The USC Trojans (3-3) will make their longest road trip of the season as they head to College Park to face the Maryland Terrapins (3-3) this Saturday. This will be the first time these teams meet, with both looking to rebound from recent losses.
USC has suffered two losses in a row, most recently an overtime 33-30 defeat to Penn State. Maryland has lost three straight conference games after falling 37-10 to Northwestern. USC sits at No.15 in the Big Ten rankings with a 1-3 Big Ten record while Maryland is ranked 16th and has yet to win a Big Ten matchup this season.
Redshirt junior quarterback Miller Moss leads USC’s offense, having thrown for 1,618 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. But the run game has also found intermittent success, with redshirt senior running back Woody Marks being another key for the offense with his 579 rushing yards, 111 of which came against Penn State last Saturday. In that game, Moss passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns, while standout redshirt freshman running back Quinten Joyner added an electrifying 75-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter and his first career receiving touchdown in the second.
On the other side, Maryland’s offense operates mostly in the air and is guided by junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who ranks in the top-20 among all FBS quarterbacks in both completion percentage (68.4%) and passing yards per game (290.0). Senior wide receiver Tai Felton, who leads the Big Ten in receiving yards (719) and receptions (55), will be a primary target for Edwards.
Maryland’s offense also features junior running back Roman Hemby, who has rushed for 360 yards and three touchdowns, while freshman running back Nolan Ray has added 185 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Maryland is led by senior linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II and senior defensive back Glendon Miller, who has a team-high of four interceptions this season.
USC’s defense has been much improved from last season as they haven’t given up more than 33 points this season so far. However, the recent losses of senior linebacker Eric Gentry (who will now redshirt the season) and defensive end Anthony Lucas from the lineup are crucial losses for the Trojan defense. Senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold leads the Trojans in tackles and will be a force for the defense against Maryland.
All of USC’s losses have been extremely close, with the team developing a theme of being unable to finish in the final minutes.
Reflecting on the recent losses and looking ahead to the upcoming matchup, USC head coach Lincoln Riley explained what they need to do at the end of practice on Tuesday.
“It all comes down to finishing. I mean, that’s the obvious answer, but it’s the truth,” Riley said. “So, hopefully we can learn from those experiences, go play a really clean game on the road, go get some momentum, and really be able to sustain it on all three sides.”
This new Big Ten matchup will set the tone for each team’s second half of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT on Saturday, October 19, at Maryland Stadium.