LOS ANGELES — No. 17 USC overcame an 11-point first-half deficit and its defense pitched a shutout in the second half to complete a 26-21 comeback win over Iowa on a rainy Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and stay in contention for its first bid to the College Football Playoff.
Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava went 23 of 32 for 254 yards and a touchdown and King Miller was USC’s leading rusher with 83 yards on 19 carries. Running back Bryan Jackson scored two short-yardage touchdowns. Makai Lemon had a game-high 153 receiving yards and a touchdown off 10 receptions.
The Trojans, who gave up 212 yards in the first half, limited the Hawkeyes to 108 yards in the second half, with only 25 yards coming through the air.
Iowa, known for a rushing attack that slowly wears down opposing defenses, leaned into its passing game to score 21 points with only one punt in the opening half.
Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski had a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown all in the first half. He finished 12 of 19 for 132 yards. Kamari Moulton led Iowa with 90 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Gronowski completed a 14-yard pass to tight end DJ Vonnahme on the first play of the game to start a 69-yard touchdown drive. Iowa capped it by lining up at the 2-yard line, with Gronowski dropping back for a quick scoring pass to Dayton Howard with 11:26 remaining in the first quarter.
Gronowski put Iowa up by two touchdowns with his second score of the game on a 1-yard run 48 seconds into the second quarter. USC cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson appeared to have broken up a pass to stall the drive at the 28-yard line, but a defensive pass interference call kept the Hawkeyes chugging along.
USC got on the scoreboard with 9:15 remaining in the first quarter when Jackson took a direct snap and ran up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown to trim Iowa’s lead to 14-7.
Even though USC pulled off one of the most talked-about trick plays of the season last week against Northwestern, it was Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz who dug deep into his playbook first Saturday.
Late in the secondd quarter, Gronowski handed the ball off to receiver Kaden Wetjen, who then pitched it to receiver Reece Vander Zee. The touchdown play was fully executed when Vander Zee, who played quarterback in high school, hit Gronowski with a 5-yard pass 3:24 before halftime.
USC’s Ryon Sayeri made a 40-yard field goal with 39 seconds left for a 21-10 halftime deficit. Two miscues prevented USC from potentially turning that drive into a trip to the end zone. Maiava connected on third down with Ja’Kobi Lane for a 14-yard gain, but center Kilian O’Connor’s movement downfield nullified the play. Miller dropped Maiava’s next pass and USC settled for a field goal.
Maiava came out firing on the other side of halftime. After Sayeri made a 29-yard field goal, the quarterback hit Lane with a 12-yard pass on the Trojans’ second drive of the half and followed up with another 12-yard pass – this one to Lemon in double coverage for Maiava’s first passing touchdown of the day. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, but the touchdown cut Iowa’s lead to 21-19.
USC’s defense was depleted by the second half, especially in the secondary. Defensive tackle Keeshawn Silver, safeties Kamari Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald and cornerback Marcellus Williams all left the game with apparent injuries.
True freshman defensive tackle Jakeem Stewart stepped up in their place, grabbing a deflected pass for the USC’s first interception of the day.
The Trojans were able to capitalize on the pick and went 40 yards in six plays for a touchdown. Jackson took the ball up the middle into the end zone from one yard out for USC’s first lead of the day at 26-21 with 13:37 remaining.
Iowa had one last chance to reclaim the lead. The Hawkeyes returned to the rushing attack and were able to drive down to the Trojans’ 29-yard line. But on 4th-and-6, USC safety Kennedy Urlacher leaped for a pass breakup that all but ended Iowa’s comeback with 1:59 to play.