USC football scouting report: Iowa defense, key matchups with Trojan offense, how USC wins

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

It seems Iowa football has possessed one of the best defenses in the country forever (or at least 40 years). Given that head coach Kirk Ferentz first joined Iowa's staff back in 1981 and has been Iowa's head coach since 1998, it has practically been that long.

USC football, on the other hand, has not been a team known for its strong defense in recent years. They have also struggled in the offensive trenches under Lincoln Riley. With the added element that this game is almost definitely going to be played in the rain, this seems like a bad matchup for USC on paper, if you haven't been paying attention to the Trojans recently.

But the Trojans have been strong on the offensive line all season long and they have tightened things up defensively the last few weeks. And, they possess arguably the most offensive talent of any team in the country.

So what are the keys for another strong offensive performance from USC? What are the Hawkeye players the Trojans need to pay the most attention to? And what effect will the weather have on this matchup?

Let's break it down.

They are really good

Duh. Kirk Ferentz's Iowa teams are always good defensively, at everything. They are going to try to turn this into a rock fight and squeak out a win against USC at the last minute. USC can't allow that to happen.

Sophomore cornerback Zach Lutmer is a leader for the Hawkeyes

Iowa beat writer Riley Donald wrote this about Zach Lutmer over at Hawkeyes Wire:

"Somehow, someway, the Iowa Hawkeyes always find an answer in the secondary each year," Donald wrote. "One of the defensive backs steps up and becomes the go-to guy for Phil Parker's defense. This year, Zach Lutmer has been blossoming into a star."

"Starting in all nine games this year, Lutmer has shattered his career bests in tackles, pass breakups, and interceptions to become a lockdown cornerback for the Hawkeyes who can play outside, in the slot, and get in the mix defending the run."

Lutmer is essentially a weapon that could be used against any of USC's best receivers, and he's only getting better every week.

Jayden Maiava needs to watch out for Max Llewellyn

Defensive end Max Llewellyn is an absolute game-wrecker. He leads the Hawkeyes with 6 sacks, and he also has 3 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles.

Jayden Maiava hasn't faced much pressure this season, but you can bet that the 6'5'', 263 pound monster that Llewellyn is will make his presence felt on Saturday. If he gets in the backfield, Maiava can't panic or play too much hero ball as he is occasionally prone to doing. He needs to be prepared to throw the ball away or take a sack based on what the situation calls for. Let Llewellyn win the battle if it means USC can win the war.

The weather element

Given that Iowa is from the midwest and USC is from sunny California, you'd think the rainy forecast would benefit the Hawkeyes. Especially since Iowa has a run-first offense while Lincoln Riley is famous for throwing the football around. You'd think.

But the 2025 USC team has plenty of experience with the rain. They dealt with delays and a wet field versus Purdue back in September. They dealt with rain during the second half in October against Notre Dame.

And, the players you would expect to struggle actually outplayed Notre Dame in the rain. Jayden Maiava was much better than CJ Carr and Ryon Sayeri out kicked Notre Dame. They lost because they couldn't stop the run. I'd expect USC to stick to its game plan and not feel like they need to play more conservative. Hopefully they can throw the ball around and do better at stopping the run this time.

Something else to monitor: Iowa's long snapper Bryant Worrell really struggled in the rain last week vs. Oregon. He sailed two snaps, one that punter Rhys Dakin saved him on with a leaping catch and one that ended up going out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

He's likely not excited to see rain on the forecast again.

Iowa is much better in pass defense than run defense

Don't get me wrong, Iowa has a strong defense all around. But the numbers are clear: they are much better against the pass than against the run.

Iowa has the fourth ranked defense overall in the FBS. But they have the 5th ranked passing offense (250.2 yards allowed per game) while they have only the 16th ranked run defense (103.6 yards allowed per game).

USC has faced a pass defense better than Iowa's by the numbers: Nebraska. But the Hawkeyes have done it against some of the best quarterbacks in the country: Fernando Mendoza at Indiana, Rocco Becht at Iowa State, Athan Kaliamanis at Rutgers, Dante Moore at Oregon. They are a more battle tested defense, and may very well be better than Nebraska in that facet of the game.

But a team that is even better than both? Oregon, USC's next opponent.

So the Trojans need to figure something out against Iowa, and they need to figure it out quickly. Was Jayden Maiava's game against Nebraska one bad game? Or will he play similarly against Iowa and Oregon — and does USC need to pivot towards him making an impact primarily with his legs rather than his arm?

The road element

Iowa has played 1 road game in October and November, and it was against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten (Wisconsin). They have played only 2 conference road games this entire season, against Wisconsin and Rutgers.

This is also the first time Iowa has played in the Coliseum since 1976 (when USC won 55-0).

I don't expect playing on the road to affect Iowa, and especially their defense, but that's the key word. I don't expect it. It could still be a factor, especially if USC fans pack the Coliseum despite the rain and Iowa experiences fatigue from the long trip to California.

Especially if USC can get off to an unexpectedly fast start offensively in the rain against a scrappy team, the environment could begin to catch up with Iowa.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football's ideal offensive game plan against Iowa defense

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos