Five USC Players Indiana Fans Should Know Ahead Of Saturday's Matchup

Coming off a bye week, Indiana faces one of its biggest remaining challenges Saturday as USC comes to Bloomington. The Trojans enter the matchup with a 7-2 record following an impressive victory over Ohio State and feature plenty of talent on both sides of the football. Curt Cignetti's crew has to be on high alert.

Here are five USC players Indiana fans should know heading into Saturday's matchup.

Senior quarterback Jayden Maiava is the engine behind USC's explosive passing attack, which averages 294.4 yards per game.

Through nine games, Maiava has completed 198 of 296 passes (66.9 percent) for 2,524 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He's averaging an impressive 8.5 yards per attempt and 280.4 passing yards per contest.

Indiana's defensive front will need to consistently pressure Maiava and prevent him from getting comfortable in the pocket. He's arguably the biggest individual threat to the Hoosiers' championship aspirations remaining on their regular-season schedule.

Despite playing in just six games this season, freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley has emerged as USC's most productive receiving weapon.

Mosley leads the Trojans with 512 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 32 receptions. He's averaging 16 yards per catch and an impressive 85.3 receiving yards per game.

His ability to generate explosive plays makes him particularly dangerous against an Indiana defense that has been excellent at limiting opposing offenses. Keeping Mosley from getting behind the secondary will be critical.

Sophomore running back King Miller leads USC's rushing attack with 680 yards and five touchdowns on 138 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per attempt.

While USC relies heavily on its passing attack, Miller's ability to establish offensive balance could be extremely important Saturday.

Indiana ranks fourth nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 75.6 yards per game. If the Hoosiers can effectively eliminate Miller, they'll put significantly more pressure on Maiava and USC's passing game.

Freshman defensive end Luke Wafle has already established himself as one of USC's most productive defensive players.

Through nine games, Wafle has recorded 36 total tackles, including 26 solo stops, and is tied for the team lead with three sacks.

With Indiana dealing with uncertainty at quarterback between Josh Hoover and Grant Wilson, keeping Wafle from disrupting the offense and creating negative plays will be particularly important.

Junior linebacker Deven Bryant is the most productive tackler on USC's defense, recording 55 total tackles, including 32 solo stops, through nine games.

Bryant is a key piece of a USC rushing defense that ranks 40th nationally, allowing 124.8 yards per contest.

His ability to slow down Lee Beebe Jr. and Turbo Richard could go a long way toward determining whether Indiana can establish offensive balance and take some pressure off its quarterbacks.