Through the first half of play, the USC Trojans have done a better job of stopping Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal than any other team this season.
Only through some surprising stats in the first half of this game does it become apparent just how potent this Cardinal offense has been in 2011. In the second quarter, Stanford was forced to punt on two consecutive possessions, the first time they've had to do so in three games. Heading into Saturday's game, the Cardinal had only had three-and-out possessions this season. They've already matched that number tonight.
USC quarterback Matt Barkley has is 14-for-25 so far with 127 yards, both better numbers than Heisman candidate Luck has put up in this game. The key difference between the two quarterbacks is a touchdown for Luck and in interception for Barkley.
The USC defense has showed up in a big way in the first half. It's clear that Stanford has their work cut out for them the rest of the way.