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#20 USC meets #1 Alabama in Week 1 battle
By: Staff Writer - StatFox
Published: 8/23/2016  at  11:59:00 AM
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USC TROJANS (0-0)
vs. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (0-0)

AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas
Kickoff: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Alabama -10, Total: N/A

#1 Alabama reloads and begins its latest title defense against a well-stocked, explosive and hungry #20 USC team.

USC entered 2015 with high hopes and a #8 ranking, but what unfolded was a bizarre and disappointing season. After a 3-2 start, head coach Steve Sarkisian was fired amidst reports of alcohol-related erratic behavior, elevating offensive coordinator Clay Helton to head coach. An 8-4 regular season was followed by a 41-22 loss to Stanford as 4.5-point underdogs in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and a 23-21 loss to Wisconsin as three-point favorites in the Holiday Bowl. New QB Max Browne will be surrounded by a superb supporting cast in this Week 1 trial, including two 900-yard RBs (Ronald Jones and Justin Davis), a 1,400-yard WR (JuJu Smith-Schuster) and five returning starters on the offensive line. Helton has to quickly develop his young defensive line, while the secondary should be solid. USC has the toughest schedule of any non-SEC team, starting with the defending champs on opening weekend. In 2015, Alabama won its fourth national title in nine years with Nick Saban as head coach. A tough-luck 43-37 loss to Ole Miss in Week 3 was followed by 12-straight wins by an average of 22 points. The Crimson Tide embarrassed Michigan State 38-0 as 10-point favorites in the semifinals, and beat Clemson 45-40 in the Championship Game (failing to cover a 6.5-point spread). As usual, Saban loses a ton of talent to the NFL, but has just as much future-NFL talent waiting in the wings. Bama’s receiving corps is one of the best in the country, and past history shows that there’s no reason to think the running game will slow down just because an elite RB has moved on. Defensively, the Tide projects to have a devastating pass rush again, headed by leading-sacker DE Jonathan Allen and OLB Tim Williams, the nation’s leader in QB-pressures-per -snap a year ago. Crimson Tide fans have visits to Ole Miss and LSU circled on their calendars, as those are the biggest roadblocks to Alabama’s title defense if they escape with an opening night win in Texas. These teams haven’t met since 1985. Since 2014, USC is 4-0 ATS & SU in the first two weeks of the season. Alabama is 10-5-2 ATS (17-0 SU) in the first two weeks under Saban, but only 2-3-1 ATS (6-0 SU) in those games since 2013.

Former National High School Player of the Year QB Max Browne steps into the starting role in a loaded USC offense. The Trojans scored 33.9 points per game last season (37th in the nation), and return nine starters with plenty of depth. RBs Justin Davis (1,091 yards from scrimmage, 7 TD) and Ronald Jones (1,206 yards from scrimmage, 9 TD) form one of the nation’s best backfield tandems, and all five offensive line starters are back. USC returns virtually all of its receiving talent, and Browne will look for superstar WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (89 receptions, 1,454 yards, 10 TD) early and often. The Trojans defense has a lot of production to replace up front, with the entire starting defensive line gone. DE Porter Gustin (5.5 sacks, 7 TFL) leads a pass-rushing rotation that’s long on potential, but short on experience. ILB Cameron Smith, the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, was leading USC in tackles before a November knee injury ended his season. Three-way star CB/WR/KR Adoree’ Jackson (8 pass breakups) and CB Iman Marshall (3 INT, 9 pass breakups) are a formidable duo in coverage, and there’s plenty of depth at safety as the secondary tries to reduce their 252 passing yards per game allowance (94th in the nation).

Alabama averaged 35.1 points per game last season (30th in the nation), and has talent to replenish what they lost. Redshirt-junior QB Cooper Bateman is the most likely winner of Bama’s annual quarterback competition now that QB Jake Coker is gone. Heisman-winning RB Derrick Henry (2,219 rushing yards, 28 TD) and second fiddle RB Kenyan Drake (684 yards from scrimmage) have moved on to the NFL, but sophomore RB Bo Scarbrough is expected to seamlessly become the next prolific Crimson Tide rusher. There’s a wealth of talent in the receiver group, as WR Calvin Ridley (89 receptions, 1,045 yards, 7 TD), WR Ardarius Stewart (63/700/4) and TE O.J. Howard (38/602/2) are all future NFL players who would be by-far-No. 1 targets on most other college teams. OT Cam Robinson is a projected first-round draft pick himself, and anchors an offensive line that has new starters at center and right tackle. Alabama’s defense ranked third nationally in scoring (15.1 PPG), third in sacks per game (3.5) and second in yards per rush (2.4). Even with six starters leaving and longtime coordinator Kirby Smart gone, the Tide have as much talent and depth as any defensive unit in the country. Senior DE Jonathan Allen (12 sacks, 14.5 TFL) and OLB Tim Williams (10.5 sacks, 12.5 TFL as a backup) ensure that Bama’s pass rush will again wreak havoc. LB Reuben Foster (48 solo tackles, 8 TFL, 9 pass breakups) has big shoes to fill replacing First Team All-SEC LB Reggie Ragland in the middle of the defense. CB-turned-All-SEC safety Eddie Jackson (6 INT) leads a steadfast secondary, with CBs Marlon Humphrey (3 INT, 8 pass breakups, 3.5 TFL) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (2 INT, 11 pass breakups, 3 TFL) coming off impressive debut seasons.


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