Last Updated on October 3, 2009 5:18 pm by admin
USC at Cal
It’s a must-win situation for both No. 7 USC and No. 24 California on Saturday when the Bears host the Trojans at 8PM ET from Memorial Stadium.
With both teams already holding one loss in the PAC 10 Conference, a loss on Saturday would end the hopes for either team to earn the conference title and an automatic BCS bid. USC lost to Washington 16-13 on Sept. 19 while the Bears were beaten 42-3 last week at Oregon.
The Trojans are hoping to get a win to shed a little light on a tough week thus far as running back Stafon Johnson suffered a crushed larynx after dropping 250 pounds of weight on a bench press on his neck during a workout on Monday. Johnson was rushed to the hospital and underwent an emergency tracheotomy, but is recovering now and was alert and responsive following the procedure. Johnson is second on USC’s roster in rushing with 157 yards and five touchdowns. Johnson is part of a USC rushing attack that is third in the conference with 866 yards. Joe McKnight leads the team with 354 yards rushing while Matt Barkley has thrown for 675 yards in two games. Defensively, USC leads the conference in points allowed and is third in rushing yards allowed.
Cal is in need of a rebound performance after getting dominated by the Ducks last weekend. The Bears had just 207 yards of offense as a team while Heisman candidate Jahvid Best was held to 55 yards rushing on 16 carries. Best has 467 yards and eight touchdowns on the year to lead the Bears, while Kevin Riley has thrown for 821 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. Cal leads the PAC 10 in points scored right now but is among the bottom half in every major defensive category, as it gets set to face one of the most prolific offenses in the conference.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made USC 4.5-point road favorites over
College Football Week 5 Betting Trends
USC: 16-3 Under vs. conference
All games in this series since 1992
USC is 12-5 straight up against
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL since 1992
Games over the last 3 seasons
USC is 2-0 straight up against
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
All games played at
USC is 5-3 against the spread versus
USC is 6-2 straight up against
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL since 1992
Games played at
USC is 1-0 against the spread versus
USC is 1-0 straight up against
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Week 5 College Football Injury Report
USC
[CB] 09/06/2009 – Shareece Wright out for season ( Academics )
[RB] 09/26/2009 – Marc Tyler "?" Saturday vs
[WR] 09/06/2009 – Ronald Johnson out indefinitely ( Collarbone )
[DE] 09/06/2009 – Armond Armstead is likely to be sidelined for six weeks ( Foot )
[CB] 09/26/2009 – Brian Baucham "?" Saturday vs
[T] 09/26/2009 – Nick Howell "?" Saturday vs
[LB] 09/26/2009 – Malcolm Smith "?" Saturday vs
[DL] 09/26/2009 – Hebron Fanqupo injured last game, "?" Saturday vs
[RB] 09/29/2009 – Stafon Johnson out for season ( Throat )
[DE] 09/30/2009 – Nick Perry "?" Saturday vs.
[TE] 09/06/2009 – Tad Smith out for season ( Knee )
[TE] 09/09/2009 – Spencer Ladner out indefinitely ( Knee )
[WR] 09/21/2009 – Nyan Boateng expected to miss 4-6 weeks ( Foot )
[WR] 09/21/2009 – Michael Calvin out indefinitely ( Knee )
[CB] 09/26/2009 – Syd’Quan Thompson missed last game, "?" Saturday vs. USC ( Back )
USC at California Current Odds
USC Trojans -4.5 Over 47.5 (-200)
Posted: 10/3/09 5:18PM ET