USC at Arizona State Line

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the No. 23 USC Trojans will go on the road to take on the previously ranked Arizona State Sun Devils. The Trojans improved to 3-0 on the season with a 38-17 win over Syracuse last week. Arizona State went on the road and lost 14-17 at Illinois for their first loss of the season. USC beat Arizona State 34-33 in a thrilling and wild finish last season. Arizona State made numerous mistakes at the end of the game that allowed USC to pull out the win. Not only will the Sun Devils be out for revenge, but they are trying to snap USC’s six game winning streak at Sun Devil Stadium.

Taking a look at the current week 4 college football odds, oddsmakers currently have Arizona State favored by 2.5-points over USC with the total set at 54 points.

USC:

After struggling to beat Minnesota 19-17 in the season opener, USC has put together two quality wins. They held on for a 23-14 win over Utah two weeks ago and then put the beating on the Orange last week.

Matt Barkley has been as advertised to start the 2011 season. He is completing 69% of his passes for 892 yards with 9 touchdowns to just one interception. It’s no secret who the Barkley likes throwing the football two. Sophomore wide out Robert Woods already has 33 catches for 361 yards and four touchdowns. The next closest receiver is Marquise Lee with nine catches for 129 yards.

While the passing game has been great, the running game has struggled to get going. USC averaged 189 yards per game on the ground in 2010, but so far are averaging just 131 yards a game this season. Senior Marc Tyler leads the team with just 154 yards, and his lone rushing touchdown is the only score on the ground this season.

USC has played very well on the defensive side of the ball. They haven’t allowed more than two touchdowns in any game this season, and are holding opposing offenses to 317 yards a game. The strength of the defense has been their ability to stop the run. They are allowing just 88 yards a game on the ground.

Arizona State:

The Sun Devils could easily be 3-0 to start the season, but at the same time they are just a couple plays from being 1-2 instead of 2-1. Arizona State beat Missouri 37-30 in overtime, but the Tigers missed a late field goal that would have likely sent the Sun Devils home with a loss. Last week Arizona State had a 14-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to hold on for the win.

The Sun Devils offense has been very similar to that of USC to start the season. Starting quarterback Brock Osweiler has completed 66% of his passes for 871 yards and six touchdowns, but does have three interceptions. Osweiler has done a little better job spreading the ball around to different receivers. Aaron Pflugrad has a team-high 18 catches for 305 yards and four touchdowns, while Gerell Robinson has 14 receptions for 202 yards and one score.

Arizona State’s running game hasn’t been a factor. Cameron Marshall leads the team with 153 yards and two touchdowns. One thing that does help their offense is Osweiler’s ability to scramble. He is third on the team with 76 rushing yards and tied with Marshall for the team lead with two rushing touchdowns.

Defensively the Sun Devils haven’t been great, but they are solid against both the run and pass. They are allowing just 125 yards a game on the ground and only 203 through the air. That could change with the loss of star defensive end Junior Onyeali, who hurt his knee against Illinois.

Betting Trends:

USC is 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games as a road underdog.

Arizona State is 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 home games.

Be sure to stop back and see who Steve Janus has picked to win in week 4 of college football

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