Editor's note: This is the 25th in a series previewing each opponent BYU, Utah and Utah State will face this season.
The matchup
Utah at USC, Oct. 24
Time, TV TBA
L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
Utah's 24-21 victory over USC in Salt Lake City last season — sealed on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Travis Wilson to Kaelin Clay with eight seconds remaining — was a defining moment for both teams.
For the Utes, the last-second rally played a big role in Utah finishing with its first winning conference record (5-4) since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 and highlighted a 9-4 campaign capped by a No. 20 final ranking in the Associated Press poll.
For the Trojans, it was an important lesson about being able to finish, one the team hopes to learn from and change in Steve Sarkisian's second year as head coach, especially with the high expectations of reaching the College Football Playoff surrounding the program.
USC returns 16 starters, including eight on offense, and is in prime position to make national noise, ranked 10th in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll. The preseason AP poll comes out Sunday.
This all sets up what could be another exciting matchup when the two Pac-12 South teams face off in October in Los Angeles.
The Deseret News caught up with Dan Weber, who covers USC football for USCFootball.com, to discuss how the Trojans aim to meet the high aspirations of the program, as well as how two Utah natives are fitting in on the USC defense.
DN: There’s a fair amount of national buzz that USC could be a serious contender for a spot in the College Football Playoff in 2015. Coming off a 9-4 season, what would second-year coach Steve Sarkisian and the Trojans need to improve on to meet those expectations?
DW: Not lose to Utah and Arizona State on the final play in games USC should have been able to put away even with the few number of scholarship players available. USC will have much better numbers and more talent — if young talent — and the ability to make it work and to come up with 60-minute game plans on offense and defense that play to USC strengths are key here.
DN: Two of USC’s premier players this season include quarterback Cody Kessler on offense and linebacker Su’a Cravens on defense. What does each bring to the field? Is one more valuable to the team’s overall success than the other?
DW: Not really, although one could always make the case that the quarterback is by definition more valuable than anyone else on the roster. They're both leaders but in different ways with different personalities. Cody is the cool fifth-year senior who came back to do what he hasn't been able to do with a USC football team no longer really hamstrung with NCAA sanctions. Su'a is the third-year guy much more volatile and dynamic with his freelance play who leads so much by example as a one-of-a-kind talent.
DM: Beyond Kessler, who are some of the other players to watch on offense?
DW: Max Tuerk is considered by many the nation's best center. JuJu Smith-Schuster is an 18-year-old leader and successor at wide receiver to Nelson Agholor with the explosive Steven Mitchell, fully healthy now after freshman knee surgery, ready to join him. Chad Wheeler returns at left tackle after knee surgery and will join 6-foot-9, 345-pound Zach Banner to give USC a pair of veteran O-linemen. Tre Madden appears fully healthy as a mobile pass-catching 223-pound tailback coming back from foot surgery. He's joined there by 200-pound Justin Davis who looks ready to step into the shoes left by Buck Allen. And there are three freshmen running backs — two from Texas in Ronald Jones II and Aca'Cedric Ware, and Dominic Davis from Southern California — who could all see the field.
DN: Beyond Cravens, who are some of the other players to watch on defense and special teams?
DW: Start with someone who will be a star on both — corner and kick returner Adoree Jackson, who will also see action on offense as a receiver. The most multi-talented skill player in modern SC history, Adoree had a 100-yard fumble recovery return incorrectly ruled dead against Utah as well as a 100-yard kickoff return TD. He's the defending Pac-12 long jump champ and anchor of USC's winning 4x100 relay team. He'll start as a shutdown corner as well as kick and punt returner and then work in as much offense as feasible. The big difference on defense is that with two and three rotations this year, the Trojans will attack more, play more players and have much more young talent on the field, including two Utah freshmen — inside linebacker Osa Masina and rush end Porter Gustin, both of whom have looked good in preseason practice.
DN: What major question marks does the team need to solve in fall camp?
DW: Will the young players be ready soon enough to change the character of how this team practices and finishes games? Will a second-year coaching staff have learned enough lessons from a sometimes shaky first year in Troy? Can this team run the ball behind a big, talented but still young offensive line? Remember last year at Utah, USC was leading and had the ball with a third and 2 at the Utah 27 and couldn't get the two yards in two plays that would have sealed the win and gave Utah its final shot. That can no longer happen for this USC team.
Email: bjudd@deseretdigital.com; Twitter: @brandonljudd