PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Vavae Malepeai led USC with 13 carries for 78 yards, and scored a pair of touchdowns in the win over Washington State. Malepeai and Stephen Carr appear to be the main guys in USC’s running back rotation, with Aca’Cedric Ware only garnering a single touch in Week 4.
–C Toa Lobendahn, who has played every position across USC’s offensive line, has settled into center as his primary role. But Lobendahn and true freshman quarterback JT Daniels had repeated exchange issues in USC’s win over Washington State, resulting in busted plays and huge losses of yardage.
–DE Christian Rector missed the matchup with Arizona a season ago, but could be integral this year when it comes to generating pressure on Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate. Rector has three quarterback hurries on the year and a forced fumble.
–DE/LB Porter Gustin missed the first half of last week’s game, serving a suspension due to a targeting penalty in the Week 3 loss at Texas. Gustin avoided a similar fate for this Saturday when his hard hit on Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew did not draw a flag. Gustin’s presence on the line resulted in a significant uptick in pressure on Minshew, who operated from a clean pocket much of the first half. Gustin will again be vital to the defensive effort, containing the edge against Arizona’s multifaceted run game.
SERIES HISTORY: USC is 33-8 all-time against Arizona and has won five in a row in the series. The Trojans lead 27-8 since UA joined the Pac-12 in 1978. The Trojans rallied from a fourth-quarter scare last year, scoring the final two touchdowns to break a 35-35 stalemate.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “This is something that we gotta take onto us and play hard. It feels good to be home. We took two on the chin and now we’re moving on” — USC linebacker Cameron Smith, on rebounding from losing two straight at Stanford and Texas.
