10 Things We Learned Watching USC's Loss at Wisconsin

Ohio State is headed to Los Angeles to face USC, so Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr went back through the Trojans’ loss at Wisconsin to see what stood out — and there was a lot.

On this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony and Tom break down USC’s problems on the offensive line, the inability to run the football, Jayden Maiava’s struggles under pressure, the Trojans’ defensive talent, and one of the sloppiest special teams performances you’ll see.

USC finished with minus-17 rushing yards, got overwhelmed up front, and repeatedly put Maiava in difficult situations against pressure. That immediately raises questions about how aggressive Ohio State’s defense should be and whether Matt Patricia can create similar problems.

0:01 — Rewatching USC’s loss at Wisconsin
0:41 — USC gets introduced to Big Ten physicality
1:43 — Lincoln Riley and another frustrating loss
2:45 — What will the Coliseum atmosphere look like?
4:00 — USC’s disastrous rushing performance
5:04 — Jayden Maiava struggles under pressure
6:49 — The wild behind-the-back throw
7:30 — Why pressure could be the key for Ohio State
9:32 — USC’s recurring attention-to-detail problems
11:53 — Lincoln Riley’s timeout controversy
13:22 — USC still has real talent at receiver
15:33 — Good players, but not a cohesive defense
17:34 — Can Ohio State win by keeping things simple?
19:41 — USC punted once...and scored seven points
20:35 — Wisconsin’s formula worked perfectly
22:59 — USC’s special teams disaster
24:42 — Six plays inside the four-yard line
26:15 — What Ohio State’s defense should attack
26:43 — Final thoughts

One of the biggest tells from the rewatch was at left tackle, where Elijah Paige’s stance appeared to give away pass plays. If that tendency remains, Ohio State may be able to anticipate obvious passing situations and attack USC’s protection even more aggressively.

USC does have talent. Jahkeem Stewart was disruptive up front, the Trojans have dangerous receivers, and there are individual defenders capable of creating problems. But Tony and Tom both came away feeling like the whole still doesn’t match the sum of the parts.

And then there are the special teams. USC muffed a kickoff, had a field goal blocked, took a delay of game before another field-goal attempt, and nearly had a punt snap sail over the punter’s head. In a game against Ohio State that could come down to a handful of possessions, those mistakes could matter enormously.

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