Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Arizona vs. USC: Five Trojans to know

Arizona will be facing one of the most talented teams in the Pac-12 this week

The Arizona Wildcats will look to avoid a three-game losing streak on Saturday as they'll head to Los Angeles to face to USC Trojans. The Trojans are unranked, but they have as much talent as anyone else in the conference. Here are five players that you should be familiar with:

Cody Kessler, QB, #6

Kessler isn't a quarterback that's going to "wow" you with big throws, but he's also not a guy that's going to make you scratch your head. He makes good decisions with the ball and is an extremely accurate passer as he's completing 70.4% of his passes this year and completed 69.4% of his passes last year. He also has thrown just ten interceptions in the past two seasons while, at the same time, throwing for 57 touchdown passes. Arizona actually did a good job of limiting Kessler last year -- holding him to 20-30 for 185 yards and one touchdown and interception -- but needless to say that this Arizona defense isn't nearly as good as last year's. Unless the Wildcats can manufacture some sort of pass rush on Kessler, expect the QB to pick apart the defense.

Ronald Jones II, RB, #25

Tre Madden and Ronald Jones II have had nearly the same amount of carries this season, 70 and 77 respectively, but it's clear that Jones is the more dynamic runner between the two. The true freshman has great vision between the tackles and has a unique ability to change gears when he makes cuts up the field. It's a huge reason why he's averaging 7.6 yards per carry this year.

Adoree Jackson, WR/CB, #2

The Wildcats may be fortunate enough to not have to face JuJu Smith-Schuster -- who is eighth in the entire country in receiving yards -- since he recently had surgery on his hand. That doesn't mean USC is without playmakers, though. Adoree' Jackson is USC's second-leading receiver with 334 yards, and he's also a threat in the return game. He hasn't returned a punt or kickoff for a touchdown yet this year, but he did have two of them last year.

Jackson plays some cornerback too, and he had a pick-six in USC's win against Cal this past week. He's certainly a special talent that can make a big play on offense, defense, and special teams.

Sua Cravens, LB, #21

Sua Cravens is the quarterback of USC's defense, and is an incredibly versatile player. He mostly plays linebacker, but is more than capable of playing safety at times. He has the size to cover tight ends, and the athleticism to cover receivers. Plus, he can make plays in the backfield. Cravens is second on the team in tackles (50), leads the team in tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (3), and has also intercepted two passes. There's a reason why he's projected to be an early round pick in April.

Cameron Smith, LB, #35

Another true freshman that has made a huge instant impact is Cameron Smith. Smith actually leads the Trojans in tackles (66), and like Cravens, is very good when dropping back in coverage as he has a team-high three interceptions -- all three of which happened in USC's upset of Utah. He also had double-digit tackles against Notre Dame, Stanford, and Washington.



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