By Pat Gammill “Sun Devil Pat” for DieHardDevil.com
An early Sun Devil lead will put even more pressure and noise on the young USC quarterbacks.
Fellow Sun Devils,
This is a huge game tonight for both ASU and USC. I would go as far as to say this is most likely an elimination game in the Pac-12 South.
While the winner will be very much alive at 1-1 in conference play, the loser is 0-2 with a loss to a legitimate Pac-12 South contender. This is a game that ASU must win in my opinion.
Maroon Monsoon
All we’ve heard coming into this season is that ASU is on the rise in the Pac-12 South. The Devils’ have some quality competition in the South to advance to the Pac-12 Championship game with a Rose Bowl bid on the line. If ASU were to lose to USC tonight at Sun Devil Stadium, they’ll sit at 0-2 in the conference. This would be a disaster for this team’s confidence going forward. The longer the drive, the more snaps, the more likely their young quarterbacks will make a mistake.
ASU’s high octane offense faces a stern test in one of the country’s best defenses on Saturday night. As bad as the USC offense has been this season, their defense has been that good, if not great.
ASU will need to start fast, no waiting around for the fourth quarter to start playing football. They need to get an early lead and force the Trojans to play catch up. SC is struggling to score points behind two inexperienced quarterbacks. These QB’s have made a single road start this year, in their opener at Hawaii.
Sun Devil Stadium will be a more hostile environment than Hawaii. An early Sun Devil lead will put even more pressure and noise on the young USC quarterbacks.
Force the Trojans to drive 70-80 yards or more in order to score. Make USC to snap the ball 10-15 times to score on you. Then ASU’s defense must step up and not let Marquise Lee, or any other talented Trojan skill player, pull of the big play. The longer the drive, the more snaps, the more likely their young quarterbacks will make a mistake. That will also create opportunities for a turnover by an inexperienced quarterback.
Simply put, it’s time for ASU to be the defensive team we thought they were coming into the season.
Lastly, ASU’s special teams have been awful so far this season. The special teams don’t have to win the game for ASU on Saturday night, just don’t lose it with another blocked kick, or muffed snap for an easy score for the opponent.
With all that being said, I like ASU to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter to blow the game open for the Sun Devils. Final score: ASU 27 – USC 17. Go Sun Devils!
So as the countdown-clock draws closer to 7:30PM, what’s your prediction?
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