-3 2 95 Sr.
LG 77 Chris Brown 6-5 310 Sr.
LT 73 Austin Jackson 6-6 305 So.
WR 6 Michael Pittman Jr. 6-4 215 Jr.
QB 18 JT Daniels 6-3 210 Fr.
TB 7 Stephen Carr 6-0 205 So.
Defense
DE 89 Christian Rector 6-4 275 Jr.
NT 91 Brandon Pili 6-4 325 So.
OLB 45 Porter Gustin 6-5 260 Sr.
ILB 35 Cameron Smith 6-2 250 Sr.
ILB 10 John Houston Jr. 6-3 220 Jr.
OLB 56 Jordan Iosefa 6-2 230 Jr.
CB 8 Iman Marshall 6-1 205 Sr.
NB 27 Ajene Harris 5-10 185 Sr.
SS 15 Talanoa Hufanga 6-1 215 Fr.
FS 7 Marvell Tell III 6-2 195 Sr.
CB 4 Olaijah Griffin 6-0 180 Fr.
Receiver Tony Ellison delivers the first Wildcats score against Southern Utah.
Mike Christy / Arizona Daily StarOffense
WR 18 Cedric Peterson 5-11 193 Jr.
SLOT 6 Shun Brown 5-10 188 Sr.
LT 58 Layth Friekh 6-5 297 Sr.
LG 76 Cody Creason 6-4 294 Jr.
C 50 Josh McCauley 6-3 292 So.
RG 54 Bryson Cain 6-4 306 So.
RT 78 Donovan Laie 6-4 318 Fr.
TE 81 Bryce Wolma 6-3 252 So.
WR 19 Shawn Poindexter 6-5 218 Sr.
RB 21 J.J. Taylor 5-6 184 So.
QB 14 Khalil Tate 6-2 215 Jr.
Defense
DE 12 JB Brown 6-3 263 So.
NT 99 Dereck Boles 6-2 306 Sr.
DT 52 PJ Johnson 6-4 335 Jr.
STUD 14 Kylan Wilborn 6-2 248 So.
MLB 7 Colin Schooler 6-0 236 So.
WLB 1 Tony Fields II 6-1 230 So.
SPUR 31 Tristan Cooper 6-1 194 Jr.
BANDIT 3 Jarrius Wallace 6-1 180 So.
BC 2 Lorenzo Burns 5-10 181 So.
FC 8 Tim Hough 5-11 195 Sr.
FS 19 Scottie Young Jr. 5-11 195 So.
Passing
Daniels 84-143-3 Cmp-Att-Int, 1,060 Yds, 4 TDs, 53 Lg
Fink 1-2-0 Cmp-Att-Int, 3 Yds, 0 TDs, 3 Lg
Rushing
Carr 4 games, 33 Car., 196 Yds, 1 TD, 5.9 Avg
Ware 4 games, 33 Car., 162 Yds, 1 TD, 4.9 Avg
Malepeai 4 games, 26 Car., 146 Yds, 5 TDs, 5.6 Avg
Jones Jr. 4 games, 2 Car., 10 Yds, 0 TDs, 5.0 Avg
St. Brown 4 games, 2 Car., 9 Yds, 0 TDs, 4.5 Avg
Fink 2 games, 3 Car., 3 Yds, 0 TDs, 1.0 Avg
Receiving
St. Brown 4 games, 20 Rec., 342 Yds, 2 TDs, 17.1 Avg
Vaughns 4 games, 21 Rec., 221 Yds, 1 TD, 10.5 Avg
Pittman Jr. 4 games, 10 Rec., 189 Yds, 1 TD, 18.9 Avg
Defense
Smith 40 Tk, 1 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR
Houston Jr. 19 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR
Gustin 19 Tk, 4.5 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR
Tell III 17 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR
Marshall 16 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR
Passing
Tate 63-116-2 Cmp-Att-Int, 1,039 Yds, 8 TDs, 75 Lg
Rodriguez 6-7-0 Cmp-Att-Int, 49 Yds, 0 TDs, 16 Lg
Rushing
Taylor 4 games, 71 Car., 477 Yds, 3 TDs, 6.7 Avg
Brightwell 4 games, 44 Car., 263 Yds, 1 TD, 6.0 Avg
Mariscal 4 games, 11 Car., 68 Yds, 1 TD, 6.2 Avg
Smith 2 games, 15 Car., 62 Yds, 1 TD, 4.1 Avg
Brown 4 games, 1 Car., 37 Yds, 0 TDs, 37.0 Avg
Tate 4 games, 23 Car., 31 Yds, 2 TDs, 1.3 Avg
Receiving
Poindexter 4 games, 16 Rec., 369 Yds, 2 TDs, 23.1 Avg
Ellison 4 games, 12 Rec., 241 Yds, 2 TDs, 20.1 Avg
Brown 4 games, 18 Rec., 223 Yds, 3 TDs, 12.4 Avg
Defense
Schooler 44 Tk, 1 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR
Fields II 34 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR
Hayes 20 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 1 FR
Wallace 18 Tk, 0 Sk, 1 Int, 0 FR
Burns 16 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR
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