Another year, another game against USC; it’s time to get your heart medication ready!

For some reason, Stanford hasn’t been able to pull away from the Trojans in any of their last three matchups. That may be a big reason why Las Vegas has Stanford as only a 3½-point favorite against the unranked Trojans.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but the keys to this game are remarkably similar to the keys over the past few weeks, and the first key is the most important — and redundant — of all: Stanford has to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Historically, USC has given Stanford trouble in large part due to its strong core of defensive linemen. As Winston Shi noted in his column earlier this week, penetration from the defensive line is great against any team, and that is especially true against Stanford.

In Stanford’s last visit to the Coliseum back in 2011, USC’s defensive line got pressure on quarterback Andrew Luck ‘12 all night long. Only through spectacular poise and accuracy was Luck able to lead scoring drives; he seemed to get flushed from the pocket on every play.

While junior quarterback Kevin Hogan looked good against the Ducks, he does not have those same tools that Luck had to put up points while being harassed. Stanford will have to keep USC’s pass rushers — notably defensive lineman Leonard Williams and outside linebacker Devon Kennard — from getting to Hogan or Stanford’s running backs. If the Cardinal can’t do that, then frequent third-and-long situations could stall Stanford drives repeatedly, putting its defense in a tough spot.

Speaking of the Stanford defense, pressure is key on that side of the ball as well. In 2012, Stanford stopped USC’s playmaking wide receivers by not giving quarterback Matt Barkley time to throw the ball. USC’s offensive line looks to be improved but is still a relative weakness. Stanford’s defensive front should be able to get to quarterback Cody Kessler early and often, and that will be key in keeping USC off the scoreboard.

The secondary key to the game is keeping Hogan involved in the running game. Against the Ducks, Stanford head coach David Shaw had Hogan run the read-option game with senior running back Ricky Seale for the first time all season, replacing sophomore quarterback Dallas Lloyd and his fumble problems.

Not only did Hogan succeed in those packages — Hogan’s touchdown run came on one of those plays — but I really feel that those runs allowed Hogan to get into a better rhythm. Hogan was fast through his progressions and not afraid to run all night long. Stanford had missed the mobile aspect of Hogan’s game for so long; that added dimension is huge to the Cardinal offense. Hogan also didn’t seem to have “happy feet” problems at all, moving his feet only in a productive manner to buy time or yardage.

If Stanford can use Hogan for a few important runs, not only will the Cardinal have a higher success rate on third downs but it will also get better overall production from its quarterback, and that could be the difference in the game.

Sam Fisher is going to request the USC press box be stocked with extra beta-blockers on Saturday evening. Check-in on him after the game at safisher ‘at’ stanford.edu and follow him on Twitter @SamFisher908.