USC Football: 3 takeaways from convincing win over Stanford in Week 2

USC football romped in its Pac-12 opener against the Stanford Cardinal, dominating 41-28 on the Farm in Palo Alto on Saturday evening.

Early turnovers were a significant part of the story as the Stanford Cardinal could not keep pace with the USC Trojans, falling at home 41-28. Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee threw interceptions on the Cardinal’s first two possessions, and the Trojans capitalized, scoring touchdowns on both to take an early 14-0 lead, one they would not relinquish.

It became apparent for anyone watching that you cannot give these Trojans extra possessions. They are too explosive. Giving USC more possessions is like giving up two-out hits to Derek Jeter’s Yankees; you find yourself in a huge hole, impossible to dig out of. That’s exactly what happened to Stanford.

The Cardinal attempted to get back into the game, cutting the lead in half early. The USC quarterback Caleb Williams found receiver Jordan Addison on a 75-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-7 lead. Stanford was driving, then fumbled the ball away, and USC scored on a seven-play, 93-yard drive to take a commanding 28-7 lead.

The Trojans took a 35-14 lead into halftime, scoring touchdowns on each of its first five possessions. The Cardinal could not keep pace with USC’s high-powered offense, scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the game look closer than it was.

Here are more takeaways from the game.