The Trojans’ 2015 NCAA campaign is off to an incredible start after they destroyed Arkansas State by 49 points in their season opener on Saturday. USC will look to keep the momentum going this coming Saturday when it takes on the struggling Idaho Vandals.
Who will grab the edge in this NCAA showdown? Read on below for a preview of this college football matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Notre Dame vs. Virginia and Fresno State vs. Ole Miss.
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Idaho Vandals vs. USC Trojans Preview
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Idaho’s NCAA campaign is off to a dismal start after it suffered a disappointing 45-28 defeat at the hands of Ohio on Saturday. The Vandals had no answer for the Bobcats’ Derrius Vick, who completed 13 of 16 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Idaho, who yielded 462.7 yards per game and 37.3 points per contest in 2014, surrendered 489 total yards and 45 points to the Bobcats on Saturday.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]It won’t get any easier for the Vandals this coming Saturday as standing in their way in the next game are the red-hot USC Trojans. The Trojans amassed a total of 509 yards in their rout of Arkansas State. For the Vandals to cover the huge 43-point spread against USC, they need to get a much better performance from quarterback Matt Linehan.
The sophomore completed 36 of 48 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown in that season-opening defeat to Ohio, but also threw two costly interceptions against the Bobcats. That has been the main concern regarding Linehan, who finished with a woeful 11-to-18 touchdown to interception ratio last season.
The Vandals are 0-10 SU and 4-5-1 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Several Pac-12 teams couldn’t take care of business in their season-openers on Saturday, but the USC Trojans were certainly not one of them. USC lived up to its lofty billing, crushing Arkansas State, 55-6, in a one-sided showdown at the Los Angeles Coliseum. It was a convincing victory for the Trojans against a Sun Belt team that was picked to finish third in its conference in a preseason coaches’ poll.
Cody Kessler was the star of the show for the Trojans, completing 19 of 26 passes for 236 yards and four touchdowns as he connected with 10 different targets. Fifth-year senior Tre Madden also contributed hugely to the mammoth victory, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown in just 12 carries. It was a triumphant return for Madden, who was sidelined during the 2014 season because of a foot injury.
With the victory, the Trojans recorded their 18th consecutive season-opening win. They will look to make it back-to-back victories when they take on the Idaho Vandals this coming Saturday. The Trojans will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well against the Vandals before. They defeated Idaho, 38-10, in their lone meeting back in 2007.
With just three total victories in the last three seasons — and no more than two wins in a season since 2010 — Idaho may be among the lowliest opponents the Trojans have faced in recent years. In fact, the Trojans have been installed as 43-point favorites in their upcoming game against the Vandals. That’s the highest point spread for this week’s slate of college football games.
The Trojans are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 home games.
