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WSU vs. Southern California: Three things to watch

Washington State can only hope to contain, not stop, all-purpose back Reggie Bush of Southern California, shown here against Washington. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
The Spokesman-Review
Washington State can only hope to contain, not stop, all-purpose back Reggie Bush of Southern California, shown here against Washington. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

1 Receivers face challenge: No one has figured out how to stop Jason Hill and other WSU wideouts from making big plays yet this season. Hill is already just two touchdown catches shy of the single-season record he set last year, and that Cougars strength happens to correlate with the one significant USC weakness. The Trojans are beat up physically – and perhaps mentally – at cornerback.

Josh Pinkard will be starting in just his second game at corner after moving from safety, and he’s at best the Trojans’ fourth option there this season after a series of injuries. The one “solid” cornerback, Justin Wyatt, has hit a cold streak, giving up touchdowns in each of the last three games. The Cougars may try to control the clock on offense but it’s a guarantee that they’ll also try to go deep to Hill and most likely Brandon Gibson at some point.

2 Leinart on line: Earlier this season, teams tried to blitz USC quarterback Matt Leinart and got burned deep repeatedly for it. As the season has progressed more teams have abandoned the blitz and opted to play more conservatively against the Trojans passing game. When they did, Leinart began to struggle as the new offensive assistants this season had called for more lower-percentage passes.

Last week USC adjusted, throwing more underneath passes and completing 20 of 26 attempts against Washington. Leinart also dominated the Cougars last year, so if they decide to play back on defense and make Leinart beat them, how the defending Heisman Trophy winner plays could determine whether the USC offense is good or unstoppable.