After a week off following a 42-10 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Wisconsin football is back in game week preparation. The Badgers will travel to Los Angeles to take on #13 USC. The Trojans are coming off a 27-24 loss in Ann Arbor to Michigan. Kickoff for this game will be 2:30 PM CST on CBS. Here is an early look at the USC Trojans.
The Wisconsin Football Defense Will Deal With a Pass First Offense
The USC offense is pretty balanced, but they have thrown the ball more than they have ran. In three games, the Trojans have passed the ball 130 times compared to 81 rushes. It should come as no surprise as USC head coach Lincoln Riley is one of the best offensive minded coaches in the country.
This will be a challenge for the Wisconsin football defense. I would expect the USC offense to attack early and often. The secondary gave up some big chunk plays to Alabama and it costed them. They will ill have to be ready this week because the Trojans can also strike in a hurry.
A Balanced Receiving Unit
Most years, USC will have a stud wide receiver such as Jordan Addison. This year, that is not the case. The Trojans have five players with at least nine catches and four players with at least 116 receiving yards. Zachariah Branch leads the teams in both with 14 catches and 173 yards, but has not scored yet.
Why can this be challenging? Just look at the Green Bay Packers. They don’t have a clear number one receiver (even though Jayden Reed is looking like it), but they use at least four receivers and a tight end every game. They are all capable of making plays and being the guy. It’s a good thing the Wisconsin football defense has had two weeks to prep for this game because I think they have a ton of offensive players they have to account for.
The USC Defense is Much Improved
For years, the knock on USC was they did not play defense and they had to win a shootout every game. It felt like with Caleb Williams the last two years the score would be 45-42. It’s not a recipe for long-term success.
This year, the USC defensive numbers don’t wow you (five sacks and two interceptions), but they have not given up more than 27 points in any of their first three games. It also matters because two of their first three games have been a neutral site game against LSU and a road game at Michigan. That’s pretty impressive despite it being a small sample size. With Wisconsin football quarterback Tyler Van Dyke out for the season, I would expect the USC defense to attack Brayden Locke early and often.
Follow me on Twitter @DylanBuboltz and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!