USC’s season flipped in a hurry after Week 9, and the reason is pretty simple: the Trojans are finally getting healthy.
That matters because the path to a Big Ten title and a playoff push is suddenly back on the table, even if it still looks steep. The biggest change has been on offense, where USC had been piecing things together through injuries.
Trent Mosley missed games and the offense felt it. Mark Bowman was out for a few weeks, and his absence showed up too.
Against Ohio State, though, USC had all hands on deck, and the difference was obvious. Elijah Paige, Trent Mosley and Mark Bowman were all back, and the Trojans looked dangerous in a way they hadn’t for much of the season.
The offense produced 30 points, which was the most Ohio State’s defense had allowed all year. That came against a unit led by Matt Patricia, an NFL-level defensive coordinator with NFL talent all over the defense, and USC still had things clicking from start to finish.
It was hard to miss how much those three players mattered. Elijah Paige, Mark Bowman and Trent Mosley all looked like three of the best players on the field.
USC had not had that trio together on the field, maybe since the beginning of the season. With all three available at once, the Trojans’ offense looked unstoppable.
It also gave Jayden Maiava a much better setup, with reliable targets around him and an elite blindside protector.
The defense got a boost from health too. There is a clear difference when Jahkeem Stewart and Jide Abasiri are on the field together, and USC turned in its best defensive performance of the season. Backup quarterback Luke Fahey had a rough time against them.
A lot of people will point to Julian Sayin not playing and use that to explain the result. But USC still put up 30 on Ohio State, and the bigger takeaway is what the Trojans looked like when they were close to full strength.
That is what makes this stretch so interesting. Games that once seemed out of reach, including Ohio State, now look different with USC at full strength. Whether that carries through the rest of the season is still to be seen, but the Trojans have given themselves a real chance by getting healthy at the right time.
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The indoor and outdoor calendar stretches across several familiar track hotbeds, with stops planned in places like Reno, Albuquerque, Fayetteville and Los Angeles. Built around conference championships and NCAA championships, the schedule gives USC a clear runway from early-season competition to the biggest meets on the sports calendar, and it sets up 2027 as another year where the Trojans will have no shortage of high-profile moments. [Read more 🡒]