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Know Your Opponent: UCLA Football vs. USC Trojans 2018

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans looks up for the ball during warm ups before the game against the Washington State Cougars at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 21, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans looks up for the ball during warm ups before the game against the Washington State Cougars at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 21, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

USC Defense

If you think UCLA’s list of injuries is impressive, it is nothing compared to USC’s. Things were not going to go the Trojans’ way this season and that was evident early when their defense all-star LB Porter Gustin (who only played in six games and STILL leads the team in sacks (7) and tackles for a loss (10)) was ruled out for the season with an ankle injury. Since then it has been a who’s who of fallen Trojans.

According to Reign of Troy, there are 14 players that range from “Out for the Season” to “probable” for the UCLA game. Does that give UCLA an advantage? Possibly, but UCLA cannot come into this game thinking USC is limping. The Bruins need to play like they are going against a Top 5 defense because the Trojans still have a lot of players that can do some damage.

Related Story. UCLA vs. USC 2018: Limiting mistakes will determine the winner. light

The line is where USC has not been as affected by the copious amount of injuries. Christian Rector has been the best option for the Trojans’ pass rush as he is second on the team in both sacks (4.5) and TFLs (8.5). After that, there does not seem to be much bite. USC has benefitted from Marlon Tuipulotu and Jay Tufele, but they have only combined for 49 total tackles, 8 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks. Not exactly the push you want from your front line but UCLA cannot take this for granted.

Even though the Trojans have six linebackers either out or questionable to play, they still have a few that can make a difference in this group. John Houston, who should be able to play on Saturday, leads all Trojans with 63 total tackles. Cameron Smith is the workhorse in this crew who is second in total tackles (59) and third on the team in TFLs (5.0). Jordan Iosefa has also been forced into action and has (26 tackles) helped hold together the LB group.

2018 USC Defensive Stats

Total – 370.0 | Rushing – 153.9 | Passing – 216.1 | Scoring – 26.6

The strength of the USC defense comes from their secondary. They have also had some players go down with injuries, but they are deep. Without looking at their stats, you should already know about the following Trojans and what they can do: Marvell Tell, Arjene Harris, Isaiah Langley, and Iman Marshall. All four are among the top eight USC tacklers and have combined for 160 total tackles, 7 TFLs, and 21 pass breakups. Though they can play tight on the ball, they only have 2 interceptions between them.

So what is Chip Kelly planning to do against USC? It seems likely that Wilton Speight will be called upon to lead the offense and when that happens, the Bruins tend to lean on the pass. Though USC is thin, they have playmakers, especially against the pass, so it might be in Kelly’s best interest to run the ball as much as possible so that it can open up the pass. Basically, give it to Joshia Kelley. UCLA has shown they can march down the field, but what they really need to key into is limiting mistakes.