USC Trojans' Three Keys to Victory Over Illinois Fighting Illini

The No. 21 USC Trojans are back on the road to face No. 23 Illinois in their most anticipated games thus far.

The Trojans are sitting comfortably at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten after a late night win over Michigan State, and will pivot to a 9 a.m. PT kickoff (11 a.m. local) against the Fighting Illini.

Illinois is fresh off their first loss of the season, losing 63-10 to No. 11 Indiana while USC has been creating plenty of buzz entering week 5, and has all the keys to pull off the win.

If the Trojans can stay efficient on defense and eliminate penalties, trust quarterback Jayden Maiava and coach Lincoln Riley’s playbook and capitalize on Illinois’ loss, USC could see their first 5-0 start since 2023.

Efficiency on Defense, Eliminate Penalties

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Illinois Fighting Illini Luke Altmyer Jakheem Stewart Jayden Maiava Makai Lemon Ja'Kobi Lane Eli Sa — Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive end Braylan Shelby (10) reacts after sacking Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

One of the more concerning statistics for this USC team is the amount of penalties through four games, racking up 33 total.

Against the Spartans, USC committed nine penalties, 10 penalties for 82. Prior, the Trojans tallied eight penalties for 104 yards against Purdue.

Against a talented team like Illinois, eliminating penalties will be key to slowing down their offensive production. What USC also needs to improve on are busted coverages, especially against Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer.

USC fans received promising news when Riley was asked about safety Alex Graham and his recovery.

“He's progressed a little faster than we expected, and that'd be great for us,” Riley said after Wednesday’s practice. “We’ve been really impressed with his progression and already being able to play multiple positions in the secondary. Hopefully he continues to progress. With bye week ahead, the hope is he could be ready pretty quickly after that.”

The hope of Graham making a comeback to the Trojan secondary could allow an avenue for tightened pass-coverage, but will have to continue to improve while Graham recovers.

With a steady and consistent USC offense, a solid performance from all aspects of the defense will change the game against the Fighting Illini.

Trust Quarterback Jayden Maiava and Riley’s Playbook

The Trojans offense has impressed college football fans right from the start, with quarterback Jayden Maiava forming into a product of Riley’s elite signal-callers.

Through four games, Maiava leads the conference with 1,223 passing yards, along with nine passing touchdowns, four rushing and 48 of 70 passing.

On the road in a new environment like Champaign, Illinois, utilizing their dual threat offense will be one of the most important keys to success on Saturday.

USC has one of the most dynamic and explosive offenses in the nation, with 2,335 total offensive yards through four weeks of competition. Riley commented on how Maiava has developed into the Trojans starting quarterback, and noted his confidence at the helm.

“Jayden deserves a ton of credit. He did a really good job after the end of the season of just really taking an honest look at what he did well and what he's got to do better,” Riley said on Trojans Live. “He’s incredibly coachable. I think his confidence is just growing and growing.”

dddddd — Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) runs for a touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Trojans can find success attacking Illinois’ secondary through the air, relying on wide receivers Makai Lemon and Tanook Hines, along with tight ends Lake McRee and Walker Lyons to make scoring look easy.

The injury status of star wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane is still unknown, and will be released for the game's availability report.

As for the run game, Maiava has shown he can score on the ground and make big plays on his feet. If he and the talented backfield duo of Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan can consistently move the chains, it’ll add another high scoring element to Saturday’s game.

Take Advantage of Illinois' Setback

Illinois is coming off a 63-10 loss against No. 11 Indiana, which plummeted the Fighting Illini’s No. 9 ranking the morning after.

Altmyer and the offense struggled across the board with 157 passing yards, two rushing yards and one touchdown.

The Fighting Illini pass defense struggled finding the quarterback, with two sacks and three tackles-for-loss, compared to Indiana’s seven sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss.

For a strong pass-rush defense like USC, including defensive end Jakheem Stewart and defensive tackles Floyd Boucard and Jamaal Jarrett, replicating Indiana’s defensive performance last weekend can immediately slow down any attack from Altmyer.

The Trojans run game looked much stronger last weekend as opposed to Illinois, producing 289 total yards on the ground and three touchdowns.

It’s fair to assume the Fighting Illini will be hungry after a tough loss. Back on their home turf with Big Noon Kickoff, Illinois has a chance to rebound with a statement win.

The Trojans perfect record could be at stake entering this weekend, but a solid performance from every aspect of their roster could create the perfect performance to hand Illinois their second loss of the season.

Efficiency on Defense, Eliminate Penalties

Trust Quarterback Jayden Maiava and Riley’s Playbook

Take Advantage of Illinois' Setback

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