USC Football: 5 game balls for Trojans’ Week 4 victory over Cal

Cameron Smith was all over the field on Saturday for the Trojans. The inside linebacker was a critical cog in the USC defense, locking down California on a weekend when they were pushed to their limit by the Golden Bears. Smith finished with a dozen tackles, but that was just a small part of the junior’s game in Week 4.

Smith also had 1.5 tackles for loss and hurried quarterback Ross Bowers on another occasion. He also recovered the fumble knocked out of Bowers’ hands by Christian Rector in the second quarter. Though Carr fumbled the ball back to Cal on the very next play, Smith’s recovery helped kill a critical drive when the game was still tied at 10-10.

As one of the leaders of Clancy Pendergast’s defense, Smith helped keep Cal at bay until the Trojans were able to take charge in the final quarter. Forced to miss the first half of the season opener due to a targeting penalty in last year’s Rose Bowl, Smith has stepped up big since returning to the field. After being voted a team captain in the preseason, Smith came through with a game ball-worthy performance in the first road game of the year at Cal.