USC vs. Stanford: 3 players to watch in Trojans' Pac-12 football opener

Stanford transfer Austin Jones faces his former team for the first time

With a roster full of transfers finally hitting the field in USC's season-opening win over Rice, the Coliseum saw many new faces making big plays for the Trojans in Week 1.

From Shane Lee’s pick-six to Raleek Brown’s 14-yard touchdown run, flashes of the immense talent on USC's roster were on full display, but there’s so much more to be seen, especially in the national spotlight this Saturday vs. Stanford.

Here are three USC players to keep an eye on in the Trojans' Pac-12 opener:

3 USC PLAYERS TO WATCH VS. STANFORD

LB ERIC GENTRY

The former freshman All-American linebacker had a strong debut as a Trojan against Rice. Gentry transferred from Arizona State, where he had 45 tackles, including five for loss a year ago. In his first game wearing the cardinal and gold, Gentry had seven total tackles (three solo) and half a sack, making an immediate impact in a rebuilt defense.

Though his individual performance was impressive last week, Gentry is focused on helping his team accomplish “whatever the goal is. If I have no tackles in a game, as long as we win, that’s what I’m more worried about,” he said Wednesday after practice.

Gentry mentioned that Stanford is a similar style of team to Rice, only more physical and more talented, starting with quarterback Tanner McKee leading the Cardinal offense. 

“He’s a smart quarterback. He changes the play, he knows his reads. He’s a very pro-style quarterback. I think that will be the challenge, just trying to out-smart him and out-physical them. That team thinks they’re physical; we’re trying to out-physical them,” Gentry said.

The 6-foot-6 linebacker has focused on improving every week and already thinks the defense as a whole is making strides. “I think you’ll be able to see this Saturday, it’ll be a different defense than you’d think showing up.”

Gentry’s the type of player that’s always around the ball and looking to make the right football play, so look for him to continue to be all over the field Saturday against Stanford.

RB AUSTIN JONES

Photo by Kirby Lee

This is a special game for running back Austin Jones, as he’s returning to his old school and facing off against his former teammates and coaches. However, the back is focused on the job at hand and isn’t letting the distractions get in the way of achieving the Trojans’ goal this weekend.

“It’ll be fun to play against my old teammates, but at the end of the day we just want to go 1-0 each week. Just another game for me,” Jones said.

Jones totaled 1,686 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns in his three seasons at Stanford before transferring to USC this offseason. In his debut as a Trojan against Rice, he found the end zone twice on five touches.

Consider that a strong start to the season, but look for the veteran running back to be very involved in the offense this Saturday, with freshman back Raleek Brown’s availability still uncertain. 

“I felt like the run game went really well last week; we just gotta continue doing what we’ve been doing,” Jones said after practice Wednesday.

USC was spreading the ball around a good amount in Week 1, but Jones and Travis Dye are likely to see the majority of the touches in the backfield this week.

CB MEKHI BLACKMON

The cornerback transfer from Colorado had a relatively quiet first game as a Trojan, but that’s usually a good thing at his position. Blackmon recorded just one solo tackle out of four total but also knocked down a pass and had a solid outing overall.

In 53 snaps against Rice, Blackmon posted a 74.4 PFF grade, best among USC’s secondary. Though he wasn’t one of three Trojans to record a pick-six in Week 1, he could be a candidate to come down with a Tanner McKee pass attempt this upcoming week.

Though the secondary generally isn’t visible on the television broadcast, Blackmon showed strong instincts and coverage ability in his USC debut, a promising sign for a secondary that has struggled in recent years.

Look for Blackmon to make some big plays this week against Stanford.