The third quarter was key in USC’s win as they outscored Cal 17-7 in the quarter and held on to win 27-21.
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“There”s two National Football League quarterbacks on that field Saturday,” USC interim Coach Clay Helton said this week.
Devontae Booker rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown as the Utes handled the Beavers in Salt Lake City.
USC has six interceptions in its last two games.
Cal junior Jared Goff, the former Marin Catholic standout who grew up in Novato, looks forward to seeing Kessler in another duel of quarterbacks with 150 combined career touchdown passes.
Oregon State was without starting quarterback Seth Collins, who didn’t make the trip after injuring his knee Thursday.
But Goff also threw two critical interceptions.
“We feel good about the QB situation, and away we go”, Washington coach Chris Petersen said.
This is a devastating blow for the Trojans as Smith-Schuster is not only the most talented receiver on the roster, but also one of the most talented wideouts in the nation.
Cal hasn’t been anywhere close to its desired ratio in recent weeks, with Goff setting season highs for pass attempts in his last two games. And while the Cal offense was dubbed the “Bear Raid” shortly after Dykes was hired, he and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin shoot for a 50-50 balance between the run and pass as opposed to Leach’s preference for throwing the ball at least 70 percent of the time. 3 Utah 42-24 at home last week followed by another win against Cal. USC had lost three of its previous four games and fired coach Steve Sarkisian during that stretch after beginning the season with hopes to contend for a championship.
Helton said the decision to go for it was about “giving them the opportunity to say, ‘Guys, this is Trojans football”. Jackson’s craved big plays all season and wanted an interception more than anything else. “I had great blocking by the defense”. He got the Bears within six points when he delivered a 9-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Anderson with 3:52 left. But the Trojans picked up a field goal set up by yet another interception – Kevon Seymour stepped in front of Kenny Lawler and returned it 27-yards down the sideline to give the Trojans good field position. He is a future first round pick in the making so I’d expect USC to play is safe with him and not risk further injury. Justin Davis then converted a third-and-6, allowing the Trojans to run out the clock.
Daniel Lasco #2 of the California Golden Bears reacts after he made a tackle on a kickoff during their game against the USC Trojans at California Memorial Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Berkeley, California.
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Jackson predominantly played cornerback against Cal after playing mostly wide receiver last week against Utah.
