Since the Pac-12 expanded to 12 teams in 2011, only two teams have won the conference title. Running back Christian McCaffrey has also produced major yardage via the run, with 1,640 rushing yards and seven scores to his name, along with 435 receiving yards for three scores. McCaffrey is tough, smart and at 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, hard to bring down on first contact. Also, don’t forget about the quarterbacks. Ultimately, I think Stanford’s talent on offense and quarterback Kevin Hogan’s big-game experience win out, and the Cougars head to San Diego for the postseason. USC, with its new emphasis on the run, will try to control the ball for more than the 20 minutes Stanford allowed before. The Trojans are trying to cap a drama-filled season with a title in Clay Helton’s first game as USC’s permanent coach. The Trojans defense haunted Josh Rosen, who was responsible for all three of UCLA’s turnovers.
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“I see things they are doing and say, ‘Whoa, I can fix that in my game, ‘ ” Davis said.
The oddsmakers in Las Vegas have Stanford favored by four points and it’s worth nothing that, while the Pac-12 championship game is held at a neutral location, the Cardinal will ostensibly have an advantage due to Stanford’s proximity to Santa Clara.
Stanford is looking to win its third Pac-12 title in the last four seasons, and USC hasn’t won a conference championship since 2008. The offense has been clicking of late, thanks in large part to a huge season from receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. “We just didn’t finish the game”. Jackson is increasingly hit or miss on returns, though.
Now the schools are prepared to engage in one of their biggest confrontations. The kicking game isn’t even close.
From USC’s perspective, that means reassessing how to defend Stanford tight end Austin Hooper, who had four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Alex Wood and Matt Boermeester both got reps this week in practice, and neither inspires a ton of confidence. It’s a potential game-wrecker for both teams: presumption.
This rematch will be a different style battle. USC players say they lacked an identity early in the season. Identity has never been a problem for Stanford.
This can go one of two ways for USC. So I was honestly hoping he would get the job, just because of the stability. “They want to run the ball, and that’s really shown”.
The disagreeableness peaked in the early 1970s, when the Trojans’ legendary coach, John McKay, accused Stanford players and fans of verbally assaulting him and his players with racial epithets.
But as the Trojans prepare for No. 7-ranked Stanford in the Pacific-12 Conference championship game, Davis is entrenched as the starting tailback.
Stanford has an outside chance to make the College Football Playoff with a win, though the best USC can hope for is a trip to the Rose Bowl. Stanford’s defense the last three weeks has given up an average of 488 yards, and there’s not much reason to believe USC will do a whole lot worse. Cody Kessler completed 15 of 26 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Trojans. Stanford is a running team but its passing game is far from inept.
2012: Stanford 27, UCLA 24 – Six days after defeating the Bruins at the Rose Bowl, the Cardinal did it again at Stanford Stadium. It’s why they struggled against Oregon’s Vernon Adams but thrived against a more traditional pocket presence like UCLA’s Josh Rosen.
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There’s no question USC has improved since September, when the Cardinal beat the Trojans by 10 points. The Cardinal is relentless. Should USC hold the lead going into the fourth quarter, the Trojans can probably pull off the upset, but it’s more likely that Stanford holds a narrow lead throughout the game.
