If USC can manage a win Saturday night against Arizona State, the Trojans will move to 3-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2006.
How to watch Arizona State vs. USC: Game guide, TV/streaming, odds
The Trojans and Sun Devils meet in a primetime Pac-12 South showdown.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Doing so seems like it will be feasible, since ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly is likely to miss another game with a foot injury. That means USC's 10th-ranked passing defense could feast on backup quarterback Mike Bercovici, who was forced into action for Arizona State's thrashing at the hands of UCLA last weekend. The junior went 42-of-68 for 488 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in a 62-27 loss to the Bruins.
USC has picked off seven passes this season -- each by a different defender -- and allows just 155.5 passing yards per game. Expect the Sun Devils to try a ground-and-pound attack with running back D.J. Foster, who has rushed for 540 yards (8.6 per carry) and five touchdowns, but was limited to just nine carries for 30 yards in the blowout loss to UCLA.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Fox (Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, Molly McGrath)
Radio: USC, Arizona State
Online streaming: Fox Sports GO
Our sites on these teams
The numbers
Rankings and records: USC is 3-1 (2-0 Pac-12) and ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25 and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Arizona State is 3-1 (1-1) and unranked in the AP Top 25, but No. 24 in the Coaches’ Poll.
Vegas: USC opened as a 10.5-point favorite and is now a 12-point favorite. The over/under is 66.
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy with a high of 93 and a low of 67.
Two things at stake
As mentioned above, USC can move to 3-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2006. A win would also situate the Trojans nicely in the Pac-12 South race before next week’s intradivision game at Arizona.
Arizona State desperately needs a strong showing after getting whooped by UCLA. Dropping to 1-2 in the South Division would put the Sun Devils in an early, unwanted hole -- especially with their next opponent being Stanford in two weeks (after a bye).
One big matchup
USC offense vs. Arizona State defense: We covered ASU's passing situation above. If USC quarterback Cody Kessler can put together another strong passing game -- he's completing 72 percent of his passes and has 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions -- the Trojans could jump out to a quick lead and task Bercovici with playing from behind yet again. Arizona State enters the game with the country's No. 70 passing defense (238.5 yards allowed per game), and USC is 37th in passing offense (284.3 yards per game).
Further reading
For more on USC, head to Conquest Chronicles. For more on Arizona State, check out House of Sparky.
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