Two conflicting offensive philosophies will be pitted against each other when USC’s fifth-ranked air-raid offense battles Iowa’s ground-and-pound rushing attack in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Diego.

Iowa’s identity has been focused on the ground for years, and that won’t change this week.

“We want to run the ball — I don’t think that’s any mystery,” Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz said. “Our philosophy hasn’t changed here in 20 years. It hasn’t changed in 40 years. We want to run the football. We want to get that established early and get off to a fast start.”

The Hawkeyes found a way to rack up yards and put points on the board early against Nebraska in their regular-season finale on Nov. 29.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette took a reverse 45 yards for a score on Iowa’s second drive of the game, and Tyler Goodson broke off a 55-yard score two drives later.

Against Wisconsin on Nov. 9, Iowa failed to move the ball on the ground successfully, putting up 87 yards on 23 carries for an average of 3.8 yards per carry.

But on Nov. 16, a switch sparked the Hawkeyes.

Goodson took over as the starting back for the matchup against a top-10 Minnesota squad, and he showed why the Hawkeye coaching staff trusts him.

Goodson posted 94 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries after Iowa had run for 140 yards in its previous five games.

“We had seen it all year,” Ferentz said. “I think he played pretty well all year. Certainly, you don’t want to overload a young player early, but we knew he was going to play … It just felt like when we got toward the end of the year, he had nine games under his belt, and it felt like he was ready to do that.”

That ground attack is the opposite of USC’s game plan.

The Trojans has some stellar wide receivers, especially Michael Pittman Jr., who has racked up 95 receptions, 1,222 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns this season. He ranks third in the nation in receptions, seventh in yards, and 14th in touchdowns.

But while the Trojans’ passing offense puts up impressive numbers, the pass defense isn’t quite so impressive. USC ranks 99th in the country, giving up 248.9 passing yards a game. That number also ranks fourth in the Pac-12.

It’s also a young group.

The Trojan defense features nine players who are first- or second-year players, presenting Iowa with a relatively inexperienced unit.

Iowa’s running game will continue to be an emphasis, but it will look to its air attack if it needs to.

“I don’t put a lot of stock into stats,” Ferentz said. “Everything changes week to week. Teams play different week to week … It looks like to me, and you start with their structure, they really want to force you to throw the ball and see if you can execute and beat them with those plays. I think that’s obviously a key.”