Sterling Ashworth-Vance · USC Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
In a world. where one team plays every Saturday like it's opening night. Good evening, I'm Sterling Ashworth-Vance, film buff, football historian and your guide to the Trojans. I travel with this team and I live with this team, and every week I'll bring you the players, the matchups, the history and the storylines, polished and presented in glorious widescreen. I treat every game like a premiere, because at USC, every game is one. The Coliseum is the grandest movie set in sports, and every fall our Trojans play the lead. Traveler gallops, the band strikes up, and Los Angeles remembers why it loves this team. When we win, the music swells and I say, "Roll credits." When we lose, I call it a second-act setback, because the best films always have one. Fight On!
The School in 60 Seconds
The Trojans were formed in 1888. The program has more than 860 wins and claims 11 national championships, seven of them from the AP and/or Coaches polls. USC has had 13 undefeated seasons, eight of them perfect. We now play in the Big Ten, at the 77,500-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park, right next to campus. CFBD dates the Coliseum to 1923. The last five seasons: 4-8, 11-3, 8-5, 7-6 in our first Big Ten year, and 9-4. A classic comeback arc.
The Coach and the Scheme
Lincoln Riley is the director's chair; CFBD dates his hire to Nov. 28, 2021. His offense is a blockbuster: 310.1 passing yards a game (7th in FBS), 462.4 total yards (17th) and 36.4 points (27th). We convert 51.2% of third downs, 14th, and hold the ball 32:50 a game (21st). The defense stops the run, 111 yards allowed (32nd), with 15 sacks. The plot hole: the pass defense allows 239 yards a game, 109th, and opponents score on 84.6% of red zone trips (76th). Every great film needs some tension.
Players to Know
QB Jayden Maiava: 152 of 224 for 2,045 yards, 18 TD, 3 INT. CollegeFootballDigest says he's No. 2 in FBS in passing yards. At Penn State he went 21 of 33 for 301 yards and three scores. Leading-man material.
RB King Miller: 595 yards on 114 carries, 4 TD; 102 yards and a touchdown at Penn State.
WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt: 27 catches, 400 yards, 4 TD. Trent Mosley: nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown at Penn State.
S Christian Pierce: team-leading tackler. S Kennedy Urlacher: 3 sacks. CB Prophet Brown: 2 interceptions.
The Conference Picture
USC is 6-1 and 3-1 in the Big Ten, ranked No. 16 by the AP and No. 15 in the coaches poll. The wins: San José State 42-26, Fresno State 39-0, Louisiana 49-30, at Rutgers 42-35, Washington 25-21 and at Penn State 31-23. The one loss: Oregon, 41-27. We had last week off. After Madison comes a true blockbuster: No. 3 Ohio State at the Coliseum on Oct. 31. I'm not doing standings math tonight. I'll only say the sequel is lining up beautifully.
The road so far: two road games, two wins. Our heroes travel well.
The one dark scene: Oregon came to the Coliseum and won 41-27. Every great franchise has an episode like that. What matters is what came next: a 25-21 win over Washington and that statement night at Penn State. That's a hero who gets knocked down in act two and gets back up for the finale.
This Week: No. 16 USC (6-1) at Wisconsin (4-2)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 7:30 p.m. ET · Camp Randall Stadium, Madison · NBC. Forecast at kickoff: 65 degrees, mostly cloudy, south wind 10 mph.
The backstory: USC leads the series 7-1. The meetings include the Rose Bowl after the 1962 season, a 42-37 USC win, and a Holiday Bowl after 2015 that Wisconsin won 23-21. The last meeting, in 2024, went to USC 38-21. A rich film library.
Last time out: we beat Penn State 31-23 on Oct. 10. Wisconsin lost 17-7 at UCLA on Oct. 17.
Our offense vs. their defense: this is the main event. Wisconsin's defense is excellent: 286.7 yards allowed (17th), 171.2 passing yards allowed (20th) and 16.7 points (24th). Maiava against that secondary is the scene everyone will remember.
Their offense vs. our defense: Wisconsin averages 351.8 yards (103rd), but quarterback Colton Joseph is also its leading rusher, 333 yards and 4 TD. And Wisconsin scores on 94.1% of red zone trips, 14th.
Availability: no availability report found for either team as of Oct. 18.
What decides it: (1) Maiava against a top-20 pass defense. (2) Containing Joseph's legs. (3) Our red zone defense.
To Lars "Brat" Ellefson, Wisconsin's insider: a cheese wedge at every game? Magnificent costume design. I'd cast you in a heartbeat.
Why I Love This Team
I love an offense that plays like a summer blockbuster. I love a quarterback with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions. I love that the Trojans have won on the road twice already. And I love the history: 11 national championships and a Rose Bowl win over this very opponent. Roll credits.
My call: USC Trojans 26, Wisconsin Badgers 25.