USC Football Notebook: Defense Prepares For Arizona Spread
Williams not suspended
Freshman defensive tackle Leonard Williams was ejected from last Saturday’s game against Colorado after an on-the-field altercation. The Pac-12 announced it would not suspend Williams, making him available for this weekend’s game in Tucson.
But as coach Lane Kiffin said Saturday evening, Williams would not have played the rest of the game.
“We were pulling him out regardless if the refs did it,” Kiffin reasserted.
Kiffin said Williams apologized in the locker room after the game after the personal foul, which highlighted the Trojans’ continued issues with penalties.
“Just keep your poise. Not gonna hurt anyone but yourself,” safety T.J. McDonald said of limiting ticktack penalties.
Leaders on the team became more vocal to cut down on these penalties, which was not done as much earlier in the season.
“Just getting on guys. Before, we weren’t really saying anything,” McDonald said. “But we were saying throughout the week, ‘Hey, this is gonna hut the team.’ ”
“It was a learning moment for a true freshman,” Kiffin added. “I know he understands that. I can’t imagine it’ll happen again.”
Prepping for RichRod's attack
Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez’s spread has been one of the most effective college offenses the past decade, mostly during his tenure at West Virginia with quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton. Now, he has toys named Matt Scott and Ka’Deem Carey.
“This is the most explosive offense we’ve faced,” McDonald stated.
“They could easily have one loss. It’s a really good team,” Kiffin said of his Pac-12 South foe, whose only significant loss came at the hands of then-No. 3 Oregon, 59-0. “They’re explosive as anybody not just in the conference, but in the country.” Kiff
Against the Buffaloes, Kiffin rotated defenders in and out throughout the game to keep fresh legs for the Wildcats and the Ducks.
“We rotated [defenders] based off of preparing for the next two opponents,” Kiffin explicated. “Even though they weren’t no-huddle, we treated them that way.”
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The Trojans caught a fever of producing turnovers, causing six against Colorado and moving their season total to 22 and a +12 margin.
“If we can carry [creating turnovers] along to this game, we’ll be good.”
If the Arizona offense sputters, the defensive line and activity of the linebackers and secondary will be the likely culprits. The defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 27 times this season, and to rattle Arizona’s Scott, it will need to continue its relentless with some caution:
The Trojans kick off against the Wildcats at 12:30 p.m. PDT and will be on ABC or ESPN2, depending on the region.
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