Here’s what the Arizona Wildcats must do to defeat the USC Trojans on the road on Saturday night.
The battle for the Pac-12 South is gearing up as a race between the USC Trojans and Arizona Wildcats. With the Trojans having a leg up on everyone else in the division, the Wildcats are the last team that can pretty much get in their way.
Having taken care of Arizona State last week, the Trojans have just one conference loss on the season to match the one the Wildcats have as well. The winner of this game will take over first in the division.
If Arizona is going to pull off the big upset, they’re going to need help on all sides of the ball on the road. Fortunately, they have the most prolific offensive player in the Pac-12 in the past month with Khalil Tate. Here’s what they must do to win.
3. Shut down the run game
The key to shutting down the USC offense is limiting what Ronald Jones II can do on the ground. When he’s getting down the field, it allows the passing game to open up for Sam Darnold and that’s where they thrive.
Arizona has to force the run game to where they want it to go. Against the Sun Devils last week, Jones had 216 yards on just 18 carries to go with two touchdowns. If he’s running the ball that well, no one is stopping USC.
The Wildcats give up plenty of points per game and they’re going to have tighten up on the road. USC’s going to look to let the offense flow through the run game and this is ultimately where the game will be one.