Bringing back the 'swagger': Four things to watch for in USC vs. Arizona

Even as the tears welled up and their pain laid bare in the Utah visitors’ locker room, Caleb Williams said he could sense a different energy looming beneath the heartbreak of USC’s first defeat.

“There was a certain confidence, a certain swagger,” the Trojans quarterback recalled this week. It was right then, Williams said, that he was certain USC would bounce back after its bye.

The chance to prove it comes Saturday in the desert, where the Trojans have lost just twice to Arizona in the last three decades. The two-week wait, after such a charged postgame, has been an excruciating one, Lincoln Riley said.

“This game can't get here soon enough,” the coach said.

The two weeks did give USC’s quarterback a chance to “get back on track mentally and physically,” Williams said. He has no doubts about where USC is heading from here.

“We’ve got a run to make, and it’s going to be pretty awesome.”

Here are three things to watch for when USC faces Arizona on Saturday at 4 p.m. PDT (Pac-12 Network):

Shuffling the rush

Through the first six weeks of the season, USC led the nation in sacks and appeared to be overachieving with its pass rush. But Alex Grinch has been clear that he still isn’t thrilled with the production at rush linebacker, a crucial cog in his scheme.

“We need more at that spot,” Grinch said this week.

Recently, redshirt senior Nick Figueroa has stepped up in the role. After tallying three sacks in the two previous games, Figueroa played a season-high 65 snaps against Utah.

There’s not much depth to speak of after that. Solomon Byrd’s reps have dwindled during the last two games. Korey Foreman missed some practice because of nagging injuries this week. A bigger role for Solomon Tuliaupupu may be one of USC’s only other options at rush linebacker.

“We expect guys to be in the backfield, not just hold point,” Grinch said. “If we wanted a guy sitting on the line of scrimmage, we’d recruit a 355-pound guy, sit him on the edge and stand there and take on blocks. Our M.O. has been to have guys that are athletes, allow them to be athletes and go hunt the quarterback. That’s something we need more of.”

Super Mario

Jordan Addison’s status remains unclear for Saturday but if USC is forced to be without its top wideout, it may turn to Mario Williams more than usual.

While Williams has played second fiddle to Addison much of the season, he’s still been one of the top receivers in the Pac-12. He leads the conference in yards per reception (18.96) and ranks ninth in receiving yards (493). Against a suspect Arizona secondary, a standout performance could be in the cards.

Caleb Williams said this week that he’s been more in sync with Williams this season, their second together in Riley’s offense.

“Mario is a lot more confident,” Caleb Williams said. “He’s been in the system. So he kind of knows what I want. He’ll ask me a couple questions sometimes, and I’ll start to answer, and he’ll finish what I’m saying.”

Aerial assault

Riley didn’t hold back in heaping praise on the Arizona passing attack this week, calling the Wildcats “easily one of the best offenses we’ve played. Maybe the best.”

Utah and the 562 yards it put up earlier this month might have something to say about that. But Arizona’s array of receivers certainly pose a challenge unlike any that USC’s secondary has seen this season. Arizona receiver Jacob Cowing leads the Pac-12 in receptions (53) and touchdowns (7). Dorian Singer ranks in the top five in yards and receptions. Tetairoa McMillan leads all freshmen in college football in receiving touchdowns with six in his first seven games.

After allowing more than 400 passing yards to Utah, Arizona, a team that passes more than all but nine others in college football, isn’t exactly a soft landing for USC’s secondary out of the bye. But Riley reiterated his confidence this week in both of the Trojans starting corners, Mekhi Blackmon and Ceyair Wright.

“They’ve been our two steadiest guys, without a doubt,” Riley said.

Pac-12 road woes

The road hasn’t exactly been kind to Pac-12 contenders this season. While Oregon, USC, UCLA and Utah are all undefeated at home, each of the four have slipped up in some fashion while away. USC lost to Utah. Utah lost to UCLA. UCLA lost to Oregon. And while Oregon has yet to lose in conference, it was pummeled when it met Georgia in its road opener.

Overall, Pac-12 teams are 12-23 on the road this season. For USC, the notion of not leaving Los Angeles for the rest of the regular season after this week seems pretty appealing at this point.

It just has to get past Arizona first.

“There’s a lot of quality teams in the league, and it’s hard to beat quality teams on the road,” Riley said. “It’s one of those years where who you end up playing on the road and who you catch and who you don’t will be impactful.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.