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USC football's path to Big Ten title and playoff: clear but difficult
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- USC football's path to Big Ten title and playoff: clear but difficult
The season looks much different now for USC football after Week 9. The window for the Trojans contending in the Big Ten has opened back up, and a big reason for that has been the injury bug for USC finally dying down.
My overreaction to the Trojans' win over Ohio State is that the Trojans, when fully healthy, can play with anyone in the country. A big issue for USC this season has been injuries. They were without Trent Mosley for some games, and their offense took a hit. No Mark Bowman for a few weeks, and his value definitely showed up.
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This past week, on offense, all hands were on deck, and it was evident how dangerous the Trojans offense is with Elijah Paige, Trent Mosley, and Mark Bowman back. A lot of people may say the Trojans won this game because Julian Sayin did not play. The Trojans still put up 30 points against Ohio State, the most the Buckeyes' defense has given up all year. Matt Patricia is an NFL-level defensive coordinator with NFL talent all over the defense, yet Everything was clicking for USC all game long. That is extremely encouraging moving forward.
Elijah Paige, Mark Bowman, and Trent Mosley all looked like 3 of the best players on the field. The Trojans have not had those guys on the field at the same time, maybe since the beginning of the season. When all 3 are on the field together, USC's offense is unstoppable. Having those 3 out on the field definitely does wonders for quarterback Jayden Maiava as well. He has guys on the field at all times that he can deliver the football to with full confidence and an elite blindside protector.
It has not just been the offense that is finally back to full strength. There is a huge difference on defense when Jahkeem Stewart and Jide Abasiri are both sharing the field. The Trojans' defense had its best performance of the season, and they made backup quarterback Luke Fahey struggle mightily.
All USC needed was to be healthy, and this is just the perfect time. Games that looked impossible to win, like against Ohio State, now proved to be the opposite. It will be interesting to see if the rest of the season will pan out that way, but with USC being at full strength now, that is a possibility.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football's path to Big Ten title and playoff: clear but difficult
