GAME PREVIEW: USC
BY JORDAN WELLS
T
he ebbs and flows of the college
football season are always a fasci‑
nating follow.
USC's fan base was largely dis‑
appointed by a 41‑31 home loss to Stan‑
ford Sept. 19, which dropped the Trojans
all the way from No. 6 in the Associated
Press poll to No. 19 the following week.
The dismay was in part because the Car‑
dinal lost to unranked Northwestern
16‑6 in its season opener.
But Northwestern proved a worthy
foe, engineering a 5‑0 start to the season
that saw it rise to No. 13 nationally in the
first AP poll of October. Stanford also
continued rolling following its week‑
one loss, defeating Oregon State 42‑24
Sept. 25 and dropping Arizona 55‑17
Oct. 3.
Suddenly, the loss to the Cardinal
didn't look nearly as bad as it did just
a few weeks ago. And after USC won
42‑14 at Arizona State Sept. 26, the mo‑
mentum in Los Angeles had shifted
back to optimism — until the Trojans
lost 17‑12 at home to Washington Oct. 8,
in a game they were favored by 17
points by oddsmakers.
Back to square one.
"The mood soured quickly after the
Talent Show
Trojans will bring a bevy of
skilled players on both sides
of the ball to South Bend
Senior Tre Madden, who had 54 carries for 333
yards (6.2 yards per rush) and four touchdowns
through five games, leads the way for the Trojans'
loaded stable of running backs.
PHOTO COURTESY USC
