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USC wary of Cal’s ground, air game

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USC knew that California receiver Keenan Allen would be formidable again.

Cal quarterback Zach Maynard was bound to be improved.

And Isi Sofele and C.J. Anderson proved last season that they were solid running backs.

USC’s preparation this week for Cal also included figuring out a way to contain Brendan Bigelow, who broke out last week against Ohio State.

The sophomore running back scored on touchdown runs of 81 and 59 yards and finished with 160 yards in four carries in the Golden Bears’ 35-28 defeat at Columbus, Ohio.

“You have three guys that really cause you issues,” USC Coach Lane Kiffin said of Cal’s running backs. “We thought it was two going into last week, and then they gave the ball to Bigelow.”

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Bigelow sat out his senior season at Fresno Central East High after knee surgery. Last season, he mainly returned kicks for the Golden Bears and got only six carries.

This season, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Bigelow had one carry in a loss to Nevada and another in a victory over Southern Utah before dazzling against Ohio State.

“He’s definitely put himself in position to get a few more touches,” Cal Coach Jeff Tedford said.

Bigelow’s 81-yard touchdown came on a run around left end. He slipped three tackles and broke loose with a double spin move before sprinting down the sideline at Ohio Stadium.

“I was just thinking, ‘Man, I want to score,’” Bigelow said in a phone interview. “I was zoning everything out. Nothing else matters. I wasn’t thinking about that crowd of 105,000.”

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Allen has 20 receptions and also has averaged 17.7 yards per punt return.

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Last season, he caught 13 passes for 160 yards in USC’s 30-9 victory over the Golden Bears at AT&T; Park in San Francisco.

Maynard, Allen’s half-brother, played perhaps his best game against Ohio State, completing 26 of 37 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown, with one interception.

Kiffin and USC players said Maynard’s poise and command of the offense have improved since last season.

“When he’s running around, he makes you want to go out there and just blow him up,” Trojans linebacker Hayes Pullard said. “But he can throw to his brother running down the field.”

Blindside battle

Kiffin said he had not determined who would play left tackle against Cal.

After Stanford dominated USC at the line of scrimmage, Kiffin said Max Tuerk would compete for Aundrey Walker’s spot.

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“Aundrey has responded really well,” Kiffin said. “Max has really stepped up and tried to take it.

“I’m not sure where we’re going to go yet.”

Walker is a sophomore, Tuerk a freshman.

“We have two really young kids,” Kiffin said, “that are very talented and could play a number of positions on the line eventually.”

Quick hits

USC linebacker Dion Bailey has three interceptions. He is tied for first in the Pac-12 Conference and tied for fourth nationally. ... Trojans receiver Marqise Lee ranks first in the conference and is tied for third nationally with 9.7 receptions per game.

gary.klein@latimes.com

twitter.com/latimesklein

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