No. 20 USC football returned from Lincoln, Nebraska, early Sunday morning, hours before the sun rose, after a gritty comeback win over the Cornhuskers that kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive.

However, the job wasn’t over as USC (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) faced an accelerated six-day week of preparation before a faceoff with Northwestern (5-3, 3-2) on the Friday of Trojan Family Weekend.

“At this point in the year, just a little bit of a change in schedule can pep you up a little bit,” Head Coach Lincoln Riley said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “You don’t really have time to do much other than just get ready to go.”

A heartbreaking, last-minute loss to Illinois (6-3, 3-3) and a rivalry loss on the road to No. 10 Notre Dame (6-2) have hurt the playoff chances of USC, which recently earned the CFP committee’s No. 19 ranking. Now sitting with two losses and four games to play, including a road bout with No. 6 Oregon (7-1, 4-1), the Trojans likely control their own fate: win and get in. 

Friday night’s clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum marks the sixth meeting between the two schools, and the Wildcats have yet to beat the Trojans. The teams last met in the 1996 Rose Bowl Game, which saw USC beat Northwestern in a high-scoring 41-32 victory. 

Injuries threaten USC’s squad

Even with their success, much of the Trojans’ season has been plagued by injuries. 

Riley said Tuesday that redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett, who went viral after a 70-yard pick-six against Purdue (2-7, 0-6), underwent a season-ending surgery, though he did not specify the procedure. This added to the news that redshirt senior running back Eli Sanders would miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, junior running back Waymond Jordan continues to improve, though Riley noted he was likely “at least a couple of weeks away, if not more” from a return. 

Standout freshman defensive tackle Floyd Boucard and redshirt junior starting center Kilian O’Connor are improving at a rapid pace, according to Riley. Still, he said he does not feel ready to give a specific timeline of return for Boucard or O’Connor.

In the face of adversity, numerous players continue to step up to the challenge, including redshirt senior center J’Onre Reed, redshirt sophomore guard Micah Banuelos and redshirt freshman running back King Miller.

“The way we’ve overcome the number of significant injuries and missed time, on both sides of the ball, would be the thing I am most proud of,” Riley said Wednesday.

Maiava hopes to bounce back

The Trojan offense, which leads the Big Ten in average yards per game, looks to dominate once again, but they must first solve passing issues that came to light against Nebraska (6-3, 3-3).

Despite entering the game with one of the nation’s best passing offenses, redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava struggled mightily, completing 9-of-23 passes, a career-low 39.1%, for 135 yards with an interception. He has thrown five total interceptions this season, three of which have come in their two losses.

“Can’t put the ball in jeopardy like that,” Maiava said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “You learn from your wins and your losses.”

However, Maiava made a big impact on the ground late in the game with 62 yards and a touchdown, serving as a key piece of USC’s potent ground attack.

“The whole line is so confident in Jayden and everything that he plays with,” redshirt freshman offensive lineman Kaylon Miller said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “If he’s taking off to run, that means that he knows that he has something there and he is about to make good yardage.”  

In the absence of USC’s top-two running backs in Jordan and Sanders, Miller has stepped up in a big way, rushing for over 100 yards and two touchdowns in two of the Trojans’ last three games, including 129 yards against the Huskers. 

‘The best offensive line we’ve played all year’

Northwestern is coming off a bye week, with its most recent game also coming against Nebraska, though the Wildcats fell in a close 28-21 contest.

Graduate quarterback Preston Stone is at the helm of Northwestern’s offense, passing for 1,372 yards and 10 touchdowns with a 58% completion rate. Though his performances have been solid, Stone’s stats don’t stack up to Maiava’s 2,315 yards and 15 touchdowns on a 65% completion rate.

Stone also lacks Maiava’s ability to scramble, having accrued only 20 rushing yards this season. Instead, the Wildcats turn to redshirt freshman running back Caleb Komolafe, who has rushed for 608 yards and seven touchdowns this season, on the ground.

Opposite USC’s star junior wide receiver Makai Lemon, who has caught six touchdowns and a Big Ten second-best 776 receiving yards this season, the Wildcats will also have a touchdown threat in junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde. Wilde leads Northwestern with four touchdown catches and 570 receiving yards, averaging over 71 yards per game.

Part of Northwestern’s scoring success is due to a strong offensive line. Ground and pass protection have allowed the squad to outrush and outpass opponents by 390 and 58 yards, respectively, this season. The Wildcats have also allowed just 10 sacks this season, top 20 in the nation. 

“They are probably going to be the best offensive line we’ve played all year,” USC Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “They do an outstanding job in pass protection. They do good in the run game. They’re very experienced. They’ve seen a lot of ball, and they play well together.” 

Fitzgerald, Gentry pace Trojan defense

The Wildcats’ defense could pose a threat as well. Redshirt junior linebacker Mac Uihlein is third in the Big Ten for interceptions with four — one behind USC redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald, who leads the conference. Overall, the Wildcat defense ranks sixth in the Big Ten in points allowed per game at 16.8, significantly better than USC’s 22.4 and 12th place.

“Super experienced guys, super sound guys,” redshirt freshman offensive lineman Elijah Paige said of the Wildcat defense. “You can tell they have been playing together for a long time.” 

Aside from Fitzgerald’s interceptions, USC has the Big Ten forced fumble leader in redshirt senior linebacker Eric Gentry, who has five forced fumbles on the season, to go along with three sacks.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Friday at the Coliseum, where the Trojans will hope to keep their CFP hopes alive against Northwestern.