The USC Trojans will face the Arizona State Sun Devils at home as they look to improve to 4-1 and climb back into the Pac-12 title hunt.
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No. 16 USC is coming off a 35-10 win over Oregon State, which was a big recovery from an upset loss at the hands of Boston College.
Quarterback Cody Kessler continued to look solid as he threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-32 passing, and running back Javorius Allen rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Kessler has thrown 10 touchdown passes without throwing an interception this season, and he has completed 72 percent of his passes.
Meanwhile, Arizona State fell out of the rankings following a 62-27 loss to No. 8 UCLA. They were missing quarterback Taylor Kelly, and he is expected to miss the USC game as well with a right foot injury.
The Sun Devils replaced Kelly with Mike Bercovici, who threw for 488 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions on 42-of-68 passing.
Wide receiver Jaelen Strong caught 12 passes for 146 yards, but running back D.J. Foster struggled with 30 yards on nine carries. USC will look to hold Foster after their run defense was embarrassed by Boston College.
The Sun Devils have a high-octane offense, which has scored 42 points per game. However, their defense leaves a lot to be desired. The Arizona State defense has allowed 30.8 points per game, including 62 while being sliced open by the UCLA offense.
If the Trojans can jump out to an early lead, they should have no problem holding off the Sun Devils in a shootout. However, this game may not be as close as expected.
Prediction: USC 34, Arizona State 24
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