USC Football: Game preview, prediction, live stream vs. Washington State

USC football survived its first road trip with a win over California. Will it move to 5-0 against a ranked Washington State team in Pullman on Friday?

It wasn’t pretty, but No. 5 USC won in Week 4 in their first road game of the season. The Trojans took on Cal in Berkeley in a showdown of unbeaten Pac-12 teams. The Golden Bears pushed USC to the brink, but the Trojans defense led a fourth-quarter surge to secure a 30-20 win on the road.

After moving to 4-0, Clay Helton’s team takes to the road once again in Week 5 for another undefeated showcase game. The Trojans head to Pullman to face a tough Washington State team ranked No. 18 in the nation. Washington State also moved to 4-0 in Week 4 with a blowout of Nevada. After pushing Washington for the Pac-12 North in 2016, Mike Leach’s team is hoping to return to the top of the conference this season.

One team will remain on track for the conference crown and a possible spot in the College Football Playoff. The other will fall back into a group of flawed contenders in the Pac-12, no longer in complete control of its fate in the league. The Cougars have only knocked off USC once in the past decade and a half, and will be hoping to turn the tables on their recent luck in the series.

Here’s how to watch Friday’s game between Washington State and USC:

Date: Friday, Sept. 29
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Pullman, Wash.
Venue: Martin Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

Ronald Jones II will be back in the USC backfield this week and could be the key determinant as to whether USC wins or loses on Friday. Jones missed the Cal game with a thigh contusion, and while his understudy Stephen Carr was solid he was nowhere near as productive as Jones. Top receiver Deontay Burnett is also banged up with a shoulder injury and has been limited this week. The Trojans need a healthy offense against Wazzou, which puts up points at a ridiculous clip in Leach’s pass-happy offense.

They also need much better performance from Sam Darnold than they have received so far this year. Darnold averaged fewer than six yards per passing attempt on Saturday in Berkeley, and he already has seven interceptions before the end of September. The preseason Heisman contender and prohibitive top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has looked downright mediocre through much of the first month of the season.

USC’s defense should be solid once again after the confidence-boosting fourth quarter on the road. But against Luke Falk and the cougars, they will need to put up a similar performance for all four quarters. Washington State will have a chance to upset their visitors as long as they can keep pace on the scoreboard.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Sportsbook Review

Point Spread: USC -3.5
Over/Under: 65

Prediction

At some point this season, USC is going to crack. The defense is going to struggle this week to contain Falk and the high-powered Cougars passing attack. Look for Falk to throw for over 400 yards at home as he adds four (or more) touchdowns to the scoreboard. Washington State is going to keep this contest close right down to the final whistle.

Sam Darnold will once again throw at least one interception, and he will fail to top 300 passing yards against a WSU defense that is ranked 12th nationally in opponent passing yardage. Ronald Jones II will be back on the field for the Trojans, but Deontay Burnett will sit out this week. That will make Darnold’s day even harder, and Clay Helton’s staff will lean on Jones for the bulk of USC’s offensive production.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round after Week 4

In a back-and-forth thriller this one could be destined for overtime. Look for a two-point conversion to ultimately make the difference as the two teams combined to put up over 100 points in another #Pac12AfterDark thriller.

Final Score: USC 57, Washington State 55 (3OT)