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In response to
"Stanford beat USC. Maybe now USC will fall below us in the rankings. -- nm"
by
Redmond
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USC could be in for physical battle with Stanford
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USC could be in for physical battle with Stanford
By Scott Wolf Staff Writer
Updated: 11/14/2009 12:12:59 AM PST
When USC plays Stanford, a common question is whether this game is a physical mismatch.
That's the key issue today when the No. 11-ranked Trojans play the No. 25-ranked Cardinal at the Coliseum. But there is a twist to the question.
This time, there are doubts whether the Trojans can physically handle the Cardinal.
It's a unique position for USC but also a legitimate question when the Trojans average 228 pounds at linebacker while Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart is 235.
"Their foundation is a smash-mouth running game," USC linebacker Chris Galippo said.
"He is just a hammer back there," USC coach Pete Carroll added.
Whether the Trojans (7-2, 4-2) can stop the Cardinal (6-3, 5-2)
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will determine if the Trojans play in a BCS bowl game.
The dilemma for Carroll this week was if he focused too much on Gerhart, he might get burned by Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck, who is having the year USC fans envisioned from Matt Barkley. Luck has passed for more than 2,000 yards with 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
"He's about as good as anyone and can throw the ball all over the field," Carroll said. "We knew he would be good in high school but he's really grown a lot in the past year."
Whether Stanford respects USC's defense should be apparent by the game plan. If the Cardinal thinks it can overpower the Trojans, Gerhart will run a lot. He carried 29 times against UCLA and 38 against Oregon
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and has rushed for 1,217 yards this season.
But if the Cardinal fears the defense, expect Luck to go deep more often, something that helped Stanford stun Oregon. Luck also passed for 423 yards against Arizona.
"What surprised me is the way they beat Oregon," Carroll said. "They didn't do it running the football, they did it by throwing the ball. They totally bombed them.
"They went deep - I don't know, 10 times in the first half alone and hit about six of them."
Carroll also feared Luck's foot speed could be an issue. He averages an impressive 5.2 yards per carry, which is unusual for a big quarterback who is primarily a passer.
"I hope the quarterback running isn't a factor in this game," Carroll said. "That's a big number for a quarterback."
In an effort to even up the size mismatch, Carroll moved 255-pound freshman Devon Kennard to outside linebacker this week. He provides a better fit matching up against Gerhart, aside from the fact he never played linebacker before.
"I'm pretty comfortable, I don't think I'll be extra nervous or anything, I'm ready to play," Kennard said.
A more subtle change is putting defensive tackle Armond Armstead, who weighs 295 pounds, back at defensive end. That potentially gives the Trojans three defensive tackles on the line.
"Gerhart would be like playing against Jerome Bettis in the old days at Pittsburgh," Carroll said. "You knew you had a big war daddy coming back there at you down after down.
"(But) he looks faster than Bettis, and Bettis doesn't want to hear that. (Gerhart) is a real battler. He really fights you. There are a lot of really awesome attributes about this guy that makes him who he is."
It will be a daunting task because Stanford scored 51 points against Oregon last week, a team the Trojans mustered just 20 points against two weeks ago. However, the case could be made Stanford benefitted from a post-USC hangover.
Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh threw a bouquet to the Trojans for helping him this season in an unintentional way. Stanford rolled to victories over Washington and Oregon the week after both teams defeated USC.
"We have been fortunate as a football team to play the team that beat USC the week after they beat them," Harbaugh said. "There was something to that, I can't measure that or quantify that, but that's definitely been a good thing for Stanford football."
Harbaugh also cannot return to the Coliseum without being asked about the Cardinal's stunning 24-23 victory in 2007.
"Those will be memories I'm sure I will have for the rest of my life," he said. "It was a great and thrilling victory."
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