Thursday morning, ASU football finished its preparation to travel to Los Angeles this weekend for its first road conference game of the year.
The Sun Devils have scored 38 points and won in each of their last three trips to Los Angeles, but this trip feels different. Each of those previous three matchups were "must-win" games, as the last two came immediately following losses and the first clinched a Pac-12 South title.
This time, ASU rolls into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 4-0, but a relatively surprising 10-point underdog to 1-3 USC.
But this isn't your typical 1-3 team.
"They've got the two best running backs that we'll play against," head coach Todd Graham said. "Their receivers are big and physical and the tight ends are the same way. They're very capable of being very explosive."
The Trojan offense has gotten better every week and now, with freshman Sam Darnold at the helm, is looking to turn a corner and flip their record around.
Graham said stopping the run and making Darnold beat him is key for ASU against the Trojans. What does ASU need to do to accomplish that goal?
"Tackle," Graham said.
While junior linebacker Christian Sam is unavailable for the game with an injury, senior defensive lineman Ami Latu will be, despite missing time this week with a knee injury.
"Senior year, last time to go to Southern California where he's from," Graham said. "I'd say there's a good chance he's going to play and we're going to make sure he's safe to play."
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.
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