USC heads to Wisconsin on Oct. 24 with another demanding Big Ten defense waiting, and freshman receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt already knows where the challenge starts. After practice on Oct. 20, he pointed to a unit that’s been hard to move all season and said the Trojans will have to stay sharp to keep pace.
“Yeah, I've seen a tough team. They play really well on defense,” Dixon-Wyatt said about the Badgers.
“As I'm studying, they have a great linebacker core. Their secondary is pretty good as well.
So, you know, just keep studying and seeing what else I could learn from them.”
The numbers back up that reputation. Wisconsin is giving up 18.2 points per game, 283.6 yards per game and 4.1 yards per play.
Against the pass, the Badgers have been even stingier, allowing 5.6 yards per attempt, 175.8 passing yards per game and a 55.77 completion percentage. They’ve also come away with five interceptions, including two from senior safety Marvin Burks Jr., while surrendering only three passing touchdowns.
Jayden Maiava has already identified the linebackers as the engine of that defense, and there’s plenty on the tape to justify it. Sophomore Cooper Catalano leads the group with 50 tackles and has added four pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
Redshirt senior Sebastian Cheeks leads the nation in quarterback pressures with 27, sits fourth in tackling with 21 total, and has 2.6 sacks, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Sophomore Mason Posa is second on the team with 47 tackles and has also logged a pass deflection and an interception.
For Dixon-Wyatt, the biggest effect of that front seven is simple: the offense has to get rolling faster.
“I feel like it would just not put pressure on us, but just more so knowing that we have to get to our routes a little faster,” Dixon-Wyatt said about the linebackers’ impact on the pass rush. “Knowing that the O-line doesn't have all day, like they got pretty good players coming off the edge. So, just being on the same page as everyone and being on the same page with Jayden is going to be important this week.”
Wisconsin has eight sacks overall, and 4.5 of them have come from linebackers. USC, meanwhile, has allowed six sacks and has already had some movement along the offensive line. That gives the Badgers a path to disrupt timing with pressure, blitzes and stunts.
Dixon-Wyatt said the biggest step in his own growth has come from syncing up more with Maiava.
“I would just say being more on page with Jayden, how he's kind of adapting as a player, and so am I," Dixon-Wyatt said about what's been the key to his development this season. "So just keep continuing to grow with him. I feel like that's the biggest thing for me.”
That chemistry has been helped by the extra work the two have already put in together. Dixon-Wyatt graduated a semester early from Mater Dei (Calif.) and enrolled at USC in the spring, which gave him a full spring and summer of reps with the senior quarterback.
“Yeah, that helps a lot,” Dixon-Wyatt said about his in-game reps with the senior quarterback. “Getting out there to do it live is everything. Then looking back on it, whether it be after a series or him just talking to me about what he likes, that's very important.”
Dixon-Wyatt’s role has grown even more during Trent Mosley’s three-game absence. Against Rutgers, he led the Trojans with five catches for 77 yards. Against Oregon, he followed that up with seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown, giving him his second 100-yard game of the season.
At the midway point, he’s USC’s receiving leader with 27 catches for 400 yards and four touchdowns.
“Yeah, Trent's a great player. I feel like when he's in the game, it kind of just gives a lot of people one-on-ones because everyone can't just double me, double the outside receiver. So, you can't just focus on us, and it brings a lot more things to the table,” Dixon-Wyatt said about his fellow freshman wideout.
Mosley had been Maiava’s top target early on before a knee injury sidelined him for three games. He came back in Week 6 against Penn State and immediately looked like himself again, finishing with nine receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown in USC’s 31-23 win.
That return came at the right time, especially with Corey Simms (knee) and Terrell Anderson (undisclosed) out for the season.
“I feel like it was needed for everyone. My body feels great, and I know everyone else is. So we're just looking forward to get back out there for sure,” Dixon-Wyatt said about the bye coming after USC’s seven-game stretch.
Even after the Penn State win, Dixon-Wyatt said the Trojans didn’t linger on it for long.
“Yeah, I mean, I feel like we're just focused on this week's opponent and taking it week by week,” Dixon-Wyatt said about how the Trojans didn’t ride the Penn State win that long.
He said the approach has been to treat every practice like it matters.
“I feel like everyone just coming to practice knowing that any practice could be our last. Just staying focused on the opponent that we have in Saturday’s game,” Dixon-Wyatt said about replicating the type of preparation USC had during Penn State week.
As for what he’s had to develop most since arriving in college, Dixon-Wyatt pointed to a physical adjustment.
“I would say the play strength. I know [in] high school, I was probably a little undersized, but coming to college, you got to be tougher. So, I would say that for sure.”
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