USC vs. UCLA: Trojans should account for Brett Hundley and Anthony Barr

The USC Trojans have won 12 of the last 13 games in their series with the UCLA Bruins, but that won't make a loss on Saturday any easier to handle. SB Nation's USC blog Conquest Chronicles has a detailed breakdown of what to watch for, and info on exactly what USC needs to do to avoid that outcome.

One thing Conquest Chronicles points to is Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley's running ability. Hundley has 272 yards on 111 attempts this year, along with six touchdowns. He's a danger on third and short downs as well as in the red zone, so USC has to work on containment:

USC's defense will have to contain the edges ... which hasn't always been the easiest thing this season. The Trojans want to turn Hundley into a running quarterback, but only if that means he isn't getting time to throw because of pressure in his face. If they keep him contained in the pocket, there could be a number of sacks to go around. However, that is going to require the assignment discipline that the line did not show against Oregon.

UCLA's secondary has been their weakness on defense, and Conquest Chronicles expects the Bruins to compensate by blitzing early and often. Anthony Barr is the man to watch in that case:

After having only 14 sacks as a team last season, the new UCLA coaching staff knew they needed to try something different than the previous regime. What they tried was converting running back/fullback Anthony Barr to a speed rushing outside linebacker. It definitely is paying off. The 6'4, 235-pound monster leads the Pac-12 with 11 sacks on the season.

There's a lot more in the full post, so check it out. Things get started at noon PT.