Last Friday, USC’s defensive line held the Northwestern Wildcats to just three points in the second half en route to a 38-17 win at home. They did the same the weekend before at Nebraska. Despite giving up two touchdowns early in each of those games, in both contests, USC held its opponent to under 300 yards.
“Anytime you go into a game, we don’t know what they’re gonna run, so once we do, we try to make those adjustments and trust in the preparation, we’re all bought in,” said sophomore linebacker Desman Stephens II.
Settling into the game after halftime has worked the past couple of weeks with the defensive unit dominating on third downs and forcing turnovers. The sense of urgency has clearly increased as the regular season winds down.
Tomorrow, however, the Trojans must prepare for a grind-it-out game because winning against the Hawkeyes won’t be easy.
Iowa’s offensive identity is centered around its run game — an area where the Trojan defense has struggled with all season. The Hawkeyes ground attack is physical and calculated, and they boast a group that is willing to run down the clock and keep USC’s offense off the field.
USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn spoke on Iowa’s offensive momentum.
“They’re good with going first, second and third down all the way down the field, and it’s gonna wear us down,” Lynn said. “From our standpoint we gotta get TFLs and do something to get them behind the chains. We can’t live in the third and short range all game.”
USC has struggled in similarly physical games this season and have allowed over 100 rushing yards in their last six games, highlighting a vulnerability the Hawkeyes can exploit.
On top of that, they possess a fearless leader in quarterback Mark Gronowski, the Hawkeye quarterback who had a rushing touchdown in each of the team’s nine games this season. He does whatever it takes to win on the ground with 338 yards but isn’t the most elite passer with 1,084 yards in the air.
Gronowski has just five passing touchdowns on the season and hasn’t thrown for more than 186 yards in a game this season. While he’s unlikely to shred the Trojans in the air, his ground attack is lethal and probably the most consistent running quarterback the team will face this season.
“We have to be sticky in coverage and stay on top of the shots and stop the run,” Lynn said.
Gronowski’s field vision and sneaky athleticism makes him a rushing threat in the red zone so locking him and the rest of the offense down is paramount. He can also expose a broken coverage at any moment and giving up explosive plays has been a struggle for the Trojans all season but Lynn says that consistency over the past five weeks has been a bright spot.
“A lot of the stuff all year has been spotty and not consistent,” Lynn said. “Some of that is just letting the previous play affect you, so us having that next-play mentality has helped our consistency,” he said.
USC has a high-powered offense, but if the Hawkeyes can dictate the pace and limit that unit to the sidelines, Iowa can force a low-scoring game that could negate the Trojans’ offensive advantage.
If the Trojan defense can continue to build off the last couple of weeks, they might be able to contain the Hawkeyes and remain alive in the College Football Playoff.
“The battle within ourselves is most important,” senior corner DeCarlos Nicholson said. “We gotta buckle down right now and get stuff done. We’re either gonna get it done or we’re not, and I’m proud of how we’ve responded in the second half these past couple of weeks.”