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.
In Other News...
USC Suddenly Holds A Surprising Amount Of Big Ten Power
USCs trip to Indiana next Saturday has become a lot more than just another Big Ten road game. The Trojans are suddenly sitting in the middle of a conference race that has turned unusually crowded, with several teams carrying multiple losses and watching the matchup closely because the result could reshape the path to the Big Ten Championship Game.
For USC, that means the stakes extend well beyond its own standing. A win over Indiana would not only help the Trojans, it would also suit a handful of Big Ten contenders looking for help elsewhere, while UCLA, which currently leads the league, is expected to be pulling in the opposite direction for obvious rivalry reasons. It is an odd spot for USC to be in this early in its Big Ten life, but the conference picture has made every result feel bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Suddenly Has A Real Opening After Wild AP Poll Chaos
USCs first College Football Playoff ranking of the season came in at No. 20, even though the Trojans were placed higher in the AP Top 25. That split alone says plenty about how the committee sees the early-season field, and it also leaves USC in a familiar spot where a strong finish can still change the conversation. With the AP poll expected to shuffle after a weekend that knocked off multiple top-10 teams, the Trojans are positioned to benefit from the chaos even if the movement is only modest at first.
The bigger picture for USC is less about one spot in one poll and more about the opportunity that opens when the teams ahead of it start stumbling. Ohio State and Kentucky were among the weekend losers, and that kind of upheaval tends to ripple through the rankings in a hurry. For the Trojans, the immediate task is simply to stay in the mix and keep climbing as the bracket picture and the AP order continue to sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]
USC Is Finally Giving A Trojans Legend His Due
USCs latest Athletics Hall of Fame class brings a familiar name back into the spotlight, with All-American receiver Mike Williams among the honorees. The school made the announcement as part of its 13th Hall of Fame class, and Williams learned the news in a fittingly personal way when coach Lincoln Riley surprised him during a team meeting.
The formal introduction for the class is set for Nov. 21, before USCs final home football game against Maryland, giving the Trojans a chance to celebrate one of their standout pass catchers in front of the home crowd. For a program that leans hard into its history, it is the kind of recognition that connects the current team to the players who helped define the standard. [Read more 🡒]