Video by Ben Margiott | Multimedia reporter
For the second consecutive game, ASU football will be without redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly, and it will turn to redshirt junior Mike Bercovici. The backup from LA has another week of practice under his belt, but that doesn't erase the turnovers he had against UCLA. USC quarterback, redshirt junior Cody Kessler, has yet to turn the ball over in four starts. New USC coach Steve Sarkisian entered the season relying on the dangerous ground game, but he's entrusted more and more of the offense with Kessler each week.
This is a tie, but is a very, very slight edge to USC. That edge widens more if redshirt junior Tre Madden is able to make his season debut. The talented running back has been out all season with turf toe and has been injury prone in the past. But when's he's healthy, he's electric. ASU head coach Todd Graham was probably correct in saying that these could be the two best running backs ASU faces. Luckily for the Sun Devils, they have some talent of their own in the backfield. It's crucial for ASU to develop its running game early, unlike against UCLA. Junior D.J. Foster only had nine carries for 30 yards, his worst performance since last year's UCLA game.
Again, officially, this is a tie. But again, USC has the slightest edge. Both ASU and USC have a top-line receiver. The Trojans have junior Nelson Agholar and the Sun Devils have redshirt junior Jaelen Strong. Strong wins that battle, but the Trojans' secondary options and tight ends get the edge. Both teams also like to utilize their running back in the passing game. Redshirt junior Javorius Allen has 15 catches for 164 yards for USC, while Foster is ASU's second-leading receiver, with 16 catches for 207 yards.
From Matt Kalil to Khaled Holmes to Marcus Martin, the Trojans have produced their fair share of NFL offensive lineman over the last few years. In the trenches this season, however, ASU might have more NFL prospects. Both redshirt senior Jamil Douglas and redshirt junior Christian Westerman have NFL aspirations for the Sun Devils. And they've led the line this year into its best year since Graham arrived at ASU. It looked shaky at times against UCLA, so USC's front-seven could be able to have an effect on it, too.
Two words: Leonard. Williams. That's all USC needs to give it the edge, but that's not all it has. The front-seven is the strength of the Trojan defense. Senior J.R. Tavei lines up at the opposite end spot of Williams, and he's matched his team-leading sack total of two. The ASU defensive line is where the Sun Devils lost the majority of their their defensive talent from last season. ASU has consistently struggled to get pressure on the quarterback, though it has performed well against the run game at times.
Two words: Hayes. Pullard. The edge is made even greater if sophomore safety/linebacker Su'a Cravens is included here. While ASU lost star linebacker Carl Bradford, USC's returned for his final season. Pullard has led the team in tackles for two seasons, and he's tied for second with 26 this season. Although redshirt sophomore Laiu Moeakiola and freshman DJ Calhoun have stepped up for ASU, there were too big of shoes to fill in one season.
Where ASU's best defensive player lies is also where it has its first defensive advantage. Redshirt senior Damarious Randall has lived up to expectations this season. He's one of only two returning starters, and he's the lone one in the secondary. Redshirt junior Jordan Simone has also provided a surprising spark to the defense, second only to Randall in tackles, and owning one of just two interceptions on the team. Don't discount USC's secondary, though. Redshirt senior Gerald Bowman is the standout of the group, with 26 tackles and an interception this season. Typically he plays opposite Cravens, but that is up in the air after Cravens played so well as a hybrid safety-linebacker against Oregon State.
Special teams is neither one of these teams' strong suits. Both have reliable kickers (senior Andre Heidari for USC and sophomore Zane Gonzalez for ASU), but that's just about it. Neither team averages more return yards on punts or kickoffs than their opponent, though ASU has only returned the kickoff three times. Graham continues to focus on special teams, but there has been little improvement for ASU, which allowed a 100-yard kick return touchdown last week.
There's no questioning the top-level talent the Trojans posses. The scholarship sanctions weren't able to take that away. What did happen, though, was USC's depth was hurt. Under Sarkisian, that's beginning to reverse itself, but it takes time. To beat USC, Graham has to control the tempo of the game and get into USC's second-stringers for longer than the Trojans want to. Beating USC's starters is a tough task, but it's made easier by getting into USC's depleted depth.
Kelly went down at possibly the worst time for ASU. The Sun Devils had a much better chance with him leading them into the Coliseum than Bercovici, but they aren't at a total disadvantage. USC wins the game without too much of a threat from ASU, though it wouldn't be too much of a shock to see ASU give USC a game, either.
2014 season in photos
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Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
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