No. 16 USC heads to Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconson to play the Badgers in a crucial Big Ten matchup on Saturday. TeamFB7 highlights three storylines to keep an eye on as the Trojans try to extend their winning streak.
USC is fresh off a bye week after two big wins in a row against Washington and Penn State. The Trojans will face a Wisconsin team that is coming off a loss against USC’s crosstown rival UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
The 16th-ranked Trojans are 7-1 all-time against Wisconsin and won their last matchup against the Badgers in 2024 when they scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to beat Wisconsin 38-21.
Three Storylines to Watch in the Saturday Matchup Between USC and Wisconsin on Saturday
Here are three things to keep an eye on heading into Big Ten game in Madison that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC).
The Maiava and Mosley Connection
Freshman receiver Trent Mosley missed three games with a leg injury and returned in USC’s 31-23 win over Penn State two weeks ago. He caught 9 passes for 111 yards with a touchdown and the Trojans’ offense looks much better with him on the field.
“He’s one of the best players on our team,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said after the Penn State game. “You get one of those guys back, it’s huge. He’s a baller. He didn’t flinch. We’ve got a lot of trust in him, and he’s just a flat-out difference-maker on the field. There’s no other way to say it.”
Jayden Maiava completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards with 3 touchdowns in that win over Penn State and it was his third 300-plus yard passing game of the season.
Mosley has clearly been a guy Maiava looks to when the Trojans need a big play and the numbers back that up. Mosley has over 100 yards receiving in three of his four games this season and has scored at least one touchdown in every game this season.
Maiava’s three best games of the season are the ones where Mosley played the entire game. In those three games, Maiava completed 79 percent of his passes for 936 yards and 8 touchdowns with no interceptions. Two of those games were against non Power 4 programs in San Jose State and Fresno State, but Maiava simply plays better with Mosley on the field.
He leads the Big Ten in passing yards (2,045) and is second in the nation in passing yards. Per PFF, Maiava is No. 2 in the Big Ten in overall offense grade and passing grade.
Weakness vs. Weakness For USC and Wisconsin
USC’s passing defense has been one of the worst in the Big Ten this season and is the No. 14 ranked pass defense in the conference per PFF.
Fortunately for the Trojans, Wisconsin’s passing offense may not be good enough to take advantage of USC’s weakest unit. Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph has not completed 10 passes in each of his last two games and is coming off a game against UCLA where he threw for a career-low 66 yards on just 6 completions.
UCLA challenged Wisconsin’s receivers with a lot of press man coverage and the Badgers’ inability to get open forced Joseph to have to improvise with his legs. He did lead the Badgers in rushing with 71 yards and a touchdown, but was also sacked three times.
USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson may follow the blueprint set by UCLA’s defense and be aggressive with blitzes and stunts to force Joseph to make quick decisions. Joseph completes just 42 percent of his passes when under pressure.
The Trojans had 16 pressures against Penn State. Jontez Williams was the top cornerback for the Trojans against Penn State and safety Christian Pierce had an 84.1 PFF grade, which was the third best for any USC player in the win.
Something has to give in this game. Either Joseph struggles for the third consecutive week and USC’s secondary has its best game of the season, or Joseph bounces back with a big performance.
Third Downs Will Be Key Saturday
The biggest reason for Wisconsin’s loss to UCLA was its inability to perform on third down, on both sides of the ball.
UCLA converted 13 of 20 third downs against the Badgers and Wisconsin converted just 3 of 11.
USC excels on late downs which may cause Wisconsin to have similar troubles as last week. The Trojans lead the Big Ten in third down conversion percentage (.512) and fourth down conversion percentage (.750).
Wisconsin’s defensive third down conversion rate is 38 percent which ranks 75th nationally.
