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The unfamiliar road through Big Ten country was not exactly welcoming to USC during its conference debut in 2024. The Trojans blew a fourth-quarter lead during all four of their Big Ten road trips outside of Los Angeles last season, each defeat seemingly more devastating than the one before it.
So as USC sets out on its second swing through the Big Ten, starting with a trip to West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday, it has tried to address that problem in ways big and small — from replacing the strength and conditioning coach to changing the team’s sleeping and meal times.
Those changes will be put to the test this week when USC crosses two time zones. Part of that new approach includes taking a totally different plane to get there, one with a bit more space to stretch out during a long flight.
“[The players are] gonna like having more leg room,” coach Lincoln Riley said with a smile. “Who doesn’t like more leg room?”
Purdue should make things a bit more uncomfortable for USC than its previous two opponents. The Boilermakers are 2-0 to start under new coach Barry Odom, who brought in 54 transfers to rebuild a team that finished 1-11, dead last in the conference, last season.
Riley may not have much of a handle on Purdue’s personnel, but he should have a pretty good idea what the Boilermakers will prefer on offense. After all, Purdue’s offensive coordinator, Josh Henson, spent the previous two seasons as Riley’s offensive line coach and coordinator at USC.
“He’s going up against us, too,” Riley said. “So those things kind of go both ways. There’s obviously going to be some things that both sides are familiar with because of that. But it’s a players’ game at the end of the day.”
Here are three things to watch as USC takes on Purdue on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PDT (CBS, Paramount+):
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Will USC’s secondary settle in?
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No competition through USC’s preseason camp was closer than the one at cornerback, where defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn had five or so players who looked capable of stepping into a starting role.
But after two weeks of regular rotating, Lynn said it’s time to “cut that down some” at Purdue.
Riley said earlier this week that DeCarlos Nicholson has been the clear standout of the group, so it’s likely that he remains atop the depth chart. After that, the No. 2 spot appears to be a battle between D.J. Harvey, Chasen Johnson, Braylon Conley and Marcelles Williams. Harvey has the most experience, Johnson has been hurt, and Conley and Williams are both potential breakout candidates.
Purdue hasn’t been that serious of a threat through the air, but this should be a good chance for the secondary to jell together before other, more accomplished passers pop up on the schedule.
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Should USC be concerned about the defensive interior?
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While USC rolled over Georgia Southern last week, holding its offense to just 20 points, the Trojans defense still didn’t look all that sharp against the run.
USC gave up five runs of 10-plus yards and allowed Georgia Southern to run for nearly double the total it did the previous week against Fresno State.
“We have to coach it better,” Lynn said. “I have to coach it better. It’s just about consistency and doing it over and over again.”
Purdue running back Devin Mockobee leads the Big Ten in carries through two weeks, so he’ll undoubtedly test how well Lynn has adjusted. Stop Mockobee from establishing a rhythm and USC should be able to bring the Boilermakers’ offense to a halt.
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How does the offensive line look against a Big Ten defensive front?
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Riley has been careful not to heap praise on his offensive line just yet, with much more vaunted defensive fronts to come. But as Riley pointed out this week, the group has been “steady” thus far.
Will it stay that way? It doesn’t hurt that all six of the linemen that have started up front were players recruited to USC out of high school, meaning they’ve been in the system for some time now.
“The longer we are able to do that and the more guys who have gone through that, you’re going to see groups of guys play more consistently, make fewer mistakes and play better together,” Riley said.
This group, which was one of the bigger question marks for USC heading into the season, has impressed thus far. Still, Riley isn’t ready to commit to the current five up front as his locked-in starters.
Micah Banuelos stepped in last week, just before the game, for previous starter Alani Noa, and Riley suggested that backup center J’Onre Reed, was also up there with the starters.
The post USC hopes more leg room pays off: 3 key questions Trojans must answer vs. Purdue appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
