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USC Trojans vs. California Golden BearsTime - 9:00 pm est.
Current Line - USC Trojans -3Total has been set for 58
The Trojans and the Golden Bears will meet for the 99th time on Thursday, as the Pac-12 Conference rivals are set to do battle under the lights in Berkeley. USC is off to a strong start, having won four of its first five outings. The team has had nearly two weeks to prepare for this showdown, as it has been idle since a thrilling 48-41 triumph over Arizona back on October 1. Lane Kiffin's Trojans are ineligible for postseason play because of NCAA sanctions, but that certainly has not affected the effort of the players. As for California, it opened the season with three consecutive victories, but the last two outings have ended in defeat. The Golden Bears were in action last Thursday as well, and they were simply no match for the Oregon Ducks in a 43-15 beatdown. Jeff Tedford's squad is 0-2 in Pac-12 action and simply can't afford an 0-3 start.
USC owns a 63-30-5 lead in the all-time series with Cal, which includes seven consecutive victories over the Bears. The Trojans easily won last year's matchup, 48-14.
USC quarterback Matt Barkley and receiver Robert Woods put forth performances that Trojan fans won't soon forget in the win over Arizona last time out. Barkley threw for a school-record 468 yards, completing 32-of-39 passes en route to four touchdowns. As for Woods, he logged 14 receptions for 255 yards and two scores. Marquise Lee pitched in with eight grabs for 144 yards and a TD for the Trojans, who finished with 582 yards of total offense in the shootout. Overall this season, the Trojans are generating 30.0 ppg while posting 454.4 total ypg. Of the 18 touchdowns scored by the offense, 14 have been thrown by Barkley, who has racked up 1,587 passing yards already while completing 70.7 percent of his attempts.
Cal certainly has the offensive firepower to challenge that USC defense, as the Golden Bears are posting 34.6 ppg and 458.0 total ypg. A total of 20 offensive touchdowns have been scored to date, and most of the production has come via the passing attack, as the team is racking up 300.4 ypg at a clip of 14.2 yards per completion. Opponents are scoring 28.0 ppg and gaining 364.0 total ypg against a Cal squad that has some room for improvement defensively, especially against the pass. The Golden Bears are yielding 13.1 yards per pass completion and have permitted 10 passing scores while coming up with a mere four interceptions. On a positive note, they do limit opponents to 33 percent success on third-down conversion attempts.
Keep in mind... Cal hung in there for an entire first half against a strong Oregon team. Rumor has it, the QB for Cal was injured during the game, admitted it, and that affected his decisions. He is 100% for this game.
California has the offense to compete, but their defense is where they suck. Too much USC offense on the road.
California has the offense to compete, but their defense is where they suck. Too much USC offense on the road.
Lean USC -3
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