USC doesn’t need a neat performance against Ohio State. It needs a nasty one.
That’s the real test facing Lincoln Riley’s team, and it comes at a time when the Trojans can’t afford another flat showing. After looking cold and lifeless in last week’s loss to Wisconsin, USC has to show more than competence.
It has to show edge, urgency and a little violence in the trenches. If the Trojans get blown out by a Buckeye team starting a backup freshman quarterback, that could be Riley’s last moment of truth at USC.
The biggest question is whether this group can reset fast enough after how badly it was handled by Wisconsin. USC came out clean against Penn State, then used its week off only to return sloppy and disorganized.
That’s the version of the Trojans that has defined too many afternoons under Riley, and it has to be shoved aside here. The better USC has to show up, and it has to stay.
Jayden Maiava is a major part of that. He was rough against Wisconsin, and he can’t afford to stack another game like that on top of it.
He is too talented for that, and USC needs him to respond with the kind of sharp, confident throwing he’s fully capable of delivering. This has to feel personal for him, and he has to look like the leader the Trojans expect.
The same goes for the receivers, who got pushed around by Wisconsin’s cornerbacks and never really answered the challenge. USC’s young pass-catchers need to look like a completely different group against Ohio State. They have the talent to do it, but they have to be ready for the aggression and energy they didn’t handle last week.
The ground game has its own job to do, too. Wisconsin shut it down. Ohio State will be another test of whether USC can force its will on the line of scrimmage and make the run game matter.
That’s where Gary Patterson comes in. He spent two decades coaching in big games at TCU, and this has to be a strong showing from USC’s defensive coordinator.
If the problems weren’t fixed during the bye, they need to be addressed now. It’s the final day of October, and at this point good teams are supposed to have their issues sorted out.
Really, everything circles back to line play. Ohio State is expected to control the trenches, and USC has to avoid getting bullied.
The Trojans don’t just need to get angry; they need to get even. If they can hold the Buckeyes to a stalemate up front, their skill talent gives them a real chance.
That edge at quarterback only matters if the line gives it a chance to matter.
Riley has been in this spot before, and in a very different place. He beat Ohio State at Oklahoma when he was at the top of his game.
Now the question is whether he can reverse the slide and change the story around his USC tenure. No one is carrying more pressure into this game than the head coach.
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Lincoln Rileys tenure at USC has already brought high expectations, and the conversation around his future is never far from the surface in Los Angeles. He has yet to deliver a national championship or a College Football Playoff appearance, which keeps the pressure on and makes every major coaching rumor around the Trojans feel a little more combustible than it might elsewhere.
Kalen DeBoer has now been pulled into that picture as a reported top target if USC ever decides to make a change, which is exactly the kind of speculation Alabama fans were hoping to avoid. The complication is obvious: DeBoer recently signed a long-term contract with the Crimson Tide, so any pursuit would have to clear a major hurdle before it could become anything more than a name to watch. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces A Bigger Concern Than Just Beating Ohio State
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For Lincoln Rileys group, the challenge is not just finding a way to hang with Ohio State for four quarters. The broader concern is whether USC can show enough consistency on offense and enough resistance on defense to avoid letting the game get away from it early. Against a program that will arrive with a clear plan, the Trojans need more than a good home atmosphere, and this matchup could tell a lot about where they really stand. [Read more 🡒]
USC's Ohio State Stage Could Swing Two Huge Recruiting Battles
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The visit list matters because USC is already viewed as the favorite for Mosley, while Halasz remains a tougher fight with Oregon and Alabama in the mix. Mosleys profile and playing style have made him a priority, and the Trojans staff has been working to turn that interest into momentum, using the game weekend as a chance to show off both the programs upside and the kind of attention top recruits can expect in Southern California. [Read more 🡒]