RECORDS: Stanford 1-0. USC 1-0.
KICKOFF: 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
TV: Fox.
RADIO: KTCT 1050.
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads 60-32-3 in a series that dates to 1905.
STORYLINES: For the fourth consecutive year — and fifth of the last six —
Stanford opens its Pac-12 slate against USC. … The Cardinal has won seven of the last nine
meetings, including three in a row. … This mark’s the 10-year anniversary of the 24-23
upset of USC at the Coliseum on Oct. 6, 2007. Mark Bradford caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tavita Pritchard with 48 seconds left. “I like to call that game the beginning of
the program,” Stanford coach David Shaw said. … The Trojans are riding a 10-game
win streak after last week’s 49-31 triumph over Western Michigan, but fell two spots in
the AP rankings after finding themselves trailing 21-14 in the third quarter and tied with
midway through the fourth.
STATS THAT MATTER: Stanford leads the nation with 279 sacks since 2011. … USC
quarterback Sam Darnold got off to slow start to the season: 269 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Don’t expect Shaw to underestimate the Heisman Trophy candidate, comparing him
to Andrew Luck in terms of anticipation. “I think Sam is continuing to emerge as a great
player,” Shaw said. “I think Andrew had two years where he was the best in the nation. I think Sam has that capability.” … Trojans tailbacks Ronald Jones II (159 yards, three touchdowns) and Stephen Carr (69 yards, two touchdowns) accounted for more than half the offense in the season opener. Wide receiver Deontay Burnett had seven catches for 142 yards.
