Reign of Troy
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USC vs. BYU Gameday Guide: Matchups, lineups, links, odds and more

By Alicia de Artola

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 07: Starting quarterback Kedon Slovis #9 of the USC Trojans warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 07: Starting quarterback Kedon Slovis #9 of the USC Trojans warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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USC vs. BYU

LaVelle Edwards Stadium | Provo, UT12:30 p.m. Pacific | ABCAll-time series: USC leads 2-0Last meeting: USC 42, BYU 10 in 2004

The first road test of the season arrives for USC vs. BYU on Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars will be a confident bunch when they welcome the Trojans to LaVelle Edwards Stadium. Though they suffered an embarrassing defeat to rival Utah in Week 1, they bounced back in a big way by getting an underdog victory over Tennessee in Knoxville.

The Trojans are coming off their own big win. Frustration over a lackluster win over Fresno State in Week 1 was washed way as first time starting quarterback Kedon Slovis engineered a 42-3 run against Stanford in what turned into a rout.

Can Slovis prove his mettle in his first road start? Will BYU quarterback Zach Wilson produce his own heroics as the Cougars seek an upset?

It’s almost time to find out. But first…

Gameday Links:

Preview Podcast:

Join co-hosts Michael Castillo and Alicia de Artola as they preview the action in Provo with analysis of the matchups, Over/Under picks, predictions and more.

LISTEN: USC vs. BYU Preview

Having trouble? Download the episode or listen on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

USC football injury report

  • OUT FOR THE SEASON:
    • LB Solomon Tuliaupupu (foot)
    • QB JT Daniels (knee)
  • OUT:
    • CB Max Williams (hamstring)
    • DL Jacob Lichtenstein (calf)
    • LB Jordan Iosefa (knee)
    • LB Elijah Winston (turf toe)
    • OLB Abdul-Malik McClain
    • TE Ethan Rae (knee)
    • WR Kyle Ford (knee)
    • WR Bru McCoy (illness)
  • QUESTIONABLE:
    • DL DeJon Benton (undisclosed)
    • DL Christian Rector (ankle)
    • OL Clayton Bradley (undisclosed)
    • OL Liam Jimmons (undisclosed)
    • OL Bernard Schirmer (undisclosed)
    • OL Andrew Vorhees (foot)
  • PROBABLE:
    • DB Chase Williams (shoulder)

BYU football injury report

  • OUT:
    • WR Neil Pau’u (suspension)
    • RB Beau Hoge (retirement)

When USC has the ball…

If USC plays like they did against Stanford, it’s hard to see where BYU will have the ability to stop them, unless they find a way to force turnovers. Of course, they’ve only forced one turnover so far in 2019 and ranked 79th in turnovers forced in 2018.

The Cougars haven’t been particularly good at stopping the run this season, so USC could try to take pressure off Kedon Slovis in his first road start by pounding the rock with Vavae Malepeai and Stephen Carr. Of course, they may not need to work so hard to protect Slovis since BYU are last in the nation with just one sack so far.

For the Trojans it should come down to playing clean, mistake-free football. They were able to do that in the final three quarters against Stanford. Can they do it again?

BYU Defense

  • DE #99 Zach Dawe, RS-Jr.
  • NT #95 Khyiris Tonga, Jr.
  • DT #93 Bracken El-Bakri, RS-Jr.
  • OE #52 Trajan Pili, RS-Sr.
  • BLB #53 Isaiah Kaufusi, RS-Jr.
  • MLB #34 Kavika Fonua, RS-Jr.
  • FLB #49 Payton Wilgar, RS-Jr.
  • RCB #12 Malik Moore, So.
  • FS #28 Sawyer Powell, RS-Sr.
  • SS #2 Austin Lee, RS-Sr.
  • LCB #5 Bayan Ghanwoloku, RS-Sr.

USC Offense

  • LT #73 Austin Jackson, Jr.
  • LG #75 Alijah Vera-Tucker, RS-So.
  • C #62 Brett Neilon, RS-So.
  • RG #70 Jalen McKenzie, RS-So.
  • RT #53 Drew Richmond, RS-Sr.
  • TE #84 Erik Krommenhoek, Jr.
  • X #6 Michael Pittman, Sr.
  • A #1 Velus Jones, RS-Jr.
  • Y #8 Amon-Ra St. Brown, So.
  • Z #21 Tyler Vaughns, RS-Jr.
  • RB #29 Vavae Malepeai, RS-Jr.
  • QB #9 Kedon Slovis Fr.

When BYU has the ball…

USC has already faced one mobile quarterback this season and Fresno State’s Jorge Reyna did plenty of damage. This week they face another dynamic playmaker behind center in Zach Wilson.

The task for the Trojans is balancing their pass rush. They will need to be aggressive enough to get to Wilson, but not so aggressive that they leave him space to escape and gain yards on the ground.

Wilson can be a dangerous weapon, but he also has high risk and high reward. Against Utah, he threw two pick sixes. Forcing him into those kinds of mistakes will be key.

BYU Offense

  • QB #1 Zach Wilson, So.
  • RB #5 Ty’Son Williams, RS-Sr.
  • WR #21 Talon Shumway, RS-Sr.
  • WR #13 Micah Simon, RS-Sr.
  • SLOT #15 Aleva Hifo, Sr.
  • TE #89 Matt Bushman, Jr.
  • LT #67 Brady Christensen, RS-So.
  • LG #77 Chandon Herring, RS-Jr.
  • C #66 James Empey, RS-So.
  • RG #69 Tristen Hoge, RS-Jr.
  • RT #61 Keanu Saleapaga, RS-So.

USC Defense

  • DE #89 Christian Rector, RS-Sr.
  • DT #78 Jay Tufele, RS-So.
  • NT #51 Marlon Tuipulotu, RS-So.
  • DE #99 Drake Jackson, Fr.
  • LB #31 Hunter Echols, RS-So.
  • LB #1 Palaie Gaoteote, So.
  • LB #10 John Houston, RS-Sr.
  • CB #2 Olaijah Griffin, So.
  • FS #21 Isaiah Pola-Mao, RS-So.
  • SS #15 Talanoa Hufanga, So.
  • NK #9 Greg Johnson, RS-So.
  • CB #6 Isaac Taylor-Stuart, RS-Fr.

Odds (USC -4):

USC is a four-point favorite over BYU, per BetOnline, which on a neutral site would be closer to a touchdown, considering the three-point advantage given to home teams. The over/under for the game is 56 points.

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