Arizona Football looks for first win against USC Trojans

Arizona Football (0-7, 0-4) collapsed against Washington at home, but the Wildcats hope to rebound against the USC Trojans (3-4, 2-3) in Los Angeles.

It is officially week 8 of the college football season, and Arizona Football is still seeking their first win of the season as well as the Jedd Fisch era, and things don’t get any easier with a matchup against USC coming.

Coming in, the Wildcats own the nation’s longest active losing streak at 19 games, and unfortunately for Arizona, USC is going to be a tough game, even as the Trojans are in a down year.

Beleaguered with several injuries, particularly at quarterback, Arizona will have to find answers on offense and particularly at quarterback with Jordan McCloud and Gunner Cruz out for the year with season-ending injuries.

Arizona will once again turn to Will Plummer, and given Arizona’s offensive struggles, they may even turn to wide receiver Jamarye Joiner a bit more this week to get some reps and hopefully jumpstart a stagnant and lifeless offense.

The last time the Wildcats faced the Trojans, Arizona nearly came away with a win, but it is a new year and the Wildcats will travel to Southern California to take on an inconsistent USC team that is led by an interim head coach. We will see if Arizona can shock everyone and snap the losing streak.

Getting to Know the details with Arizona Football’s matchup against the USC Trojans

Team: USC Trojans

Conference: Pac-12

2021 Record: 3-4 (2-3)

2020 Record: Finishing the year with a 5-1 (5-0) record in the abbreviated Covid season, USC ended the season with a 31-24 loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship. The Trojans did not participate in a bowl game.

Head Coach: Donte Williams is the former Arizona assistant coach and current interim head coach of the Trojans that took over after the second game of the season. So far, he is just 2-3 on the year, and the team has lost two straight.

Key Returners/ Starters:

Offense

This isn’t necessarily an elite group, however, they are still competitive, averaging nearly 30 points per game.

Led largely by signal-caller Kedon Slovis, he was once a hot commodity in college football but has put up just average numbers this year, completing 162 of 248 passes for 1,818 yards with nine touchdowns to six interceptions.

Slovis loves to spread the field, with Drake London being his favorite target. London has 79 receptions for 1,003 yards and five touchdowns. He will provide a real test for this Arizona secondary.

Outside of London, Gary Bryant, Jr. and Tahj Washington appear to be some of his more preferred targets, both having over 20 receptions each on the year with 518 yards combined.

However, in the backfield is where they arguably excel from top-to-bottom. Utilizing Keaontay Ingram the most, the senior running back has accumulated 557 yards with four touchdowns on 98 carries.

Defense

On defense, the Trojans are not as stout of a group as they have been in the past, however, they still have some talented athletes that are holding teams to just 230.9 passing yards per game and 27.9 points per game.

This group has plenty of playmakers everywhere, but linebacker Kana’i Mauga and cornerback/safety Chase Williams seemingly lead the way with 43 tackles (28 solo) and 35 tackles (21 solo) respectively.

Outside of them, the Trojans have playmakers spread out everywhere, but it is arguably junior pass rusher Drake Jackson that is their biggest star. In seven games, Drake has 24 tackles (16 solo), with 6.0 tackles for loss, four sacks, and an interception. The Wildcats’ line will have a difficult time scheming against him.

In the secondary, Greg Johnson, Isaac Taylor-Stuart, and Williams have been some of their best players in the defensive backfield.

Key Injuries/Absences: 

USC

• WR – Jake Smith (Foot) – Jake suffered a broken foot and is out for 2021.
• LB – Tayler Katoa (Achilles) – Tayler has suffered an Achilles injury and will miss 2021.
• QB – Mo Hasan (Knee) – Suffered a torn ACL and will miss the 2021 season.

Arizona 

• LB – Jabar Triplett (Knee) – Still recovering from offseason knee surgery.
• QB – Jordan McCloud (Leg/Knee) – Suffered a leg injury against UCLA and should be out for a while.
• QB – Gunner Cruz (Thumb) – Suffered a hand injury against Colorado and will miss the rest of the 2021 season.
• DL – JB Brown (Opt-Out) – JB has decided to sit out the rest of the 2021 season.
• LB – Treshaun Hayward (Personal) – Treshaun is once again out due to personal reasons.

Game Information: 

When: Saturday, October 30th, 2021

Time: 4:00 PM MST (Arizona Time)

Watch: ESPN U, FuboTV 

Spread: +21.0 Arizona (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your betting experience)

Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, CA (93,607)

Overall Series Record: 35-8 USC. The Trojans have dominated this matchup, having won 13 of the last 15 meetings, including eight straight. Arizona’s last win came in 2012 at home, when the Wildcats stunned the Trojans 39-36.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time these two teams met, Arizona lost in a close battle, falling 34-30 to USC in Tucson to open the Covid abbreviated season.

My Prediction: USC 34 Arizona 17 – The Trojans might be just 3-4 on the year and also have an interim coach, but this is an awful matchup for the Wildcats. The Trojans are just too talented for Arizona, and while things might be a mess for them, I still see them running away in this one.