Even after suffering a gut-wrenching defeat at the hands of N0. 9 Oregon last Saturday, the mood inside the Hansen Football Performance Center has it changed.
Yes, the loss ended Iowa football’s College Football Playoff hopes, but the opportunity for a very successful 2025 season still remains. If the Hawkeyes win their final three regular season games, they will have a chance to reach 10 wins for the ninth time in the 27-year Kirk Ferentz era.
The first step to achieving that goal? Beat No. 19 Southern California (7-2, 5-1) on the road in Los Angeles. The task will be far from easy, but Iowa (6-3, 4-2) has embraced the challenge. The Oregon loss still stings, but the Hawkeyes aren’t going to let it define their season.
“Our main goal is to do our individual job as a collective,” fourth-year offensive lineman Beau Stephens said at media availability Tuesday. …”They have that focus, and it just sets us up for the rest of the season.”
Resilience has been a common theme during Ferentz’s tenure, and he expressed full confidence in his team to respond.
“They’ve really prepared well, and they’ve gone out and competed with the right attitude,” Ferentz said. “And that’s that’s what it takes to give yourself a chance to be successful.”
“I was just really impressed in how positive he was about the outlook of the rest of the season, and how how we can kind of approach this week, and how we can just go out there and not have to kind of sit back,” fifth-year quarterback Gronowski added.
Stephens not only said that focus will help Iowa win on the field, but it will also help the Hawkeyes during their long journey to California, which is a familiar trip for many players on the roster. Iowa made this very trip to Los Angeles last year to play UCLA at the Rose Bowl, but it ended in disaster. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but scored only seven points the rest of the way in the 20-17 loss.
“Coach Ferentz has mentioned that he thought we lost the game before we got out there,” Stephens reflected. “It was just because we weren’t ready. …We have to be ready and ready to play whenever we’re called upon.”
Being ready for an explosive USC offense is in the forefront of Iowa’s game plan. Led by third-year quarterback Jayden Maiava, the Trojans rank second in the Big Ten in passing offense, totaling over 2,700 yards and 18 touchdowns through the air. Maiava is naturally the name to watch, but the Hawkeyes are also keeping a close eye on the dynamic wide receiver duo of Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane.
“They’re playing a really high level. You haven’t heard a lot of chatter about them. They’re sitting right there and near the top of the league,” Ferentz said. “Coach [Lincoln] Riley’s a noted offensive coach, and he’s had great success no matter where he’s gone.”
Lemon leads the Big Ten with 927 yards and seven scores, while Lane has collected an additional 520 yards and four touchdowns. Stopping or even slowing down both receivers could be a tough task for the Iowa secondary, but if any defense is up to the task, it’s a Phil Parker-coached one. The Hawkeyes rank No. 4 nationally in total defense, allowing just 13 points per game. If that number holds, it would be the lowest single-season total in Parker’s 13-year tenure as defensive coordinator.
“I’m looking forward to the matchup, and I can’t wait,” the fourth-year said. “They’re great receivers, [and] watching them on tape, and even prior to the season they were already listed as some of the best receivers in the Big Ten and in the country.”
Not only is Hall excited about the challenge of facing USC, he’s also excited to return to his home state. Hall grew up in Fresno, California, roughly three and a half hours from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Hall is expecting at least 30 family members to be in attendance, and he’s even asked multiple of his teammates to provide extra tickets so his family can see him play.
“I got family coming from Fresno, family that’s already in LA, so, it’s going to be a pretty big family reunion after the game,” Hall said.
Game information
This will be the first time Iowa and USC have met since the 2019 Holliday Bowl, a 49-24 Hawkeye victory. Iowa hasn’t played a football game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 1976, where the then-No. 13 Trojans dismantled the Hawkeyes in a 55-0 rout.
“[I] didn’t realize it [the stadium] was built as a tribute to to the veterans award won back in the ’20s.” Ferentz said. “And [there’s] a lot of history behind that on top of it.”
Kickoff is set for 2:30 CST (12:30 PST) on Big Ten Network.