USC's rocky start to the season has made its path back to the Pac-12 championship game seem anything but predestined, and the performance of a couple division foes has only added to the degree of difficulty along the way.
Colorado, in particular, has emerged as one of the conference's most pleasant surprises, starting off 5-0 (2-0 in the league) and moving to No. 19/18 in the national rankings.
The Buffaloes visit the Coliseum on Saturday night as the Trojans (3-2, 2-1) look to prove they maximized their bye last week and are ready to finish strong.
But the margin for error is slim for this team, and coach Clay Helton has stressed a sense of urgency within his message to the players.
"Obviously the winner of this game controls the Pac-12 South and virtually their own destiny," he said.
The Buffaloes have been one of the more exciting offenses in college football, averaging 37.8 points and 490.6 yards per game, led by junior quarterback Steven Montez and breakout star sophomore receiver Laviska Shenault Jr.
But USC should be the toughest challenge yet for Colorado, which has wins over Colorado State, winless Nebraska, New Hampshire, winless UCLA and Arizona State.
Still, nothing can be taken for granted by these Trojans.
"There was a seriousness about them and a sense of urgency that I really liked," Helton said after practice Thursday. "I challenged them in our team meeting the importance of these last 48 hours were going to be critical when you're playing this type of team that is a talented team and has a lot of confidence and riding high. And every little thing we can get ahead on, every little tool we can put in our tool box in these last 48 hours is going to be critical. And they walked out there, it was very business-like, very much a sense of urgency. I was proud of them."
Game Info
When: 7:30 p.m. PT, Saturday
Where: Los Angeles Coliseum
TV: FS1 with Joe Davis, Brady Quinn and Bruce Feldman on the call.
Matchup history/breakdown
USC is 12-0 all time against Colorado, which joined the Pac-12 in 2011. The Trojans won the 2017 meeting 38-24 on the road and won 21-17 when the teams last clashed in the Coliseum in 2016.
USC carries an 18-game home winning streak (including 13 straight at home against Pac-12 foes) into this game.
Total offense/scoring offense
USC: 390.8 YPG (81st nationally)/24.6 PPG (101st)
Colorado: 490.6 YPG (18th)/37.8 PPG (31st)
Total defense/scoring defense
USC: 381.2 YPG (68th)/26.2 PPG (67th)
Colorado: 355 YPG (T-46th)/18.4 PPG (T-21st)
Quarterback spotlight
USC freshman JT Daniels: 1,257 passing yards, 59.9-percent completion rate, 4 TDs, 3 INTs in 5 games
Daniels said: "I was tired and sore, now I'm not as tired and not as sore. I feel really ready for the next eight weeks."
Colorado junior Steven Montez: 1,420 passing yards, 75.2-percent completion rate, 11 TDs, 2 INTs, 125 rushing yards, 3 TDs in 5 games
USC coach Clay Helton said: "Watching the tape with Steven Montez, one of the things I showed the kids in the team meeting today is how strong a man he has become. You're talking about a 6-5 body, almost 230 pounds and you look at what he's doing right now escaping and creating -- not only running the ball and pulling it down but actually finding his receivers. We've seen a lot of quarterbacks, they've either been a runner or they stay in the pocket and throw. This kid is doing a nice job of creating [with] both leg and arm, and we're going to need to contain him and get off the field."
Top playmakers
USC started to find some offensive balance in its last two wins, getting more consistent production from the rushing attack. The ideal formula for these Trojans would seem to be to lean on the ground game and play off that with aggressive shots downfield -- a facet of the passing attack that has shined so far.
It remains anyone's guess, though, how USC will divvy carries in the backfield between Aca'Cedric Ware (54 carries for 351 yards and 3 TDs), Stephen Carr (47-290-1) and Vavae Malepeai (29-154-6). Carr missed practice Wednesday due to illness.
Daniels' chemistry with his veteran receivers has clearly improved as the season has progressed, but freshman Amon-Ra St. Brown (25 catches for 396 yards and 2 TDs) has been the Trojans' steadiest target this fall. He was able to rest his injured shoulder over the bye. Meanwhile, Tyler Vaughns (23-244-1) and Michael Pittman (11-209-1) have come on in recent games, and Velus Jones (10-157) has proven to be a useful deep threat.
Tight end Josh Falo, who got a slow start to the season with a hamstring injury, is also coming off his best game with 3 catches for 54 yards vs. Arizona.
For Colorado, Montez has plenty of weapons. Laviska Shenault Jr. is one of the best stories in college football as a 3-star prospect who had just 7 catches last season before busting out with 51 catches for 708 yards and 10 combined TDs through five games this fall.
"I think the biggest thing with him is that he plays all the positions," USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast said. "You'll see him at the tight end, the X, the slot, he'll be a wildcat quarterback, he'll be in the backfield and he's really good with the ball in his hand. Of the receivers that I've been around, like I said, he's really very similar to Anquan Boldin -- a guy that really can handle the ball in the open field but also create mismatches down the field."
He's not Colorado's only weapon, though. K.D. Nixon has 23 catches for 290 yards and a TD, Tony Brown has 18 catches for 234 yards and the Buffaloes' rushing attack is formidable as well, led by Travon McMillian (528 yards, 4 TDs, 6.3 yards per carry), a transfer from Virginia Tech.
Defensive players to watch
USC linebacker and leading tackler Cameron Smith is expected to be a game-time decision after being hobbled this week by a right hamstring strain. If he can't go, that's a huge loss for the Trojans as Smith has played the most snaps of anyone on the defense, is key to coordinating the unit's communication and has twice as many tackles (47) as anybody else on the roster.
If Smith doesn't play, look for freshman Palaie Gaoteote to start in his place.
Meanwhile, outside linebacker Porter Gustin (22 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 QB hurries) has maintained all week that he'll ready to go, though Helton noted if the Trojans had a game last week Gustin likely wouldn't have played due to his ankle impingement.
USC's cornerbacks figured to be tested Saturday night. While Iman "Biggie" Marshall has had a nice senior season, fellow senior Isaiah Langley has been up and down. He bounced back last game against Arizona and his play could be pivotal for the Trojans.
If Smith is limited or out, senior safety Marvell Tell (21 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TFL) will be even more important in organizing the defense.
For Colorado, linebacker Nate Landman leads the team with 48 tackles while defensive end Mustafa Johnson has 9 TFLs and 4.5 sacks already.
The Buffaloes have a veteran secondary with junior cornerbacks Delrick Abrams Jr. (28 tackles, 5 pass break-ups, 1 forced fumble as a JUCO transfer) and Dante Wigley and senior safeties Evan Worthington (26 tackles, 5 PBUs) and Nick Fisher.
Key stat
How good has Shenault been this season?
His 141.6 receiving yards per game lead the country by a wide margin with the next-best total at 124.2 YPG. And his 10.2 catches per game is 2.0 more than any other receiver in college football.
Scouting reports
USC head coach Clay Helton:
"I think their effectiveness in the run game [is underrated], which is making them stay extremely balanced. They're doing a tremendous job. The top runner's already got over 500 yards worth of rushing right now and he's a great runner between the tackles. You know, you talk about Montez and you talk about Shenault, but that run game is ultra dangerous too. And you look at their percentages on first and second down, it's heavy run. They want to be a run team first and take their shots and get the ball out on the perimeter. The headlines will always be about the skill outside, but I've been really impressed with their run game."
USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin:
"[They've got] experienced guys that have played in coach [Mike] MacIntyre's system their whole careers. Don't make a whole lot of mistakes. They force the teams that they play against to execute for four quarters, and [they're] opportunistic in terms of getting pressure on the quarterback and sending multiple pressure looks, so on and so forth. Not only this season, but that's been their m.o. every year we've played them, so we're going in expecting that and getting reps with all the different looks -- the things that's on tape and things that aren't on tape. Because the theme of the day has been this year to make up stuff on game day."
USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast:
"Their quarterback is playing at a very high level, distributes the ball to a lot of different players and he can make all the throws. I was very impressed with how he's played thus far this year. We've gone against him the last two years, and I thought he was a really good player when he was a freshman, so he's matured a lot. You can see they give him more and more of the offense."
Links from this week's coverage
-Reporters Roundtable: Staff picks, perspective and predictions
-Podcast: Ask the Expert with Pac-12 Networks analyst Yogi Roth
-USC linebacker Cam Smith '50-50 at best' with hamstring injury
-Tajwar's Take: Colorado WR Laviska Shenault Jr. is the real deal and a real problem for USC
-USC will need senior cornerback Isaiah Langley's best game in tough matchup
-USC's game with Colorado has special significance for TE Josh Falo
-Wednesday practice notes: USC defense focusing on a special wrinkle of Colorado offense
-Tuesday practice notes: 'Brutal self-evaluation' over bye week
-Video interviews from Wednesday practice
-Video interviews from Tuesday practice
-Podcast: Critiquing USC's approach to scheduling
-Clay Helton reacts to report about Pac-12's mishandling of targeting call vs. USC
