Stanford Football: 5 reasons Cardinal will beat USC in Week 2

SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 01: Jack Jones #25 of the USC Trojans is called for pass interference on JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal during the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Levi's Stadium on December 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

4. JJ Arcega-Whiteside will have another big day

In 2017, JJ Arcega-Whiteside didn’t reach 200 receiving yards until October. He hit that mark before September even rolled around this season, and the big-play production will continue for the Cardinal target when Stanford hosts USC in Week 2.

Against San Diego State, Arcega-Whiteside broke out as the newest offensive star for the Cardinal. The receiver hauled in six passes for 226 yards and three scores. Quarterback K.J. Costello finished 21-of-31 for 332 yards and four touchdowns. Taking Arcega-Whiteside’s contribution out of the equation, Costello was 15-of-23 for 106 yards and one touchdown.

UNLV doesn’t provide a good measure of how the USC secondary is performing this year, given the Rebels focus heavily on running the ball. A better measure to consider is the fact that the Trojans ranked 82nd nationally in passing yards allowed last season.

Costello is going to improve on his numbers in his only game against USC last year, and a big part of that will be the emergence of Arcega-Whiteside. The breakout Cardinal star of Week 1 will continue to have a major impact on the passing game. Look for the receiver to finish with at least 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns against USC’s spotty secondary.

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