Much has been made about the problems the USC defense had with a read-option quarterback against Boston College, but those issues won’t be in play against Oregon State on Saturday.
Sean Mannion is a talented quarterback for the Beavers who can do many things, but running the ball as a designed weapon in the offense is not one of them. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds Mannion is a pro-style quarterback who will work almost exclusively from the pocket and throw the ball, something the Trojans defenders are well aware of.
"To be honest, when you look at him at first, you take away the dual threat because he doesn't really leave the pocket that much," said linebacker Anthony Sarao. "He's a tall guy, a statue, he sits back there and he's got a big arm so we have to be ready for it."
A big arm, Mannion definitely has that. A quick check of the record books shows him in third place on the Pac-12 career yardage list, and he will likely pass Matt Barkley for the top spot before he is done. Mannion set the conference single-season yardage mark last year. He owns 12 Oregon State passing marks after breaking the school’s all-time yardage mark last week and, barring anything unforeseen, will own every Beavers career record by the end of the season.
"Mannion is a big, tall, strong arm guy," said USC coach Steve Sarkisian. "Prototype NFL guy. So accurate downfield and with the short game, he really forces the secondary to communicate on the fly. Steps up well in pocket and takes the hit. Can run play-action. He’s a nice mesh with Mike Riley and what he wants to do."
In 2013, Mannion and Oregon State entered the game against the Trojans with the nation’s leading passing offense, but were limited to 277 yards on 26-of-45 passing with three interceptions in the 31-14 USC win. While at Washington last season, Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox held Mannion to 229 yards on 20-of-41 passing with three interceptions and three sacks during a dominant 69-27 Huskies victory.
"He’s very well coached in the pro-style scheme," Wilcox said of the first three-time team captain in OSU history. "He’ll throw vertical routes, he’ll throw outs to the field, which you don’t see a lot in college. It looks like on tape that they give him a lot of responsibility to get into the right play against the formation. It will definitely be a challenge to face him."
Honoring the HOF class
There will be several recently inducted members of the USC Athletics Hall of Fame honored at halftime of the game. Among the Class of 2015 members expected to be in attendance are Jack Del Rio, Tim Rossovich and Mark Prior. Del Rio’s son Luke is a reserve quarterback for the Beavers.
Pete Carroll is one of the inductees for the class, but he is not expected to be there.
Weekend visitors
There will be plenty of big-name recruits at the game, including Class of 2015 verbal commit running back Aca'Cedric Ware, who will be making his official visit. Joining Ware will be his Cedar Hill teammate DaMarkus Lodge, an ESPN 300 wide receiver who recently de-committed from Texas A&M.
Another out-of-state visitor is Class of 2016 quarterback Shea Patterson, who will be on an unofficial visit. One of the top local 2016 quarterbacks, K.J. Costello, will also be in attendance, as will 2015 quarterback commit Ricky Town.
Recruit games to watch
The highest profile game of the week will be No. 1 St. John Bosco taking on No. 2 Bishop Gorman in a game that will be seen on ESPN Friday night at 6 p.m. PT. USC offered Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell this week, a Class of 2017 prospect who had previously committed to Sarkisian when he was coach at Washington.
Other top games include Crespi (2015 safety Marvell Tell) against Bishop Amat (2016 athletes Tyler Vaughns and Trevon Sidney), and Notre Dame against Serra (defensive lineman Rasheem Green and linebacker John Houston, among others).