Arizona Football looks towards USC in Week 2 of Pac-12 play

After not being able to play in Week One, Arizona Football (0-0, 0-0) now turns their focus to their Week Two match-up against the USC Trojans (1-0, 1-0).

The 2020 Arizona Football season is finally here… again! As we now officially enter Week Two of the season, the Wildcats enter this week 0-0, meanwhile, Covid is undefeated at 1-0.

“Opening” their season against USC, the Wildcats will have a tough challenge in this one, as the Trojans are an extremely talented football team just as they always are.

Arizona Wildcats

Heading into Week Two, they should have a lot of momentum here, especially as they had a major comeback win against ASU last week.

As for Arizona, they will have to overcome nerves and adjustments, since this will be their first game of 2020. They will also have to adapt to playing with no fans as well.

USC will present a lot of challenges here, as they have a lot of talent and a lot of offensive firepower, and even though they’ve seen their fair share of injuries and player opt-outs, they still enter this one wildly favored.

Historically, the Trojans have dominated this head-to-head match-up, and once again, this is a game they should win in all likelihood.

With that said, here is our Week Two preview of the Wildcats’ match-up against the Trojans.

Know Thy Foe:

Team: USC Trojans (1-0, 1-0)

Conference: Pac-12 Conference

2019 Record: Finishing 8-5 (7-2) and second place in the Pac-12 South, USC had a solid conference record, but finished out the year with a 49-24 loss to No. 16 Iowa in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, CA.

Head Coach: Clay Helton enters his 6th season with the Trojans, in what could be a make or break season for him at USC. Coming in with a 41-22 record, he has a decent resume, however, it is not the level of USC’s expectations. He should have a very good roster once again, the question is, can he get his team to live up to the hype this year.

Key Returners/ Starters: The Trojans are no doubt led by Sophomore Quarterback, Kedon Slovis. They also have a talented backfield that features guys like Stephen Carr, Markese Sapp, and Vavae Malepeai.

At receiver, the Trojans are extremely talented as well, with two, dynamic pass catchers in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London, USC is going to have a lot of favorable match-ups in the secondary, and Arizona is going to have to step up.

Led by largely by players like Talanoa Hufanga, Marlon Tuipulotu, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Palaie Gaoteote IV and Drake Jackson among others, on defense, the Trojans are a talented and stout group. Even without Jay Tufele, they have a lot of talent, skill and size, and will certainly provide a tough test for Grant Gunnell and Arizona.

Key Losses: 

WR – Michael Pittman, Jr.  (Drafted)
LB – John Houston, Jr. (Undrafted)
OL – Frank Martin II (Opted Out of Season)
OL – Bernard Schirmer (Opted Out of Season)
DL – Jacob Lichtenstein (Opted Out of Season)
DL – Jay Tufele (Opted Out of Season)
QB – J.T. Daniels (Transfer)
QB – Jack Sears (Transfer)

Key Injuries: 

USC

• LB – Jordan Iosefa (Knee) will be out for the season.
• LB – Solomon Tuliaupupu (Foot) will be out for the season.
• DL – Trevor Trout (Back) will be out for the season.

Arizona 

• LB – Jabar Triplett (Achilles) – The freshman is out for the season after suffering from a surgically repaired Achilles this off-season.
• RB – Frank Brown (Knee) – MCL Injury, will be back in 2-3 weeks.
• WR – Jaden Mitchell (Knee) – ACL Tear. Out for the season.
• C – Josh McCauley (Knee) – Is questionable versus USC.

Game Information: 

When: Saturday, November 14th, 2020

Time: 12:30 PM (PST)/1:30 PM (MST – Arizona Time)

Watch: Fox

Where: Arizona Stadium – Tucson, AZ (50,782… 0,000)

Spread: +14.0 – +14.5 Arizona

Overall Series Record: 34-8 USC. The Trojans absolutely dominate this head-to-head series, having won 12 of the last 14 match-ups. Arizona’s last win came back in 2012.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: USC has won four straight in this series, and is coming off a big win, in which they dominated the Cats 41-14 in Los Angeles, CA last season.

My Prediction: I think it is unfortunate Arizona didn’t get a chance to play last week to get the first game jitters out, and also couldn’t use the opening week to fix some things. It is even more challenging that they open the year against a very talented USC team to “begin” their season. Nonetheless, the show goes on.

With Arizona being at home, and having USC travel after an exhausting win against ASU the week before, maybe the Cats could get a surprise here, however, I’m still going with the Trojans in this one. USC 37 Arizona 21.

Prediction record so far: 0-0

At Zona Zealots, we’re hoping for a good, injury free game from our Wildcats, and hope they are ready for Week Two against the Trojans. As always, Bear Down Arizona and Beat USC!