Why USC should dominate Maryland today despite long road trip

Today the USC football team desperately needs to pick up a win. Yes, the early Big Ten schedule has been tough but the reality is that going just 1-3 to start conference play is unacceptable for head coach Lincoln Riley and his team.

Fortunately, today's opponent isn't as daunting as the others that the Trojans have faced in the past four weeks. In fact, Maryland is very beatable.

Yes, the Terrapins have the same 3-3 overall record that USC does. However, they are 0-3 in Big Ten play despite having yet to play a team that was ranked at the time they squared off.

The best team Maryland has played thus far is Indiana, which is now ranked 16th in the nation. When the Terrapins faced the Hoosiers, they were able to stay within one score through the third quarter but they eventually fell 42-28 on the road.

Outside of that, Maryland has faced UCONN, Michigan State, Virginia, Villanova, and Northwestern. That's not exactly a murderer's row of opponents.

What's more, Maryland is coming off of a 37-10 thumping at the hands of Northwestern, the Terrapins' second consecutive loss. Thus, even though USC has to travel thousands of miles to play this game, this could be just the opponent the Trojans need to face to get back to their winning ways. So let's take a look at why USC should be expected to dominate this matchup.

Maryland will likely struggle to hand the USC passing attack

There's been some talk around USC circles about how the Trojan passing attack hasn't been as dominant as many expected it to be this year. After all, QB Miller Moss has thrown just three TDs while throwing three picks over the last two games. Additionally, he has only one 300-yard game since throwing for 378 yards against LSU in the season opener.

Meanwhile, USC hasn't seen any of its young wide receivers emerge as a true No. 1 target. Thus, trying to figure out where the Trojans can turn in the passing game has been a weekly guessing game.

Still, we all know that Lincoln Riley is going to have his team throw the football. It's just what he does as a play-caller.

Today, that could yield huge results and help get the Trojan passing attack out of neutral. That's because Maryland ranks 109th nationally in passing yards allowed per game at 258.3 despite not playing a schedule chalked full of high-powered offenses.

The best passing team Maryland has played is Indiana and the Hoosiers threw for 359 yards in that game. What's more, a Michigan State offense that ranks only 66th nationally in passing yards per game threw for 363 yards earlier this year on the Terrapins. Thus, it is fair to believe that USC, which ranks No. 25 nationally in passing offense, will have quite a bit of success throwing the football today.

Maryland likely won't exploit the USC offensive line

One reason USC's passing game has been less potent than many thought it would be thus far has been the constant pressure that Moss has been under. Today, that likely won't be the case.

Maryland is just 62nd in the country in sacks per game. The Terrapins have averaged just 2.0 per game so far this season.

USC is actually decent when it comes to the number of sacks it has allowed. Ranking 49th nationally, the Trojans give up only 1.5 per game. However, much of that is because of Moss's ability to get rid of the ball in a hurry in the face of pressure and Riley's play-calling which has utilized the short and intermediate passing game to protect Moss.

Today, if Maryland can't get pressure on Moss, he could pick apart the Terrapins. That would be a welcome change for a USC team that has been beaten and battered by strong pass rushes in Big Ten play.

USC should be able to handle the Maryland ground game

USC fans know that their team has been gashed on the ground at times this year. Physical teams like Michigan and Minnesota have had success running the football against the Trojans.

That shouldn't be the case in this game. That's because Maryland doesn't run the football particularly well.

Averaging only 132.0 yards per game on the ground, Maryland ranks 93rd nationally and 14th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. That's great news for the Trojans who are thin along the defensive line and who are without their best defensive player, Eric Gentry, who is redshirting this season due to injuries.

Last week, Maryland ran for only 59 yards on Northwestern. What's more, the most they have run for against a team from a power conference is 128 yards.

The Terrapins don't have a dominant lead back either. Their leading rusher, Roman Hemby has run for only 360 yards this season and has only one 100-yard game so far.

USC should be the more physical team along the line of scrimmage today and that will bode well for the Trojans. Look for Riley's team to make Maryland a one-dimensional squad and that will pay dividends in the form of a big USC win.