Garry Paskwietz, Publisher, WeAreSC.com 9y

Trojans have hands full with Utah DL

If you want an indication of how things are going for the Trojans on Saturday against Utah, watch the battle between the USC offensive line and the front seven of the Utes.

Much has been made about the inexperience of a Trojans offensive line that features three true freshman in the rotation, and they will be going up against a typically big Utah defensive front that likes to get after the quarterback. While the Trojans line has seen improvement lately in run blocking, the ability to pass protect for Cody Kessler will be taken to another level in this game. Utah leads the nation in sacks (5.5 per game) and tackles for loss (10.2 per game), and sacked UCLA 10 times.

“They’re pretty stout up front,” USC freshman guard Viane Talamaivao said. “They get after the ball and they have good pass rushers. We’re going to have to work really hard to make sure the pocket is clean for Cody.”

Utah is led by senior defensive end Nate Orchard, a three-year starter, who has 39 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks. Utah will likely try to follow a similar plan to the one used by Boston College when the Eagles defeated USC earlier this season by stunting and confusing the Trojans line, and we’ll see how much the line has learned since that game.

“Utah has a very aggressive front and they look to get after the quarterback,” USC coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s nothing new for them; they’ve been this way for years under Coach [Kyle] Whittingham and coach [Kalani] Sitake and I’ve got a lot of respect for the way they do it. They play a specific style that, in my opinion, is unique to them with the aggressiveness they show on the defensive front.

“The best way to prepare for them is to go out and execute at a high level. We have to understand what we’re going up against, the physicality that it’s going to take, and then we need to be creative with our play-calls to make sure that we’re taking care of our offensive line and putting them in positive positions to be successful. Our line will be challenged. First of all, Utah is really talented, and secondly, the crowd noise and road environment will be a factor.”

Effectively protecting Kessler will go a long way, as this is a USC offense that is coming off its most dynamic performance of the season. Not only did Kessler set a school record with seven touchdown passes against Colorado, but the Trojans had a pair of 100-yard receivers and came within a few yards of having two tailbacks with 100 yards apiece. There was also an increased element of throwing the ball downfield, something that had been missing as a consistent threat early in the season.

“This is what we’ve been working towards with this offense,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got a really quality run game going right now that we’re confident in, we’ve got an excellent short-to-intermediate pass game that we’re confident in, and now when we’re throwing it down the field that sure makes it more difficult on the defense.”

That USC run game has been led by Javorius Allen, who leads the Pac-12 in rushing (129.9 per game) and has put together four 100-yard games in a row. Utah is giving up only 114.3 yards per game, a mark that is No. 2 in the Pac-12 and 20th in the nation. It’s another one of those “strength on strength” battles, making the battle in the trenches one of the critical factors in the game.

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