The biggest matchup of the early PAC-12 season takes place this Saturday, September 6th in Stanford, California. Kick off is set to start at 3:30PM at Stanford Stadium. The game will be televised in primetime on ABC.
USC and Stanford, the only private schools in the PAC-12 Conference, have a considerable amount of history dating back to the 20th century. Stanford is USC’s oldest rival, dating back to 1905.
Last season, USC defeated Stanford 20-17 in Los Angeles, California. With 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Andre Heid succeeded in a 47 yard field goal attempt. Moments after USC fans bumrushed the Coliseum field to celebrate the game winner. USC fans are hoping for another defeat, yet they have not been victorious at Stanford since 2008.
The Trojans are facing an uphill battle after the loss of cornerback Josh Shaw and cornerback Anthony Brown.
Both teams came out of week 1 with wins. USC with a win over Fresno State 52-13 and Stanford with a win against UC Davis 45-0. This being the first in conference game, one team is going to add a loss to their 2014-2015 record. The Trojans ran 105 plays while racking up 37 first downs and 702 yards of total offense against Fresno State. Cody Kessler threw for 394 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Stanford freshman running back Christian McCaffrey scored the first time his hands touched the ball, as well as wide receiver, Ty Montgomery against UC Davis. Stanford’s defense didn’t allow UC Davis to cross midfield until the final play. We will see how Stanford’s defense will matchup against USC’s offense during the 2014 rivalry game.
Stanford and USC has grown into one of the most captivating conference rivalries college football has ever seen. The 2014 game is up. USC and Stanford, don’t let us down.
*Section Photo credit to Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press; Featured Photo (above) credit to Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times
