On a cold and rainy afternoon, the USC Trojans beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 26-21.
After winning the opening coin toss and electing to receive, the Hawkeyes shocked everybody and came out slinging it in the rain. Senior quarterback Mark Gronowski dropped back to pass on the first three plays, completing two for 58 yards.
After a physical three-down stretch, Iowa found itself with a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Gronowski once again threw it, finding sophomore wideout Dayton Howard to get the scoring started.
“It was a little shocking,” senior cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson said.
Needing an immediate response, the Trojan offense couldn’t provide one.
Following two quick changes of possession, the Trojans failed to convert on fourth down, putting the ball back in Iowa’s hands. With great field position, the Hawkeyes marched down the field, dominated the ground game, and punched it in on a 1-yard Gronowski sneak. It marked his 10th straight game with a rushing touchdown and his 13th of the season, tied for the second most by an FBS quarterback.
Down 14 points after one quarter, head coach Lincoln Riley’s squad was searching for answers.
“We had some opportunities early that we missed, but that’s just part of the game,” Riley said.
The top offense in the country eventually woke up, going on an 11-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by three massive third down conversions and capped off by a 1-yard touchdown from sophomore running back Bryan Jackson.
After it finally felt like the momentum was in the Trojans favor, a blown coverage left freshman tight end DJ Vonnahme wide open for a 32-yard gain across midfield once again. Immediately after, sophomore running back Kamari Moulton bulldozed up the middle for a 16-yard pickup. Iowa then proceeded to pull off a Philly Special, with sophomore wide receiver Reese Vander Zee finding his quarterback wide open in the endzone.
In the first half alone, Gronowski threw, ran for, and caught a touchdown.
With just over three minutes to go in the half, the Trojans were able to work their way into Iowa territory, but a backbreaking illegal man downfield penalty on third down forced the Trojans to settle for a field goal. Redshirt freshman kicker Ryon Sayeri knocked it between the posts from 41 yards out to make the score 21-10 before half.
“You could tell from the look in their eye that they knew we didn’t play our best, and they knew we could go out and really make a run at this thing,” Riley said.
The Trojans came out of the halftime break on fire. Quarterback Jayden Maiava connected with junior wideouts Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane three times for 62 yards, but the redzone woes continued as USC settled for another field goal. Sayeri made another chip shot, this time from 28 yards out, cutting their deficit to eight points.
After a much-needed stop, Lemon added to his highlight reel, bringing in a 35-yard moonball from Maiava. After an incredible 12-yard grab from Lane on third and long, Lemon followed suit with 12-yards of his own, this time for six, getting the Trojans within two. Maiava and Lemon were unable to connect for the octopus, and the two point conversion attempt was no good.
Maiava finished with 254 passing yards, with 153 of them to Lemon and 65 to Lane.
The momentum spiraled from there, with a rocking coliseum treated to a crucial interception by true freshman nose tackle Jahkeem Stewart. This time, USC capitalized, giving Jackson his second rushing touchdown of the game to take a five-point lead — its first lead of the game.
After struggling to get stops early, the USC defense delivered its fourth straight, giving the offense a chance to extend the lead to two scores, but a 6-yard loss on second down ended those plans.
Down five late in the fourth quarter, Gronowski and the Hawkeyes looked for a season-defining drive. After the Trojans forced a fourth down with two minutes to go, the Hawkeyes had one play to stay alive. The pass was ruled incomplete on the field, and after a lengthy review showed he was out of bounds by mere inches, the final nail was in the coffin for Iowa.
Coach Riley said that this was a “culture win” and that there is plenty to build on.
The Trojans face their hardest test of the season next week, on the road against No. 8 Oregon.