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Protecting the football
The Colorado Buffs have one of the best secondary units in the nation. Their secondary is very experienced and has a knack for making plays on the football. A huge advantage for the buffaloes has been their turnover margin, which credits the entire defense and the coordinator Jim Leavitt. Leavitt has completely turned this defense and team around since his arrival at Colorado. He is the highest paid assistant coach in the school’s history. Leavitt also coached under Harbaugh during a stint with the 49ers.
Sam Darnold will need to be smart and accurate with the football against the ball-hawking Buffs. As long as he gets the ball out fast and deliver the ball to playmakers like Juju Smith-Schuster, the Trojans will have a chance to put up points against that secondary. The Trojans can’t afford to give the ball away in this game because it could get ugly quick if they do.
Stop the Big Play
Colorado has a great dual threat quarterback who likes to extend plays and look deep for his speedy receivers. This team is known for hitting deep passes for 50 or more yards at a time. Those types of momentum swinging plays are situations that the Trojans need to be weary of. With athletes like Adoree’ Jackson in the secondary, USC is well equipped to prevent explosive bombs downfield, they’ll just need to stay disciplined with their eyes all game.
Throw the First Punch
USC needs to come out swinging and throw the first punch against Colorado. They need to build on the momentum they created last week in their victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils. The Trojans have looked great when they are playing with confidence this season, but looks the exact opposite when they go down early. I believe the first drive will set the tone for the entire game for the Trojans this week. Hopefully they can put up 7 points or come up with a big stop on the first possession.
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