USC vs. Idaho: Trojans face another Sun Belt foe

USC welcomes Idaho, a second consecutive undermanned Sun Belt Conference opponent. Will that help the Trojans in preparation for a Pac-12 Conference opener against Stanford? Gary Klein examines the matchups and story lines:

Relatively speaking

USC safety Chris Hawkins will see a familiar face on the field.

Armond Hawkins Jr., his half brother, plays safety for the Vandals.

“It’s an amazing feeling when two guys out of the same household make it to Division I football,” Chris Hawkins told Times correspondent Lindsey Thiry. “[It’s something] that I’m going to treasure for the rest of my life.”

Chris Hawkins is coming off an impressive performance in the Trojans’ 55-6 season-opening victory over Arkansas State. The third-year sophomore intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. He also played cornerback late in the game.

Armond Hawkins, a sophomore, made two tackles in the Vandals’ 45-28 season-opening loss to Ohio.

Back on track

USC quarterback Cody Kessler is aiming to improve his accuracy and timing on long passes.

Kessler completed 19 of 26 passes for 236 yards and four touchdowns against Arkansas State but overthrew receivers several times.

He spent the week emphasizing his footwork to improve his accuracy.

Sophomore receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster caught four passes in the opener, one he turned into a 61-yard scoring play on USC’s first possession. He is learning to adjust to double-teams as the No. 1 receiver.

Idaho quarterback Matt Linehan completed 36 of 48 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, against Ohio.

Receiver Dezmon Epps caught a nation-leading 15 passes for 160 yards in the opener.

Ready to return

As Javorius Allen’s backup last season, USC tailback Justin Davis rushed for 595 yards and scored six touchdowns.

Davis was regarded as the front-runner to claim the starting job this season, but he suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him early in training camp. When he returned, he suffered a rib injury that forced him to sit out the opener.

The junior is set to return against Idaho and he will be part of rotation that features starter Tre Madden and freshmen Ronald Jones II, Aca’Cedric Ware and Dominic Davis.

Idaho’s Elijhaa Penny rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown in 17 carries in the Vandals’ opener.

Line of fire

USC’s offensive line is out to redeem itself after giving up five first-half sacks against Arkansas State.

Senior center Max Tuerk, junior tackles Chad Wheeler and Zach Banner and sophomore guards Toa Lobendahn, Damien Mama and Viane Talamaivao, who can rotate at the two spots, all started games in 2014.

“In the grand scheme of things, we’re still a little young playing three true sophomores out there,” Coach Steve Sarkisian said, adding, “I still think we’re going to be very good.”

Idaho’s pass rush is led by end Quinton Bradley, who had two sacks against Ohio.

More the merrier

USC platooned defensive linemen and linebackers in the opener and probably will continue to do so against Idaho.

End Claude Pelon is expected to play after sitting out the opener while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.

Freshmen linemen Noah Jefferson, Jacob Daniel and Rasheem Green played as a unit at one point in the opener.

Idaho’s defense features linebackers Marc Milan, Chris Edwards and Broc Westlake, each of whom made seven tackles against Ohio.

Jackson back

USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, who spent most of the opener on the sideline after suffering an abdominal strain, is expected to play.

Jackson was held out of some drills early in the week but was a full participant as workouts progressed.

Jackson returned one kickoff for 23 yards and two punts for 40 yards in the opener.

—Gary Klein