USC’s secondary has already been through a gauntlet, and Indiana is about to throw another one at it.
The Trojans have spent this season lining up against some of the most dangerous receivers in college football. Rutgers’ KJ Duff gave them a taste in Week 4, using his 6-foot-6 frame to post seven catches for 86 yards and a touchdown before injuries slowed him down in the weeks that followed.
Oregon’s Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore both found the end zone against USC in Week 5. Then came Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith in Week 9, a star the source describes as the best receiver in college football and the best player in the sport.
Smith finished with 10 receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown, though that score came with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter and many of his yards came in obvious passing situations late.
Now comes the biggest test yet: a trip to Indiana for a pivotal Big Ten showdown, where Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh present a different kind of problem. The Hoosiers’ duo has been as good as any pair in the country this season, and both could hear their names called on night one of the NFL Draft in April.
Becker, a 6-foot-4, 208-pound target, became a go-to option for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza during the second half of Indiana’s national championship run in 2025. He has taken another step this year, piling up 50 catches for 875 yards and nine touchdowns through nine games.
Marsh has been just as dangerous. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior transferred in after starting the past two seasons at Michigan State, and he’s thriving in his new offense. Through nine games, he has 38 receptions for 669 yards and eight touchdowns.
Minnesota coach PJ Fleck had plenty to say about the Indiana receivers ahead of their Week 9 matchup, and his praise was as direct as it gets.
“They’re dynamic in their own ways. They can play down the field really big,” Fleck said.
“They can play really small in tight, confined spaces. They can make every catch, they can run every route in the route tree.
They threaten you constantly with speed down the field vertically.
“They’re loosed hipped. They got great body control, great center of gravity.
They’re tremendous in contested catches. They’ve all made high pressured situation catches.
They’re two of the best in the country on one team.”
For USC, the spotlight will land on Jontez Williams, the Trojans’ No. 1 cornerback and the Iowa State transfer who has a chance to make a statement and boost his draft stock on Saturday.
The rest of the cornerback picture has been a little more fluid. Chasen Johnson returned to the starting lineup against Ohio State on Oct. 31 after playing zero snaps in the loss to Wisconsin the week before.
He had started USC’s first seven games, but his first season as a starter has been uneven, and the reason for the recent shuffle is unclear. He was never listed on the injury report.
Freshman Rock Hill, ESPN’s No. 1 ranked cornerback in the 2026 class, has split starting duties with Johnson for much of the season. Hill made his first career start against Wisconsin and has shown flashes along with some growing pains. Still, with nearly a full season of college football behind him after the second bye week, he’s in a much better spot than he was in September.
Marcelles Williams has added another layer of experience. He started 11 games last season and has been USC’s fourth corner this year, giving the Trojans more depth in the room. Williams, Johnson and Hill have handled most of the snaps, but USC has rotated all four corners at different points this season.
Indiana’s quarterback situation adds one more wrinkle. Josh Hoover is dealing with an upper body injury, so the Hoosiers may turn to Grant Wilson on Nov.
- Either way, USC’s secondary still has to deal with two of the top wideouts in college football.
A strong pass rush would make life easier. Freshman Luke Wafle has surged as an edge rusher over the past month, recording a sack in three straight games in October. Kameryn Crawford, Zuriah Fisher and Braylan Shelby are the other edge options, while defensive coordinator Gary Patterson has also leaned on nickels Alex Graham and Kennedy Urlacher in blitz packages.
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For Indiana, the bigger takeaway is what this does to the leagues path to the College Football Playoff. Ohio States hopes now appear to hinge on winning the Big Ten Championship, and even then the Buckeyes no longer control their own fate. It is a notable shift for a program that has been a regular playoff presence under Ryan Day, and it opens the door a little wider for everyone else in the conference. [Read more 🡒]