USC Preview

This week, Cal visits the 4-2 (1-2 in the Pac 10) USC Trojans. USC has one of the top QB’s in the nation in Matt Barkley, and last week he threw for 390 yards against a good Stanford secondary. They also have RB Allen Bradford, who 2 weeks ago ran for 223 yards on 21 attemps against Washington. Although they have had good performances from those 2, USC is on a 2 game losing streak. Last week, they lost a heartbreaking game to Stanford on a last second field goal. Going into this game, Cal sports a 3-2 record (1-1 in the Pac 10). Look for USC to balance their offense with both passing and running, and Cal to mostly run.

Things to Watch For: USC QB Matt Barkley has a 162 passer rating, second to only Andrew Luck in the Pac 10, USC is 2nd in the Pac 10 with 2856 total yards, USC has the longest punt return (89 yards) in the Pac 10, Cal’s defense is 17th in the nation with only 15.8 points against them, On 2 runs this year, Cal WR Marvin Jones is averaging 35.5 yards per run (1 of them was a 48 yard TD run)

My Predictions:

Cal wins the game 27-24, on a last second field goal

Shane Vereen will have another good game. He will score 2 more TD’s.

Kevin Riley will continue his struggles, and he will throw for under 150 yards.