Reporter Roundtable: Insight, predictions and nostalgia for USC-Stanford

The last time USC played Stanford, it was the breakout game for Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis, who was still a mostly under-the-radar three-star freshman who had been unexpectedly thrust into action off the bench a week earlier.

Making his first career start that day in early September of 2019 vs. the Cardinal, Slovis very quickly raised his profile with a sterling performance in the Coliseum, completing 28 of 33 passes for 377 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in a resounding 45-20 win.

But it doesn't sound like Slovis has spent much time immersed in nostalgia for that memory this week as USC prepares to host Stanford again on Saturday night.

"Not really. Some people said some things and obviously we watched film, that game comes up. But honestly, as much as it was my first start it wasn't the cleanest game I've played ever," he said.

Surely, the Trojans and their fans would be plenty happy replicating an 84.8 completion percentage and those kind of stats from their quarterback Saturday.

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"I remember it was his first start and he had a heck of a performance. Hopefully he has good memories and does it again, but you know, he's got to continue to improve just like the rest of the unit," offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said. "But it's a team he has played before, had success against, and sometimes you just need that good voodoo and you just believe it. It's kind of like a golf course -- when you play a golf course really well, for whatever reason when you go you play well again. So hopefully that's the case with him this week."

Slovis was fine in USC's season-opening 30-7 win last week vs. San Jose State, completing 24 of 36 passes for 256 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, but the offense as a whole underwhelmed while mustering just one touchdown (and three field goals) through the first 58 minutes of the game.

USC would indeed love some of that "good voodoo" from Slovis vs. Stanford this time around to jumpstart the unit.

The Trojans aren't the only ones who remember Slovis' first start vividly, though.

"I remember that game very well," Stanford coach David Shaw said this week. "A lot of guys on our team didn't know much about him until after that game, and he really showed something special. As much as anything, his ability to anticipate, get the ball out of his hands, put the ball in tight windows, I think it really started with our game, Kedon really playing at a high level and he carried that throughout the season.

"The young man's extremely talented. ... He's got a chance to be good at this level and good on the next level. Yeah, our guys remember that one extremely well."

So much has transpired since then, as Slovis is now a junior, a potential first-round draft pick and the face of marketing deals with United Airlines and American Eagle.

What perhaps helps keep the memory of that 2019 game fresh this week, though, is the fact that USC and Stanford didn't play last season for the first time since 1945, as the pandemic shortened the Pac-12 schedule to just six planned games (the Trojans played five in the regular-season).

Stanford is USC's oldest football rival, dating back to 1905, and the Cardinal have been a thorn in the side for the Trojans over the last 15 years, winning 60 percent of the meetings in that time.

That said, USC has won three of the last four clashes and the No. 14 Trojans (1-0) come into the game with a little more momentum than the Cardinal (0-1), which lost 24-7 to Kansas State in its opener last week while mustering just 39 net rushing yards.

Stanford will also be introducing a new starting quarterback in sophomore Tanner McKee, who completed 15 of 18 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown while coming off the bench last week.

Regardless of matchup details or circumstances, both sides seem to appreciate having the game back on the schedule this year -- the 101st meeting all-time.

"Absolutely, I missed playing them last year," Shaw said. "I'm a West Coast kid, I'm a Pac-8, Pac-10, Pac-12 guy and 'SC and Stanford always play. There's a lot of crossover with our alumni, a lot of communication with our alumni. It's always a special game. And when we were becoming the Pac-12 and deciding [things], I was one of those that raised my hand and said, 'Stanford and Cal need to play USC and UCLA regardless.' We have some great traditions there. So I did miss playing them. This game's very emotional, especially playing down in the Coliseum."

Said USC coach Clay Helton: "I've had the opportunity now, with this being my 12th year in the league, and this has really become a big rivalry game. It's one of those games that really sets the tone for the rest of the season. We always play them within the first three games because we both have that matchup with Notre Dame so it's always an early test and it's always just a physical battle. You come out of this game and everybody's black and blue. So it's a special game within our league, it's a special game for college football, we look forward to having a chance to compete."

As always, the TrojanSports.com staff breaks down the matchup and the key storylines of the week to set the stage for Saturday: