The Iowa football team, for a brief moment, owned the Coliseum.
The Hawkeyes had used their old-school brand of physical defense and a persistent run game — with some unexpected passing mixed in — to gain an 11-point lead over USC.
An impressive amount of Iowa fans slipped on head-to-toe rain suits in the tunnels of the Coliseum and at times made just as much noise as the Trojan faithful as the Hawkeyes lumbered on, rushing for 100 yards in the first half and passing for another 112.
“We knew we shouldn’t be in this predicament right now,” safety Christian Pierce told reporters after the game.
The No. 16 Trojans (8-2, 6-1) dug deep and reclaimed their home field in the second half to win 26-21 and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive by tapping into their toughness.
“(Our culture is) very tough,” linebacker Eric Gentry said. “Just very tough. People tried to say stuff about us coming to the Big Ten and wondering how we are going to be.
“This team has fit in, or more importantly, is really setting the standard of the Big Ten. We’re coming in, winning big games. Every week is a one-week season for us.”
@haleymsawyer USC linebacker Eric Gentry believes that the Trojans have a “tough” culture right now. #uscfootball #usc #CollegeFootball #linebacker
Whether it’s quarterback Jayden Maiava dropping his shoulder for a tackle after throwing an interception in the Northwestern game or walk-on running back King Miller battling through an Iowa defense that was ranked fourth nationally, the Trojans are proving one play at a time that they’re not to be trifled with.
Running back Bryan Jackson took on the job of goal-line running back against Iowa, rushing up the middle on four different occasions for three short-yardage gains and one 9-yard rush. He scored two 1-yard touchdowns against the Hawkeyes’ stacked defense.
Jackson was thrust into the Week 7 game against Michigan after USC lost running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders due to injury. The Trojans were fined $5,000 by the Big Ten Conference, since Jackson was listed as “out” on the pregame availability report.
He had been recovering from turf toe — a joint sprain that can take up to six months to heal based on the severity. At this point in the season, many players are likely playing through pain.
“That’s the game of football that we love,” Jackson told reporters. “It’s gonna come with some nicks and knacks there, but if you don’t have any mental toughness, you won’t be able to play this game, especially at my position.”
The rain, which had been coming down on Los Angeles since Thursday, wasn’t letting up as Saturday’s game continued. Neither was the USC defense, even though valuable players like starting safeties Kamari Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald endured injuries that forced them from the game.
The Trojans held Iowa to 25 passing yards and 108 total yards of offense in the second half. A group of fans gathered in an empty section of the stadium and, despite the damp conditions, removed their shirts and waved them as a rallying cry for their team.
“You’ve got to be ready whenever you’re called upon,” cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson told reporters. “Whether you think you’re getting in or not — prepare that way. When your time is called, if you’re not ready, then who knows when you get another chance?”
USC’s official core values for this season are unify, sacrifice and championship culture. The underlying thread that connects them might just be toughness.
“This offseason we stressed about ‘for the brotherhood,’” Jackson said. “What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you willing to go through to go out there and fight with your brothers every day and come out with a win?”