1 of 6

Harry How/Getty Images

The Trojans really only need to do one thing to beat the Sun Devils on Saturday: Be consistent.

We know the defense will deliver on that front, but the offense is a different story entirely. Things have been largely up and down for this bunch all season; against Boston College it looked like a well-oiled machine, but against Utah State last week, it was hot and cold throughout much of the afternoon.

After coming out and establishing the run early, USC all but abandoned it entirely in the fourth quarter. The Trojans converted none of their eight third-down attempts of the second half and sputtered to the win largely because of the defensive effort. The offense's inconsistency is groan-inducing, and Arizona State is not a team to be taken lightly.

If USC is to win, it needs to bring its A-game and actually use it on both sides of the ball.

We have seen Tre Madden punch defenses in the mouth and grind for extra yards. We have see Marqise Lee and the bevy of wide receivers catch the deep ball. We have seen the tight ends show they are good for more than just blocking.

Meanwhile, the defense is allowing just 230 total yards a game and just 59 on average on the ground. It averages four sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss each game. It hasn’t surrendered a point yet in the first quarter, and its first team gave up its first touchdown on the season last week, against Utah State.

Now is the time for the Trojans to show all of that skill, at the same time.