The Trojans survive a weekend in the Desert
By Marcelo Figueroa
October 27, 2008
USC went into the desert a 15 point favorite for their match up against the Wildcats. When arriving in Tucson on Friday, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the game would be much closer than that.
It was homecoming at the University of Arizona, and the streets of Tucson were filled with both current and former students hungry for an upset against the Trojans. The stadium was filled to capacity as both teams took the field to warm up.
A quick observation about the student section of Arizona Stadium, or the “Zona Zoo:” I am usually not one to complain about another stadium’s crowd, because the Coliseum fans can get pretty rowdy given the right conditions. But the students at the U of A are the most classless sports fans I have ever encountered. As the Trojans warmed up, they started chants directed at different players, including Mark Sanchez and pretty much the entire defensive line. These chants consisted of plenty of F-bombs and swear words I can’t include in this blog. But I’ll end my tangent on this note: heckling is one thing, but when you make personal attacks on a player and his family, that’s going too far. And that made the win over them that much sweeter.
The 69 points the offense put up in Wazzu just a week ago seemed like forever ago. The Trojans managed just a field goal in the 1st quarter, and only 10 points in the entire 1st half. However, they led 10-3 because of another stellar performance by the defense.
Missed opportunities, including overthrown and dropped passes, kept Arizona in the game. And when the Wildcats tied it at 10 in the 3rd quarter, it felt like the place was about to erupt. But USC kept its composure despite the offensive struggles. Coach Carroll and Steve Sarkisian implemented a balanced attack against the much improved Wildcat defense – running for 151 yards and passing for 216 more. And a TD pass from Sanchez to Stanley Havili with over seven minutes to play in the 3rd quarter would prove to be the game winner, as the Trojans were able to hold on for a 17-10 win.
One thing I was reminded of throughout this game: the resiliency of this USC team. There were many opportunities for Arizona to get back in the game. But the ‘SC defense never let the momentum shift, coming up with key stops on 3rd and short and even a critical 4th and inches play late in the 4th quarter. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, and my 38-17 prediction was a few points off. But in college football, a win’s a win.
Up next we have our homecoming against the Washington Huskies. We are 6-1 now on the season and trying to continue our climb back to the top of the BCS ranking for a potential shot at the National Title game at the Orange Bowl.
USC is a 43 point favorite when they host the Huskies. With a solid defense and a bounce back performance from the offense, the Trojans win.
The Huskies remain winless and USC covers the spread.
My prediction: USC wins 55-10.
|
