It was just two years ago that Harbaugh inherited a football program that was one of the worst in the country and used the biggest upset in college football history against USC (Stanford was a 42.5 point underdog) that year as a stepping stone to building a top 25 team.

The heart and soul of Stanford is Toby Gerhart, a 6’1, 235 pound physical powerhouse running back who is one of the best in the nation. He is one of the few backs in the country that can and will carry the ball over 30 times a game and beat defenders up. His mentality has crossed over to his teammates who thrive off playing a physical brand of football.

Another key to Stanford’s success is they play intelligently and usually will not beat themselves. The development of Redshirt Freshman Andrew Luck has been tremendous and gives Stanford the balance on offense that makes them dangerous anywhere on the field. In the past 3 games, Luck was 50-83 for 910 yards and 5 TD’s against only 1 interceptions and that included games against two top 25 teams (Oregon and Arizona) and against one of the best defenses in the conferences Arizona State.

The banged up Trojans will have to play far better than they have the past 6 quarters to leave the Coliseum with a victory. It is going to be tough as the offense will need to come to life without #1 wideout/punt returner Damian Williams (high ankle sprain) and Wide Receiver Ronald Johnson and Tight End Anthony McCoy not operating at 100%.

The Stanford defense is vulnerable to a balanced attack and the Trojans offense is not only going to have to generate at least 24 points of offense but also grind away at the game clock to rest the defense which will be involved in a very physical battle.

4 Keys to the Game:

Hold Gerhart to under 4 yards a carry: It is going to be difficult to completely shut down a back as physical as Toby Gerhart. The Trojans have to look to contain him and not allow him to frequently gain over 5 yards a carry. The Defensive Line will have to play very physical and win the line of scrimmage battle.

The shift of Defensive Lineman Devon Kennard to Linebacker could be a huge factor. Kennard looked great in practice this week and has the size and strength to handle a guy like Gerhart. He gives the undersized linebacking core a physical presence that is sorely needed in a game like this. USC coaches are very enthusiastic about Kennard's physical and mental attributes. He can be a “55” type linebacker. However, a lot is being asked of a freshman who has not played the position before.

More keys and injury updates after the jump

Here is a quick run down on some injured Trojans.

The Good News:

Fullback Stanley Havili practiced yesterday and is expected to start on Saturday. Havili injured his shoulder vs. Notre Dame last month.

Defensive end Everson Griffen got some work in yesterday and said that he will play on Saturday. Griffen missed the ASU game because of turf toe.

Tight end Anthony McCoy is close to returning to practice. He did some light rehab work yesterday and is going to try to practice on Tuesday or Wednesday. He is anxious to get back on the field.

The Bad News:

Our all world receiver, Damian Williams, has a boot on his ankle after injuring it against ASU. Williams leads the team in catches with 45, receiving years with 688 and five TDs. He is also the most clutch player on the team, delivering big plays (two punt returns for TDs) when the team needs them most. If Williams can’t play, look for Brice Butler to start opposite Ronald Johnson. Travon Patterson and Jordan Cameron will fill in at the third receiver spot.

Ankle sprains keeps Williams on sideline [ocregister]
Dispatch from Howard Jones [uscripsit]

The Trojans will need to play well in all phases to successfully defend the Coliseum turf against 3 tough opponents (Stanford and Arizona are ranked and in the Rose Bowl race and you have the crosstown rivalry with UCLA). If they are able to win the final three, another trip to Pasadena is still very much alive. If they struggle, a match-up with Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl is easily be in the cards.

The Pac-10 is extremely strong this year and any 1 of 5 teams would represent the conference very well against a top 15 team on a neutral field. This type of quality is why a team with two losses in conference could play in the Rose Bowl.

Notes and Analysis for the Water Cooler and IM Chats:

Barkley in a slump: Matt Barkley was 7-22 for 122 yards against Arizona State. If you take away the short pass to Damian Williams that was turned into a 75 yard touchdown, Barkley was 6-21 for 37 yards. In the second half against Oregon, he was 5-16 for 49 yards. Did Raider quarterback Jamarcus Russell take over for the Trojans?
Hopefully the offensive coaches are doing some self scouting to help Barkley make adjustments to his tendencies. Opposing defensive coaches have enough film on Barkley to truly dissect his game and it is showing. Arizona State has a great defense but his throwing numbers were awful considering Cal QB Kevin Riley threw for 351 yards the week before.

*More Barkley, offensive line, Williams injury after the jump

In the past, one could review the game and say the Trojans were just unlucky or if they played with a little more discipline they would have won. Not this time. If anything, the amount of injuries the Trojans suffered on the defensive side of the ball is a clear indication of how manhandled they were by the Oregon offense.

Saturday's game against Arizona State will provide great insight into the psyche of both the coaching staff and the players. Was the Oregon game just a set of unfortunate circumstances they can easily put behind them and continue Pete Carroll's perfect November record and put themselves in contention for a BCS bowl game? Will the Trojans fight though injury issues like they have in years past and put together a great performance or will the shaken confidence of a defense that has given up over 1500 yards of offense in 3 games lead to a debacle in Tempe?

Arizona State is not going to make it easy on the Trojans. They are led by the best defense in the Pac-10 and are fighting for Head Coach Dennis Erickson's job. This is also the second of back-to-back road games for the Trojans which are always tough.

However, this is a game the Trojans should win and be able to gain some confidence and swagger back on the defensive side of the ball. ASU has one of the worst offenses in the Pac-10 and doesn't possess a game-breaker close to the ability of Jacquizz Rogers, James Rogers or LaMichael James.

Keys to the game...

1-Trojans need to pass to set up the run: Cal Quarterback Kevin Riley threw for 351 yards last week in a narrow 23-21 victory over ASU. ASU does a great job of applying pressure and making it difficult to run with one of the best run defense's in the country. The Trojans should come out throwing the ball to send an early message to ASU's secondary which is susceptible to mid-range throws.

Once ASU's defense is worried about the pass, the Trojans should have success running the ball with McKnight and especially Bradford provided his knee is okay. Bradford fits the mold of Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart who ran for 125 yards against ASU.

More keys after the jump plus an injury update...

• DE Armond Armstead (wrist): Probable

• WR David Ausberry (calf): Out

• RB Allen Bradford (knee): Probable

• LB Chris Galippo (neck): Probable
• 
DE Everson Griffen (toe): Probable

• FB Stanley Havili (shoulder): Probable
• 
LB Jarvis Jones (neck): Questionable

• S Drew McAllister (hip): Out

• TE Anthony McCoy (ankle): Questionable

• RB Joe McKnight (ankle): Probable
• 
DE Nick Perry (knee): Questionable
• 
LB Malcolm Smith (shoulder): Out

• WR Damian Williams (glute): Probable

Nothing has been easy this season for the Trojans. It seems like every week they face another tough test on the road. This week it is the Oregon Ducks (6-1, 4-0) and their terrible uniforms. Saturday’s contest will be the fourth road game against a ranked opponent. Also increasing the degree of difficulty is the Trojans must play in Autzen stadium. Even though it only seats 54,000, it is one of the loudest stadiums in the country. And it’s Halloween, so fans will be extra lubricated and extra spooky.

To make matters worse, the past few years, the Pacific Northwest has not been friendly place to visit for the Trojans. USC has lost three straight years in the state of Oregon and we all can’t forget what happened to the Trojans when they traveled to Washington earlier this season. The weather conditions in Eugen should be dark, cold and gloomy. At kickoff the weather report is predicting 57 degrees with a 60% chance of precipitation.

So to recap, a ranked opponent playing their best football of the year, in a hostile environment, with a possibility for rain, in a high-stakes game, with tens of thousands of students dressed in costumes and extra inebriated, in a part of the of the country that the Trojans have not played well in recent years…. Does it scare you?

It shouldn’t. It should fire you up. Saturday night is the perfect opportunity to for the Trojans to come together and show the haters and doubters in the country that even though we have a freshman QB, a defense that has struggled the past two games against potent offenses and are banged up with injuries, when it comes time to strapping on the pads the Trojans always come to play in big games. How does Coach Carroll fare against ranked opponents? Pete has played 38 ranked opponents since 2001. USC is 34-4 in those games. Let’s make it 35-4.

More Thoughts of the Day and Halloween costume ideas after the jump (if you dare)…

License to kill Beavers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill Beavers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote…

We are in the second half of the season. This week the Trojans face the Oregon State Beavers. A team that shocked USC last year. The loss to Oregon State was the only thing that kept Trojans out of the national championship game. The Beavers are a well coached team under Mike Riley and have some dynamic players on their roster. The Beavers won’t roll over and quit Saturday night. So how do the men of Troy win this game? In the words of Carl Spackler, with superior intelligence and superior firepower.

The superior intelligence will first need to come from our coaches. We all know that Pete is the man. He loves his job and it shows with the passion and joy he brings to it every week in everything he does. His football intelligence is starting to rub off on our new coaches. I thought Jeremy Bates called a hell of a game last week. He is finally taking advantage of his weapons and it is fun to watch. Matt Barkley looked phenomenal. What was the key to his success? In my opinion it was the play calling. On most of his passes, Trojan receivers were wide open. That is what we are used to seeing at SC, wide open receivers down the field. I hope the tradition continues on Saturday.

The superior intelligence will also have to rub off on the players. If USC plays smart football they can run the table. I think after last weeks game, the Trojans are finally starting to learn that the biggest enemy and obstacle they face each week is themselves. They are their own worst enemy. USC had five personal fouls in the second half last week. That trend cannot continue. When the Trojans limit their mistakes, no one can beat them.

We will save the superior firepower portion of thoughts of the day for our finale after the jump…

Despite being heavily favored the Trojans are facing the best skill position players they have seen all year and will have to play a disciplined game to get the victory.

5 Keys to avoiding the Beaver Trap :

1- Avoid 15 yard penalties and turnovers: The #1 key every week. If the Trojans avoided the big 15 yard penalties against the Irish (especially Griffen’s penalty in the 3rd quarter) and didn’t throw an interception in the 4th quarter, the score would have been more like 34-10 instead of 34-27

2- Stay at home on defense and force Oregon State into obvious pass situations: Last year All Pac-10 Running Back Jacquizz Rogers burst onto the scene against the Trojans. His cut-back style and low center of gravity (he’s only 5’7) was a nightmare for a Trojan defense that consistently overpursued him. He ended up rushing for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Rogers is a very patient running back that uses his lack of height as an advantage when waiting for holes to develop. Linebackers and Defensive Lineman can lose track of him when he is behind the line of scrimmage.

The Trojan linebackers and Secondary need to communicate and make sure they stay in the proper gaps to contain Jacquizz and his brother James who is a Wide Receiver. The Roger’s brother’s account for 60% of Oregon State’s offense and stopping them and OSU’s run offense will require a total team effort.

If the Trojans are able to force Oregon State into obvious pass situations, they can take advantage of a young offensive line that has already given up 19 sacks this year. The OSU quarterback has a tendency to force throws when he is under pressure and that should create turnover opportunities.

(3 more keys to victory after the jump)

We all saw how great he played against Penn State in the Rose Bowl and he is now showing us that he is a legitimate contender for the Mackey Award and the he could be a great pick-up in the NFL. He is one of the better blocking TE's in the game and his performance on Saturday simply increased his exposure to those who don't folloow USC on a regular basis.

From the LA Times

McCoy looked like the best tight end in college football against the Fighting Irish, catching five passes for 153 yards and setting up two touchdowns and a field goal in the Trojans' 34-27 win at Notre Dame.

After waiting two seasons behind Mackey Award winner Fred Davis, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound McCoy has developed into an upper-round NFL prospect in his second season as a starter.

"He's got the whole package," USC Coach Pete Carroll said. "Few guys are that flashy and effective as receivers that can also block.

"He's going to be a tremendous prospect at the next level."

McCoy enters Saturday's game against Oregon State averaging a team-best 25 yards a reception. He has caught 14 passes, second on the team to wideout Damian Williams, and overcome a few early drops to become a short, mid-range and deep threat.

"He can stretch the field," freshman quarterback Matt Barkley said. "It's been such an advantage to have that. . . . The way he can run vertically and just have a knack for catching the ball and finding that open window is huge."

I still laugh at the scene of McCoy dragging those ND defenders downfield before thy brought him down short of the goal line. That was a sight! McCoy was honored for his performance against ND by being named the Mackey Award player of the week.

He will continue to play an important role as SC goes down the stretch.

- - -

We are about to enter the second half of the season and now the fun begins. SC has the meat of the schedule in front of them. After this weekends game against Oregon St. SC goes on the road against the Duck's in Eugene then on to Tempe to face ASU. It has been an interesting ride so far, SC has not left us bored that is for sure with huge road wins against Ohio St. and Notre Dame. Yes there was the slip up against the Huskies but with what we have seen from them I think it was clear that the loss of Barkley and Mays along with Sarkisian and Holt knowing the strengths and weaknesses of this team backward and forward combined for a perfect storm  for the upset...Hats off to them for the win but lets not get carried away.

The mid-season reviews and award lists are out and SC has some good representation...

Lets start with Ted Miller's Second-half outlook of USC...

Will Washington prove to be the only bump in the road for USC? And if USC rolls to an 11-1 record, will it play its way into the national title game? Or will we see the Trojans matched up again (sigh) with a Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl? It might be more fun if the Trojans lost to Oregon on Oct. 31 and then won out and earned an at-large invitation to another BCS bowl game. It seems like a massive long shot, given the selection procedure, but just picture USC vs. Florida/Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Yummy!

I am not even worrying about the post season, there is way too much football left to play and a couple of tough games still on the schedule...not just Oregon.

If anything the Notre Dame game showed me that we still have some work to do on finishing. The defense took their foot off the gas and let ND back in it, the dumb penalties sooner or later will come back to haunt us and cost us a game and for as great as Matt Barkley played he still is susceptible to making rookie mistakes.

SC needs to tighten a few things up...

Decreasing dumb penalties,3rd down conversions, the running game and the red zone offense still need to improve.

Michael Lev of the OCR has a quick take...

MIDSEASON MVP

MLB Chris Galippo

Taking over at the heart of an almost all-new front seven, the redshirt sophomore from Servite High has become an instant leader and among the top playmakers for the ninth-ranked defense in the nation. Galippo leads USC in tackles (41), is tied for first in pass breakups (four) and also has five tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

RB Allen Bradford

Even though he didn't play much last season because of injuries, Bradford has made the most tangible gains. The redshirt junior entered this season with 123 career rushing yards and a 2.9-yard average. In six games, he has 228 yards and a 6.3-yard average. Also considered: RB Joe McKnight, TE Anthony McCoy, OT Tyron Smith, DT Jurrell Casey, DE Nick Perry and LB Michael Morgan.

Any one of those players listed above could be seen as most improved. Especially Nick Perry. You have to love what PC is doing with him...he is an absolute beast and he will only get better.

- - -

Here are a few links to some mid-season awards.

Phil Steele's 2009 Mid Season All-Pac-10 team

SN's midseason All-Americans: Offense

SN's midseason All-Americans: Defense

- - -

Here is an interesting take on the BCS from the WSJ...

Quantitatively and qualitatively, USC looks like the top option should any member of the Alabama-Florida-Texas triumverate falter. The Trojans top Boise, Cincinnati and Iowa in total defense. Of that group, they trail only the Bearcats in total offense. With the nation's ninth-rated defense by yards, the Trojans appeared to have one weakness heading into the season: quarterback play. But Matt Barkley continues to disprove that notion, along with the now-foolish idea that Aaron Corp should've started over him to begin the season. Mr. Barkley threw for 380 yards in the victory over Notre Dame.

If Mr. Barkley hadn't missed the Washington game, the Trojans might already occupy one of the top two spots. But with the way Florida and Texas are playing, who knows – maybe they will again.

It is going to get interesting as we go down the stretch.

- - -

Here is Pete Carroll on PMS

All Pac-10 has their USC/OSU preview up.

Ted Miller has a little more in his "What to watch for in the Pac-10"

As expected, Mark Tyler is done for the season, with Stanley Havili expected to be a game time decision because of his shoulder injury.

Here is a good read by the Trojan Empire on the BCS

The McKnight-Bradford duo is working well for the Trojans.

The Trojan defense kept the Notre Dame offense in check. The referees assisted the Irish all the way to the end of the game, but even that wasn't enough. Statistically speaking the Irish offense, led by ostrich Jimmy Clausen, is one of the better ones in college football. The Trojan defense is lights out!