Reporter Roundtable: Picks, predictions and perspective for USC-Utah

1. What concerns you most about this matchup with Utah from USC's perspective?

Ryan Young: "Where to begin ... Well, the concern is that the Utes' strengths happen to align with the Trojans' vulnerabilities. USC has faced two mobile quarterbacks so far and struggled against both -- and Utah's Tyler Huntley is better than either of them. Huntley had his way with the Trojans last year, passing for 341 yards and 4 TDs and rushing for another score. And defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast (along with the stats) say Huntley is an advanced pocket passer this year (77.8 percent passing for 602 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs through three games) while still remaining an ever-present threat to take off with the ball (99 rushing yards, TD). Perhaps he hasn't been looking to run as much so far this fall, but if Utah has watched any tape on the Trojans' inability to contain scrambling QBs, well, it might want to make use of Huntley's legs.

And he's not even the best offensive player on the team. No, that's running back Zack Moss (373 yards, 4 TDs, 6.5 yards per carry), who went for 136 rushing yards vs. USC last year. A quarter of the way through the season and Pendergast is talking openly about his team's tackling struggles -- that's especially concerning considering this matchup. And lastly, USC's offensive line took a step back last week at BYU and now faces a veteran and experienced Utes' defensive front that dominated the teams' 2018 matchup. Yikes."

Tajwar Khandaker: "USC’s defense worries me at every level, and I think Utah has enough to make them pay dearly for it. Zack Moss will be hard to contain for a team that consistently struggles to tackle, and the mobility of Tyler Huntley will be a nightmare for a defensive front that’s failed to generate pressure or to finish plays against offensive lines several degrees worse than Utah’s. Coach Kyle Whittingham loves the play-action game, and I can see his Utes tearing up the inexperienced Trojan secondary with it."

2. Clay Helton says his team is built to handle adversity. What is your expectation for how the Trojans will respond from the BYU loss?

Ryan: "On this note, I believe USC will bring its best effort -- it just remains to be seen whether that's good enough. I liked the comments from the players this week, touting this as a veritable Pac-12 South championship game, acknowledging that this game will reveal a lot about the Trojans, etc. They get it. They know how pivotal this is for their season, and I at least expect a better offensive performance. I believe USC will be competitive -- I just don't know about all the aformentioned concerns."

Tajwar: "I don’t expect them to roll over and die, but I expect to see a team more similar to the one we saw at BYU than the one we did against Stanford. I don’t think this game will be as much of a blowout as many expect it to be -- the offense will play well enough to keep the game within two scores, but it just won’t be enough."

3. What's your expectation for QB Kedon Slovis and the USC offensive gameplan vs. Utah?

Ryan: "It can be misleading to get caught up in team stats after just three games -- especially when Utah has played BYU, Northern Illinois and Idaho State -- but it's hard to ignore that the Utes rank No. 7 nationally against the run, allowing just 65 yards per game on the ground so far. USC couldn't consistently rush it when it needed to against a BYU defense selling out to stop the pass, so I think the Trojans are going to have to get it done through the air Friday night. And to that point, the USC rushing attack has been its most effective when playing off the opportunities opened up by a productive passing game -- not the other way around. So I think the Trojans have to trust Slovis to bounce back from his 3-INT performance last week. He's the key to this game. I don't think he'll be fazed by his struggles at BYU, but he still has to prove whether the bad reads that led to those picks were anomalies or reflective of his inexperience."

Tajwar: "Against a Utah defense that’s spectacular against the run, I think the road to victory here is for the Trojans to let Slovis sling it. He had more than his fair share of hiccups last week, but he still showed that he’s capable of carrying a team on his back as a high-volume passer. I don’t think he’ll take as many chances as last week, but I expect he’ll be effective and efficient. Even against the 26th-ranked pass defense in the FBS (174.3 yards per game), look for Slovis to carry the USC offense on a surprisingly good night."