Getty Running back Cameron Scarlett #22 of the Stanford Cardinal rushes up field for a touchdown past linebacker Andrzej Hughes-Murray #49 of the Oregon State Beavers during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Palo Alto, California. The Stanford Cardinal defeated the Oregon State Beavers 48-17.
Two teams with question marks at quarterback collide when the Stanford Cardinal visit USC Trojans in a can’t-miss Pac-12 game on Saturday night.
Stanford beat USC 17-3 on September 8, 2018, with Bryce Love going off for 136 rushing yards and one touchdown on 22 carries. USC had three costly turnovers and ended up with just one field goal despite having plenty of chances to score.
No. 23 Stanford Cardinal (1-0) vs. USC Trojans (1-0)
Saturday, September 7 at 10:30 PM ET
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Coverage: ESPN
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Bookmaker
- No. 23 Stanford vs. USC -1.5
- Over/Under: 45.5
Stanford Cardinal
No. 5️⃣ was the go-to option in the air vs. Northwestern. 💪 2019 debut for @ConnorWedington.
Cameron Scarlett ran for 97 yards on 22 carries, Connor Wedington caught seven passes for 69 receiving yards and Michael Wilson had six receptions for 47 yards and one touchdown and the defense held forced four Northwestern turnovers and limited them to 210 total yards.
Stanford will be short-handed, left tackle Walker Little suffered an apparent leg injury and will be out indefinitely and K.J. Costello is questionable after taking a forearm to the chin as he attempted to slide with only seconds left in the first half against Northwestern.
If Costello is ruled out, Davis Mills will start under center with Jack West as his backup.
Mills completed 7 of 14 passes for 81 yards in the second half and he attempted just two passes with no completions in a 30-10 win against UC Davis on September 15, 2018. If Costello doesn’t play Stanford will be in trouble.
USC Trojans
Vavae Malepeai ran for a career-high 134 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries and Tyler Vaughns caught 11 passes for 150 receiving yards to lead USC to a 31-23 win against Fresno State.
It was a costly victory because JT Daniels suffered a torn ACL and meniscus and will be out for the season. Daniels threw for 2,672 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 11 games as a true freshman last season and he completed 25 of 34 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown with one interception before getting hurt on a blitz in the second quarter.
True freshman Kedon Slovis replaced Daniels, completing six of eight passes for 57 yards and one interception and he will likely start under center. His accuracy was decent, even with an interception but having a week to prepare should help.
Only time will tell if Slovis is the answer for USC but they barely beat Fresno State with a healthy quarterback for the majority of the game. I’m taking Stanford if Costello plays.
Trends and Prediction
The Stanford Cardinal are:
- 6-2 ATS in their last eight road games against a team with a winning home record
- 17-7 ATS in their last 24 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game
- 7-2 ATS in their last nine meetings in Southern California
The USC Trojans are:
- 20-41-1 ATS in their last 62 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game
- 18-38-1 ATS in their last 57 games following a straight up win
“Whoever starts at quarterback, it’s not going to change our philosophy, it’s not going to change our scheme,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said. “All of our quarterbacks know our offense and now it’s just about getting ready to play.”
This is a tricky spot, can you trust Stanford with Davis Mills under center if K.J. Costello can’t play? Kedon Slovis is the better backup but if K.J. Costello plays I can’t back USC.
Pick: Stanford if K.J. Costello plays
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Stanford vs. USC Prediction: Betting Line, Odds & Pick