The Stanford Cardinal rebounded from their loss to Northwestern by beating UCF, but perhaps their true test awaits them in Los Angeles.
Regarded by some as a potential playoff contender, Stanford got off to rough start, losing to Northwestern 16-6 due to an offense that could not finish drives. The USC Trojans' (6) offense will not only test the Cardinal defense, but will represent a challenge to keep up on the scoreboard.
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USC put up 55 points on Arkansas State and 59 on Idaho, but Stanford's defense will not likely be so malleable. But with USC's trio of running backs - Ronald Jones II, Tre Madden, and Justin Davis - and Cody Kessler behind center, the Trojans will be able to move the ball.
Stanford knows their offense will have to step up and put points on the board consistently to compete with USC.
"You never want to allow it to creep in that, 'Oh no, we can't reach the end zone," ESPN quoted Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan telling reporters in a pregame press conference. "It was almost like breaking the ice. We were able to move the chains and keep the drives going and that allowed the bigger plays to happen."
As starters for their respective teams, Hogan is 0-2 against Kessler and USC, though the past five contests have been decided by fewer than eight points each time.
"We've been going back and forth for a long time," Davis said in his pregame comments. "Like last year, it's a good test to see how the season is going to go for us. We know they are going to come with intensity. It's going to be a really physical game, and we got to match it."
