Gary Klein, Bill Plaschke preview USC vs. Stanford

It’s about an hour until kickoff here are at Stanford Stadium, where No. 14 USC is playing No. 13 Stanford in a Pac-12 Conference opener.

This is Gary Klein, along with columnist Bill Plaschke.

It’s been overcast all morning but the sun is breaking through the clouds and temperatures at game time could be in the 80s.

USC arrived at the stadium about 45 minutes ago. If there was any doubt about defensive lineman Leonard Williams’ status because of an ankle injury, there is not anymore. Williams jogged and joked with fellow defensive linemen on the field before they met at the 50-yard-line for a huddle.

How about a Q & A?

Gary Klein: OK Bill, what’s going to happen here today?

Bill Plaschke: What’s going to happen? I have no idea. It’s too early for this game.

GK: Too early in the season or too early for you to wake up?

BP: Both. But, seriously, does USC really want to play this kind of game so soon in a season in which they are installing so many new plays and devices and systems?

GK: Probably not. But I can’t imagine any coach wants to play a tough conference opponent this early without working out the kinks.

BP: So I’ll ask you, how do you think the freshman offensive linemen for the Trojans are going to fare? To me, that’s the biggest question, because they will be facing a lot bigger and tougher defensive lineman than we saw against Fresno State.

GK: I agree with you. Everyone talks about how Stanford lost all those veteran players from last year but they still have plenty of guys that have played a lot of snaps. And we all remember what happened to USC last time they came here. Stanford bull-rushed the line and hammered Matt Barkley.

BP: Do Damien Mama and Toa Lobendahn and Viane Talamaivao give the Trojans the most vowel-friendly line in football?

GK: If not, they certainly rank among the national leaders.

BP: I’m not very funny for a Saturday morning, am I?

GK: For a Saturday morning?

BP: You’re hilarious. Bottom line, if they can’t protect Kessler, the Trojans are in big trouble, and I think the game starts there.

GK: Well, USC isn’t going to run 105 plays today, but my sense is that they will keep Kessler moving and not give Stanford an opportunity to rush him. He’s going to try to get rid of the ball quickly to Nelson Agholor, JuJu Smith and the other receivers and running backs.

BP: OK, so Kessler is going to have time. How will the Trojan freshman – Juju Smith and Adoree Jackson in particularly – perform in their first road game under this kind of pressure. Stanford is famous for being smarter and more composed than its opponents.

GK: Everyone talks about how players of this caliber don’t consider a road game any different than playing at home. But my experience has been that young players on the road for the first time do struggle some for whatever reason, maybe the change in venue or a hostile crowd. Smith and Jackson might be the exceptions. USC certainly hopes so.

BP: It sounds you certainly hope so too. C’mon Gary, talk some smack!

GK: I’m just hoping for something dramatic to happen, along the lines of ‘What’s your deal?’ or last year’s debacle between Steve Sarkisian and David Shaw. Something to spice things up.

BP: I’d settle for a quick game so I can make deadline before Mike Hiserman starts screaming at me via text. Seriously, I do cheer for drama, and I think we’ll have this in this game, and that leads me to my last question. How will Stanford’s skill players like Kevin Hogan and Ty Montgomery perform against the tough USC defense?

GK: As I mentioned above, Leonard Williams is going to play in this game so that’s one less thing USC has to worry about. This is a new Stanford offensive line and Hogan did not perform particularly well last year when USC upset Stanford at the Coliseum.

BP: Last word, this game is impossible to predict, but I believe if USC wins, it will open the door to a season’s worth of playoff talk. If Trojans lose, it all depends on how they lose. In general, this will be a good report card on the beginning on the Steve Sarkisian era.