USC will have to slow down these Wisconsin Badgers to prevail this afternoon

No. 13 USC opens its Big Ten home slate by welcoming in the Wisconsin Badgers to the Coliseum this weekend. It will be the first time these programs have met since 2015 when Wisconsin downed the Trojans 23-21 in the Holiday Bowl.

This year, the Badgers have been less than impressive. Though they are 2-1 on the season, they haven't really put forth a solid showing yet.

In week one, they struggled mightily to put away Western Michigan In that 28-13 Wisconsin win, Western Michigan actually led 14-13 in the fourth quarter before the Badgers scored two unanswered touchdowns to pull away.

In week two, Wisconsin played with its food in a 27-13 victory over FCS opponent South Dakota. After jumping out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead, Wisconsin allowed South Dakota to claw back into the game and cut their deficit to 17-13 late in the third quarter.

Week three saw No. 4 Alabama waltz into Madison, Wisconsin and have its way with the Badgers, 42-10. It isn't fair to blame the offense for putting up only 290 total yards because early in that game, starting QB, Tyler Van Dyke was lost to a knee injury, one that would cost him the rest of his season.

However, the Badger's defense allowed Bama to put up over 400 yards of offense. That included 181 yards on the ground. Now, coming off of an open week, the Badgers are looking to put forth a better effort against another ranked team in what will be Wisconsin's first road test of the season.

Since the Trojans and Badgers haven't met in quite some time, USC fans may not know much about this week's opponent. So let's take a look at three Badgers that the Trojans will have to keep in check today.

USC will face a Wisconsin QB making his first start of the season

In this game, USC will face a backup quarterback for the third straight week. Here's hoping that the defense can keep Wisconsin's Braedyn Locke in check as it did with Utah State's Bryson Barnes and Michigan's Alex Orji.

Remember that Wisconsin has been trying to transition from decades of being a run-dominant program to being one that majors in the spread offense and the passing game. That evolution began last year with the arrival of head coach Luke Fickell but thus far, the results have been poor.

In fact, this year, Wisconsin is 14th or worse in the Big Ten in most major offensive categories. Now, they will have to figure out how to move the ball without their QB1.

As for Locke, the sophomore from Texas, he has appeared in seven career games. During that time, he's thrown for 902 yards and six touchdowns with only one pick.

However, he isn't an accomplished passer as he's completed only 50% of his passes. That includes going 13-26 two weeks ago against the Crimson Tide.

What also makes life difficult for Locke is that he isn't a threat to run. In his career, he's run for -17 yards, most of which came on sacks.

Against Utah State, USC held Barnes to under 100 total yards. Then, last week, the Trojans did the same to Orji. Let's see if the can put the clamps on another backup QB in week four.

There's only one Wisconsin receiver that USC should be concerned about

Given Wisconsin's offensive struggles, it shouldn't be surprising that the Badgers have only one receiver that causes opposing teams problems. Senior Will Pauling followed Fickell from Cincinnati to Wisconsin and he's been his team's best offensive weapon.

After catching 74 passes for 837 yards and six scores last year, he's hauled in 19 passes for 191 yards to lead his team in both statistical categories. However, he has only one touchdown thus far.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder is your classic slot receiver. Wisconsin will look to get him open over the middle and on intermediate routes to make life easier for Locke in his first start of 2024.

Though Pauling has over 1,100 career receiving yards, he's not the type of player who is likely to take over a game. He has only one 100-yard effort, a 143-yard, two-touchdown performance against LSU in last year's bowl game.

Coming into this week, USC ranks 25th nationally against the pass. Defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn's side of the ball is allowing only 147.7 yards per game through the air so look to see if the Trojans can keep Pauling under wraps.

USC shouldn't have to worry about the Wisconsin pass rush

The Wisconsin defense isn't much better than the offense. That's especially true when trying to rush the passer.

Of course, last week, the USC offensive line struggled mightily with the Michigan pass rush. This week should provide an opportunity for the Trojans to get better in pass protection.

That's because Wisconsin has only six sacks on the year. What's more, the Badgers have recorded only nine tackles for loss.

If there is such a thing as a pass-rush specialist for Wisconsin, it would be either defensive lineman Elijah Hills or linebacker Christian Alliegro. Both of those two pass rushers are tied for the team lead with 2.0 sacks.

Last weekend, USC allowed 22 pressures to the Wolverines. That almost certainly won't be the case today against Wisconsin, which has a sub-par pass rush, good news for a USC offensive line that needs a rebound performance this week.