Here’s a challenge: pick a USC practice – any practice – and wait for Lane Kiffin to make a reference about his team focusing inward during his press conference. More often than not, it will happen, the way it did Thursday with Saturday’s clash against UCLA looming.

“We just believe that when you focus too much on the game itself, or the stadium you're playing in or where teams are ranked or who the opponent is the next week, it has nothing to do with doing well today,” he explained.

But Kiffin is also the first to say that it means especially more this week with so many ties between the two teams.

“This is always the most challenging game on our schedule because of the relationships, the families knowing each other, the kids knowing each other,” Kiffin said. “This is always the hardest week, a lot harder than next week [against Notre Dame].”

It’s made that much more difficult by the talent lining up against them, namely Bruins running back Johnathan Franklin. Franklin holds the Bruin career record for rushing yards and is having his best-ever season as a senior, having already tallied 1,270 rushing yards with two regular season games left to go.

“He's the key,” Kiffin said. “Once you stop him, you make the quarterback play in a pass game as a freshman, so we've got to do a great job wrapping him up and tackling.”

As for his running backs, Kiffin described Silas Redd as a “hope so” to play on Saturday after the Penn State transfer did not play in last week’s game against Arizona State.

Whether or not Redd does suit up, though, Kiffin is confident his charges will be more than ready to play USC's fiercest rival.

“The one benefit would be you never have to worry about either team being excited for the game, or the players being motivated, or coming out flat. That's never the case,” he said.

“A win in a cross-town rivalry is always good for your program.”

 

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