Indiana’s Big Ten-leading pass rush faces Jayden Maiava and USC

Tobi Osunsanmi has recorded a sack in eight straight games, an Indiana program record. Keeping that streak alive against USC would be one way to measure his Saturday, but the Hoosiers’ defense has a bigger assignment. It needs to keep Jayden Maiava from turning routine completions into the kind of gains that can put a game out of reach in a hurry.

No. 9 Indiana hosts No. 18 USC at Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS. The matchup pits a Hoosiers defense that leads the Big Ten with 32 sacks against a quarterback who has thrown for 2,524 yards and a conference-leading 20 touchdowns. Maiava has thrown five interceptions and completed 66.9 percent of his passes. USC averages 32.4 points per game.

For Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, the value of Osunsanmi and fellow linemen Stephen Daley and Mario Landino is that they give him options. Daley and Landino have five sacks apiece. If the Hoosiers can generate pressure with four rushers, they can keep extra defenders in coverage and make Maiava work through tighter throwing windows. That matters against a team with seven players who have caught at least 10 passes.

The challenge extends beyond the pocket. Freshman Trent Mosley has four 100-yard receiving games and is averaging 16 yards per catch. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt has matched Mosley’s 32 receptions and scored four touchdowns. USC’s win over Ohio State offered a reminder of how much damage its receivers can do after the catch. Indiana’s defensive backs will have to close quickly when Maiava gets the ball out underneath. A missed tackle on a short throw can erase the advantage the front created.

The first two downs may tell the story. If USC consistently reaches third-and-short, Maiava can lean on quick throws and keep Indiana’s pass rush from having much time to get home. If the Hoosiers can create second-and-long and force obvious passing situations, Osunsanmi and company can attack a protection that has to account for threats across the front.

There is also a difference between getting Maiava off his spot and letting him escape cleanly. When the edge rush gets too far upfield, a quarterback can step through the pocket and buy his receivers another beat to get open. Indiana’s interior rush can take away that escape route. On Saturday, an incompletion forced by four coordinated rushers and tight coverage could be every bit as important as another sack for Osunsanmi.