Jon D. Gaede, BVN Sports
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!On a rainy day in Los Angeles, the USC Trojans played a tough midwest opponent who scored first and led them 21-10 at the half. USC (8-2) needed the win at home to retain any chance of making the College Football Playoffs (CFP) at the end of the season.
Coach Lincoln Riley’s Trojans had to reach down and find something against a disciplined Hawkeye team and they did just that by scoring the last 19 points of the game to preserve the victory on Homecoming Day 26-21. “A culture win right there, if there ever was one,” said USC Coach Lincoln Riley regarding the the hard fought victory.
Trojan wide receiver Makai Lemon continued to show the nation he deserves to be at the top of the short list for the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the best receiver in college football. Wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane had an impressive seven catches for 65 yards, but it was Lemon who once again made seemingly impossible catches at the most critical times to include 10 catches from quarterback Jayden Maiava for 153 yards and a phenomenal contested catch for a touchdown in the third quarter.
USC’s secret weapon, walk-on freshman King Miller, gained over one hundred yards again by slicing through the Iowa line for 83 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown to put the game away. The impressive running back from Calabasas now has 719 yards on 99 carries while filing in for injured Trojan starters. Trojan tackle Jahkeem Stewart intercepted a tipped ball late in the second half to give the ball back to the offense.
Jayden Maiava was calm and efficient in completing 23 of 32 for 252 yards and no interceptions, including the winning touchdown pass to Makai Lemon. USC’s mission is clear, simply beat the 7th ranked Oregon Ducks (9-1) in Eugene on Saturday. Historically, Autzen Stadium in Eugene is a very tough home field to play, but don’t tell the Trojans as they may have found their true DNA against Iowa.