Here are three things to watch in the Arizona Wildcatsโ game vs. USC at Arizona Stadium (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2), plus a score prediction and some pertinent preview links:
1. ONGOING TATE DEBATE
Will this be the week? It seems like weโre asking the same question every Saturday. Everyone continues to wonder whether the Khalil Tate of 2017 suddenly will reappear. Consider: Tate carried the ball more times against USC last year (26) than he has in four games this year (23). That he has just 31 net rushing yards โ after running for 1,411 last season โ is one of the most befuddling statistics in all of college football. If youโre an Arizona fan, you obviously want to see the โ17 version of Tate show up. But itโs tricky: You also donโt want him to play โhero ball.โ He wanted to beat the Trojans so badly last year that he forced a pass that was intercepted after USC took a late 42-35 lead. Tate was so emotionally invested โ and so spent โ that he cried on the field after the game. That sort of want-to hasnโt been evident in Tateโs running decisions so far this season. Maybe itโs the ankle. Maybe itโs something else. Maybe itโll come out against the school thatโs in his backyard and features a handful of his former high school teammates.
2. RUN IT BACK
USC hasnโt run the ball well or frequently, but thereโs a strong suspicion that will change tonight. Although Arizona shut down Oregon Stateโs run game last week, thatโs been the exception. Each of the Wildcatsโ first three opponents rushed for at least 183 yards. The UA defense might be the biggest reason Ronald Jones II landed in the second round of this yearโs NFL draft. In three games against the Wildcats, Jones rushed for 448 yards and five touchdowns. USCโs average output in those games looks like an accounting error: 293.3 yards. This yearโs Trojans are averaging just 110.2 net rushing yards per game, an astonishingly low total that ranked 10th in the Pac-12 entering this weekend. Itโs not as if USC lacks talent in the backfield. Stephen Carr, AcaโCedric Ware and Vavae Malepeai are averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. Itโs just that none has more than 33 attempts through four games. If theyโre smart, USCโs coaches will resist the temptation to have JT Daniels chuck the ball all over Arizona Stadium, even though the Trojans have an advantage on the perimeter. The Wildcats, meanwhile, should invite that, no matter the Trojansโ tendencies till now.
3. TRICK OR TWEET
Arizona pulled off a fake field goal last week. Do the Wildcats have more tricks in store for USC? Do they need to do something like that to win? Donโt be surprised if Arizona attempts something a little out of the ordinary in a matchup that favors USC on paper (at least in terms of recruiting rankings and recent head-to-head results). It doesnโt have to come on special teams, although winning that aspect of the game would go a long way. Something strange is bound to happen in Arizonaโs first true foray into #Pac12AfterDark territory this season. (The UAโs first two home games also were at night, but neither was against a conference opponent.) It might come in the form of a turnover, or several. I wrote earlier this week about the Wildcatsโ dearth of takeaways. They have just one so far. The Trojans have just two. Those numbers arenโt sustainable. In the past two meetings, Arizona has turned the ball over seven times to USCโs one. Itโs safe to say the Wildcats wonโt win if theyโre in the red again.
FINAL SCORE: USC 34, Arizona 27
PREVIEW LINKS:
