Three Keys For Stanford To Upset No. 6 USC

Troy Taylor and Stanford have a major test on Saturday against USC

Troy Taylor and Stanford have already proven doubters wrong once this season in blowing out Hawai'i despite being just field goal favorites.

However, in Week 2 they are major underdogs against No. 6 USC which is led by 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams and favored by 29 points. The Trojans have already played two games this season, so Stanford has more film to go off than they have, but even in having this film the Cardinal are still an inexperienced squad that will need some major breaks to pull off what would be a historic upset over the Trojans. 

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Last season we saw USC struggle at times against what was a much more vanilla offense and defense, but with the new regime in town the Cardinal will look extremely different. They are also hoping to pull off what would be their biggest upset since 2007 when Tavita Pritchard led the Cardinal to a victory despite being 41-point underdogs. 

Here are three things that Stanford has to do to pull off this upset, which would shake up the landscape of college football. 

Unleash the rushing attack

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There hasn't been much to learn from USC's two blowout wins over Mountain West programs, but one thing that does stand out is that San Jose State had much more success because they were able to run the football. Compared to Nevada's 49 yards rushing on 1.3 yards per carry that saw them only put up 14 points, the Spartans rushed for nearly 200 yards on 7.3 yards per carry. As we saw in the first game, Stanford has a stable of running backs led by E.J. Smith that can make life miserable for the defense. The Trojans specifically struggled against Smith last season in what was a more predictable scheme, so having Taylor draw up plays to get his playmakers in space should only help their case. Establishing the run will tucker out USC's defense, and also keep Williams off the field. Despite running for 158 yards and two touchdowns, it feels fair to say that Stanford's running backs could do even more against USC who by the numbers has a worse rush defense than Hawai'i. 

Bring down Caleb Williams

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In most cases simply pressuring the quarterback is enough to throw them off, but until he is on the ground, Williams is always a threat. He has mastered the art of evading pressure and hitting big throws downfield, and with how inexperienced this secondary is for Stanford the less time they have to cover the better. David Bailey racked up three sacks against Hawai'i and will need another monster performance to help the Cardinal win. The more time Williams has, the more he will hurt you so Stanford absolutely cannot allow him to get comfortable otherwise he will gash them. 

Keep USC's defense on their toes

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Stanford fans were likely rejoicing in the streets to see an offense that actually used tempo, was aggressive, and threw in some trickery to keep the defense guessing. USC has given up a handful of big plays already this season giving up touchdowns of 32 yards and 77 yards through the air, while also giving up a 73-yard completion. If Taylor can continue to scheme up plays that will get Benjamin Yurosek and company open, Ashton Daniels showcased just how accurate he could be. Not to mention, if Stanford is able to effectively use motions and a trick play here and there, they could really expose the flaws of this USC defense which is giving up nearly 12 yards per completion.