It’s a battle of programs from the Pac-12 on the gridiron out in the Golden State as a pair of schools look to start conference play on the right foot. The #10 USC Trojans are on the road as they make the in-state trip to face the Stanford Cardinal Saturday night. USC opened the Lincoln Riley era by demolishing Rice 66-14 at home last Saturday. Stanford kicked off their season by pulverizing Colgate 41-10 at home last Saturday. In the all-time series between the programs, the Trojans own a 61-33-3 advantage but it was the Cardinal earning a 42-28 road victory in the most recent meeting on September 11, 2021. That proved to be Clay Helton’s final game coaching the Trojans as he was fired after the contest.
USC struggled in 2021, finishing the year 4-8, and made a lot of bold moves in the offseason in an effort to return to prominence in 2022. In the opener, things went their way as they rolled past an overmatched Rice team to start things on a positive note. USC was even after one quarter but outscored Rice 52-7 in the middle two stanzas to take complete control of the game. The Trojans owned a 538-280 edge in total offense, racked up a 27-14 advantage in first downs and forced four turnovers while not committing one in the contest. Those numbers more than overcame a 32:52 to 27:08 disadvantage in time of possession in the game.
Caleb Williams, who came to USC from Oklahoma with Riley, completed 19 of 22 passes for 249 yards plus a pair of scores. He contributed six carries for 68 yards in the contest to lead the team in rushing. Miller Moss was six of seven for 81 yards and added 10 yards on the grou nd. In the run game, Austin Jones (four carries, 48 yards, two TD), Raleek Brown (six carries, 36 yards, TD), Travis Dye (five carries, 20 yards) and Darwin Barlow (five carries, 16 yards) all had opportunities to run the ball in the contest. Jordan Addison, who transferred from Pitt, led the team with five receptions for 54 yards and two scores. Tahj Washington (four catches, 65 yards), Kyron Hudson (three grabs, 34 yards) and Dye (three receptions, 21 yards) all caught at least three passes in the game. Denis Lynch hit all nine extra point attempts and connected on his only field goal attempt from 25 yards. Calen Bullock, Shane Lee and Ralen Goforth all returned interceptions for scores as the Trojans were firing on all cylinders.