Week 5: USC at Oregon State

The top-ranked Trojans face their second OSU in as many games, and this so-named opponent is nowhere near as competitive or stocked with talent as Ohio State, a veteran team that USC swatted around 35-3. With no recognizable flaws and fully rested after a bye week, Pete Carroll’s latest collection of All-Americans and all-conference players should leave Oregon State in absolute shambles. There is plenty of incentive to do some serious damage in this Thursday night game.

Two years ago, the Trojans didn’t win in Corvallis. They didn’t survive a trip to this nondescript little town well off the interstate when another blowout was fully expected, losing to the Beavers 33-31 in a shocker. Plenty of those same USC players remain on the roster and with so few losses in their college careers they’ll want to make amends and raze the place.

For starters, quarterback Mark Sanchez and the USC offense should steamroll a rebuilt Oregon State front seven that couldn’t hang with Stanford or Penn State. The Trojans likely will be able to run at will with Joe McKnight, C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson following the lead of such mobile and iron-fisted blockers as Jeff Byers and Kristofer O’Dowd, guys who mowed down Virginia and Ohio State defenders without much trouble. Of course, that’s only half the problem in dealing with this fearsome team. The Trojans’ ridiculously gifted and veteran defensive unit held those two aforementioned opponents to a collective 10 points and 103 yards rushing.

The Beavers are left only with two-year-old memories of upsetting a No. 3 USC team and ending its 27-game winning streak against Pac-10 opponents. They were a much more veteran team back then, faster and more physical. They’ve got a sure thing going in true freshman running back Jacquizz Rogers, who’s rushed for 263 yards and four touchdowns in his brief career, but not enough support around him. Things could get ugly real quick.

Notes:

From the Beavers’ stirring 2006 upset of USC, just four starters remain in cornerbacks Brandon Hughes and Keenan Lewis, and offensive tackle Andy Levitre and wide receiver Sammie Stroughter; the Trojans have five regulars back from that game, all defenders, in linebackers Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing, and defensive backs Taylor Mays, Kevin Ellison and Cary Harris.

USC leads this series 58-9-4, but has lost two of its last three visits to Oregon State. The Trojans also are 4-0 in Thursday night games.

Trojans junior cornerback Shareece Wright, already facing a felony charge for resisting police at a party, has been lost for six weeks with a neck injury and will be replaced in the starting lineup by senior Josh Pinkard, who hasn’t started a game since the 2006 opener at Arkansas. Pinkard has been hampered by knee injuries.

USC is the only Pac-10 team that hasn’t played a conference game, dealing with two byes in the first month of the season.

The Trojans currently don’t have a ranked team left on their schedule as they begin their pursuit of a league-record seventh consecutive Pac-10 championship.

Key Player (Trojans) – Joe McKnight, RB

His last time out, this sophomore speedster enjoyed his second career 100-yard rushing game, both of the coming against Big Ten teams. He finished with 105 yards against Ohio State to go with the 125 he churned out against Illinois last January in the Rose Bowl. If he stays on the field long enough in Corvallis, he could pile up a career best.

Key Player (Beavers) – Sammie Stroughter, WR

This speedster had a huge day against USC two years ago, returning a punt 70 yards for a touchdown and catching eight passes for 127 yards. He’s capable of getting loose, with his 21 catches for 255 yards and three scores this season, but doesn’t have the quarterback or the blockers that helped him look good in 2006.

USC by 28