USC beats down Arizona

This picture (from ESPN) sums up the entire game for the Wildcats, whose top two scorers (freshman guard Jerryd Bayless and sophomore wing man Chase Budinger) were held to a combined 15 points, as the Trojans smothered them defensively all night. USC Coach Tim Floyd and his staff put together a great game-plan, keeping the Wildcats off balance by often playing that unconventional "Triangle and 2" defense, which achieved its purpose of taking Arizona's two big stars out of the game and forcing one of the other Wildcats to beat them. The win all but guarantees an NCAA Tournament bid for the Trojans, who improved their record to (18-9 overall, 9-6 Pac-10), and adds to their impresive list of Pac-10 road victories which already included fucla and Oregon. USC was able to frustrate Jerryd Bayless, who sat out with foul trouble early in the game, and held him to one of his worst games of his young career. O.J. Mayo turned in his 3rd straight outstanding performance since the fucla game, playing all 40 minutes and finishing with 21 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds. ESPN's Jay Bilas noted the maturation and development of Mayo as a player and his in-game decision making. Mayo read his screens well and was not hesitant to take the shot or drop it down to either Taj Gibson (14 points) or Davon Jefferson (15 points, 14 rebounds). Daniel Hackett returned from his back injury and played 24 quality minutes, including some clutch play down the stretch. This was a big win for the Trojans, and can now clinch a top 4 finish in the Pac-10 with a win on Saturday at Arizona State.

Tomorrow's game is apparently at noon (Pacific Time), so hopefully the early start won't throw off the team and will provide ample time for them to heal and rest up. ASU (17-10, 7-8) is two games back of the Trojans in Pac-10 play and is reeling after getting crushed by fucla for the 2nd time this season on Thursday 70-49. The Sun Devils are on that NCAA Bubble and need to win a few more games to solidify their spot. Let's get that desert sweep guys.

Fight On! Beat the Devils!

USC aims to bounce back without Hackett

The USC Trojan basketball team will try to split this home series against the Arizona schools tonight as they take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. To do so, they will have to rebound from that tough 80-69 loss on Thursday to Arizona. Complicating matters further will be the absence of Daniel Hackett, whose presence was sorely missed in the loss to Arizona. The LA Times is reporting that Hackett is not expected to play today. The sophomore guard took a nasty fall in the opening minutes of Thursday's game, but his injury is believed to be "not serious." The diagnosis appears to be a "deep pelvis bruise," according to Hackett.

Arizona State comes into this game with a record of (14-4) overall and (4-4) in the Pac-10 after suffering an 84-51 beat down at Pauley on Thursday. We had a great college basketball atmosphere at the Galen Center on Thursday (just ask ESPN's Jay Bilas), so lets come out and support our guys again.

Fight On!

Upset brewing in Arizona, Dixon hurt

Another #2 is in danger of falling down in Tuscon. Not only does Oregon trail 31-14 at the half, but their Heisman contender at QB is out for the game after re-injuring his knee. I am just leaving work to catch the 2nd half. Stay tuned, because if Oregon fails to mount a comeback, the stakes for the USC vs. ASU game will go way up.

Fight On!

USC vs. Arizona: Key Matchups / Predictions

Five Key Matchups to watch out for tomorrow...

USC QB Mark Sanchez vs. Arizona CB Antoine Cason
This will be the biggest individual matchup of the game and its outcome could very well determine who leaves this game a winner. It will be important for Sanchez take some shots downfield, but he must be careful not to test Cason, who will probably be a 1st round pick in the NFL Draft. USC's WR corps is not good enough right now to bail Sanchez out on any indecisions or poorly thrown balls. This is his first career start, so mistakes are going to happen. Golden rule for Sanchez tomorrow, KNOW WHERE #5 IS AT ALL TIMES...

USC RB Chauncey Washington vs. Arizona's Run Defense
Chauncey, the First President, must get going early to take some pressure off Sanchez. Washington struggled to break off any long runs last week with Stanford stacking the box on the Trojans. Chauncey needs to run with authority tomorrow, establish himself, and set the tone for the rest of the game.

USC CB Terrell Thomas vs. Arizona WR Mike Thomas
USC Sports Talk has said it many times , Terrell Thomas sucks. I don't where all this talk about him being a lock down defender came from. The average sports fan needs to look no further than across the sideline at Arizona CB Antoine Cason to find a real shut down corner. Mike Thomas is very explosive in this new spread offense that Arizona has implemented. It will be up to Terrell Thomas to break down and not let Mike turn a 5 yard slant into a 70 yard touchdown.

USC RT Drew Radovich vs. Arizona Defensive Ends
Radovich has been USC's most vulnerable offensive lineman during the past two seasons. Many of Booty's sacks and tipped passes have been a result of Radovich doing a poor job in pass blocking. Sam Baker and Jeff Byers are as good a left side that you'll find on any offensive line in the country, so you can expect Arizona to target Radovich. Sanchez will need to feel comfortable in the pocket if he is to succeed tomorrow.

USC DE Kyle Moore vs. Arizona LT Peter Graniello
The Trojans are going to give up yards against this spread offense passing attack, but they will need to generate pressure on QB Willie Tuitama. If USC's defensive line does not register any sacks or force Tuitama into hurrying his throws, then it will be a long afternoon for the Trojan secondary. Sacks and INT's will negate a 400 yard passing day from Tuitama. There's no question that big Sedrick Ellis will once again be a disruptive force on the inside, but he needs Moore or LoJack to get some pressure of the edge.

Gameday Expectations:
Offensively, I think Carroll and Sarkisian will pull the reigns back while Mark Sanchez settles down and works the jitters out. They will try to establish the running game early and maintain ball possession in order to keep Arizona's high octane offense on the sidelines. Look for CB Antoine Cason to disguise his coverage to confuse Sanchez and bait him into throwing an INT. Sanchez must maintain his composure if he does throw an early INT. The coaching staff will need to limit his reads and give Sanchez plenty of check downs. Fred Davis has been unstoppable this season and tomorrow should be no different, he will definitely help loosen things up on the outside. Arizona will stack the box with 8 or 9 guys, leaving their corners on an island, so USC will need to make the necessary adjustments and throw the ball in the 2nd half.

Defensively, the Wildcats know that USC's run defense is very good so they will definitely stick to what they do best, which is throw the ball. I'm not sure the Trojans can hold Arizona under 300 yards passing, but the key will be sacks and turnovers. USC's defense will do just enough to win the game. Thomas Williams and Keith Rivers will either jump a slant route for a pick or force a fumble on a quick WR screen. It's gut check Saturday for USC, but the coaches will keep the game plan simple and will be happy just to get back on the winning track...Prediction: USC 31, Arizona 21

Other Predictions:
Joey -- Joey as unable to post predictions because there was some foul bacteria eating away at his stomach lining.

PCBestever -- If losing to Stanford doesn't fire this team up I don't know what will. Yea I do.... Mark Sanchez will! Guaranteed the team responds with more intensity with Sanchez on the field. Prediction: USC 35, Arizona 6. (With the rain and our blocking on special teams I doubt we kick any field goals tomorrow)

RG3 -- After the unthinkable happened last week, USC will be hungry and ready to win some respect back. If our team has any balls, we'll come out fired up today and start the streak at the Coliseum all over again. Sanchez will start slow and eventually get into a rhythm with his new favorite targets, RoJo and Ausberry. USC 31 Arizona 17

Fight On!

Arizona Defense Preview

Probable Starters vs USC
DE 1 Louis Holmes 6-6 265 Sr.*-1L
DT 96 Yaniv Barnett 6-1 315 Sr.-3L
DT 54 Lionel Dotson 6-4 286 Sr.*-3L
DE 97 Johnathan Turner 6-3 262 Jr.*-2L
DE 53 Jason Parker 6-3 265 Sr.*-3L (key backup)
Sam LB 39 Dane Krogstad 6-2 240 Sr.*-3L
Mike LB 33 Ronnie Palmer 6-3 245 Jr.*-2L
Will LB 51 Spencer Larsen 6-1 240 Sr.*-3L
Cornerback 3 Wilrey Fontenot 5-9 174 Sr.*-3L
CB 6 Devin Ross 5-11 170 So.-1L (key backup)
Strong Safety 20 Cam Nelson 6-1 200 So.*-1L
Free Safety 8 Dominic Patrick 6-1 210 Sr.-3L
FS 21 Corey Hall 5-10 190 So.*-1L (key backup)
Cornerback 5 Antoine Cason 6-1 185 Sr.-3L

Best Defensive Player: CB Antoine Cason

Defensive Line -- The Wilcats rotate 3 pretty good players at defensive end. The regular starters are Louis Holmes (18 tackles, 2 TFL, 0 sacks)and Johnathan Turner (10 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks), but Jason Parker (25 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 sacks) sees a lot of time as well and is the leading tackler amongst the linemen. At defensive tackle, seniors Yaniv Barnet (18 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack) and Lionel Dotson (19 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) have started every game this season, and are very experienced. In fact, the strength of this unit is its experience. They have been done a decent job against the run, opposing teams have averaged 116.3 rushing yards per game and 3.4 yards per rush. The unit's weakness has been pressuring the QB and causing turnovers. The Wildcats had only 15 sacks last season, and although the 12 sacks they have this year are ahead of last year's pace, they still aren't generating the pressure that Mike Stoops would like.

Linebackers -- The linebackers experienced and very active. Senior weakside LB Spencer Larsen (49 tackles, 2 TFL) leads the team in tackles, junior MLB Ronnie Palmer (39 tackles, 1 TFL) is 3rd on the team in tackles, and senior strong-side LB Dane Krogstad (28 tackles, 2.5 TFL) is the tied for 5th in tackles. They are stout against the run, tackle very well, and make plays all over the field. Their only weakness seems to be the lack of production in pass coverage, given that the 3 starters have yet to record a sack or an interception.

Defensive Backs -- The secondary is probably the strength of Arizona's defense. This is a fast unit, probably more athletic than USC's secondary. Three seniors starters return in the defensive backfield, led by Jim Thorpe Award candidate Antoine Cason. The senior CB is one of the elite cover guys in the country, and he proved it last year when he manhandled USC's all-everything WR Dwayne Jarrett. Cason is the team's 2nd leading tackler with 40, and has TD returns on both a punt (70 yards) and an INT (60 yards) so far this season. Senior CB Wilroy Fontenot starts opposite of Cason, an though undersized at 5-9, he has tremendous speed and good ball skills. The safeties sophomore Cam Nelson and senior Dominic Patrick are big hitters and sure tacklers. Nelson is 4th on the team in tackles with 34, while Patrick is tied for 5th with 28.

The key matchups will be up shortly...

Thanks once again to Scout.com's College Football News and the Arizona Athletics website's Game Notes for providing background info on the Wildcats...

Fight On!

Arizona Offense Preview

Probable Starters vs. USC:

WR(X): 84 Terrell Turner 6-2 190 So. -1L
Tight End: 48 Rob Gronkowski 6-6 250 Fr.-HS
TE (Small): 9 Anthony Johnson 6-2 210 Sr.*-3L
Left Tackle: 76 Peter Graniello 6-5 310 Sr.*-3L
Left Guard: 64 Colin Baxter 6-4 295 Fr.*-RS
Center: 50 Blake Kerley 6-2 285 So.*-1L
Right Guard: 75 Joe Longacre 6-3 315 Jr.*-2L
Right Tackle: 77 Eben Britton 6-6 310 So.*-1L
WR(Z): 10 Mike Thomas 5-8 195 Jr.-2L
Quarterback: 7 Willie Tuitama 6-3 220 Jr.-2L
Running Back: 23 Nic Grigsby 5-10 178 Fr.-HS
H-Back: 49 Earl Mitchell 6-2 265 So.-1L
H-Back (Small): 18 Delashaun Dean 6-4 198 Fr.*-RS

Best Offensive Player: WR Michael Thomas

Quarterback -- Junior QB Willie Tuitama exploded onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2005, but has yet to build off of that first season. He's been beaten up behind a very porous offensive line throughout his career, but he is as dangerous as ever in the spread offense that new offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes has implemented. This spread offense emphasizes short and intermediate routes, but Willie T has a very strong arm and can make any throw on the field. He is athletic and can make plays outside of the pocket as well. The key for Tuitama will be his health and consistency.

Passing Game -- Arizona's offense revolves around its passing game. Not counting rushes by Wildcat QB's, which include sacks, Arizona has attempted 270 passes to only 141 rushes. That's almost a 2 to 1 ratio. USC's defense employs a bend but don't break philosophy, so the pressure will be on Arizona to take what the defense gives them. They have an electrifying player at WR in Michael Thomas (38 catches, 423 yards, 6 TDs) that can score from anywhere on the field. Thomas can run past an overly agressive corner on a deep route, or turn a short 5 yard pass into a 50 yard gain by making tacklers miss. "X" receiver Terrell Turner (25 catches, 327 yards, 2 TDs) and "small" tight end Anthony Johnson (25 catches, 290 yards, 1 TD) present bigger targets for Tuitama. Running backs Chris Jennings (18 catches) and Nicholas Grigsby (14 catches) have been active targets out of the backfield.

Running Game -- True freshman Nic Grigsby became the starter at running back in Arizona's 4th game and hasn't looked back. In 4 appearances this season, Grigsby leads the Wildcats in rushing with 345 yards on 68 carries, good enough for 86.2 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry. WR Michael Thomas is a threat and reverses and end-arounds, gaining 111 yards on 7 carries. The Wilcats aren't going to play smash mouth football and control the clock on anybody, but they will catch defenses that are overly focused on stopping the pass sleeping.

Look for the defensive preview later on tonight...

Fight On!

Arizona Wildcats: First Look

USC (4-1, 2-1) is coming off the worst loss in the history of all things holy, but fortunately for us, there are still 7 games to play. The Trojans dropped to 7th in the USA Today Coaches poll, which comprises 1/3 of the BCS Standings, but can still make up for it by winning the rest of its games. It all starts this Saturday though, what I'm calling Redemption Saturday for USC, as the the Trojans host the University of Arizona Wildcats (2-4, 1-2). The Wildcats are also coming off a loss, 31-16 to Oregon State, and have had an up and down season so far. Their slow start can be attributed to their tough road schedule. Arizona has lost all three of its road games at BYU (20-7), Cal (45-27), and last week at Oregon State (31-16). There aren't many teams in the country that can escape from those 3 places without defeat. At home the Wildcats defeated Northern Arizona (45-24), lost a nail-biter to New Mexico (29-27), and then beat Washington State (48-20). They are certainly battle tested on the road this year, so I don't think the Coliseum will have much of an impact on them. They also know that they can come in and compete against USC after playing us tough last year, remember they also beat Cal last year. USC would have finished 2nd in the Pac-10 after losing to fucla if Cal hadn't lost that game.

The Trojans will face another pass heavy offense. Arizona is 14th nationally with 306.83 passing yards per game, but ranks 111th with only 86 rushing yards per game. This was expected after the hiring of new offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes, who helped Mike Leach turn Texas Tech into a offensive juggernaut. Defensively, the Wildcats return 10 starters to what was already a pretty solid defense last year. Last season, Arizona led the Pac-10 in turnover margin and surrendered less than 20 points per game. Head coach Mike Stoops is a defensive guy so you can expect his teams to get after it defensive. He also has the luxury of having a true shut-down defender in cornerback Antoine Cason. We'll take a closer look at the Wildcats' offense tomorrow...

Fight On! Beat the Wildcats!