Lynn

The unfamiliar road through Big Ten country was not exactly welcoming to USC during its conference debut in 2024. The Trojans blew a fourth-quarter lead during all four of their Big Ten road trips outside of Los Angeles last season, each defeat seemingly more devastating than the one before it.

So as USC sets out on its second swing through the Big Ten, starting with a trip to West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday, it has tried to address that problem in ways big and small — from replacing the strength and conditioning coach to changing the team’s sleeping and meal times.

Those changes will be put to the test this week when USC crosses two time zones. Part of that new approach includes taking a totally different plane to get there, one with a bit more space to stretch out during a long flight.

“[The players are] gonna like having more leg room,” coach Lincoln Riley said with a smile. “Who doesn’t like more leg room?”

Purdue should make things a bit more uncomfortable for USC than its previous two opponents. The Boilermakers are 2-0 to start under new coach Barry Odom, who brought in 54 transfers to rebuild a team that finished 1-11, dead last in the conference, last season.

Riley may not have much of a handle on Purdue’s personnel, but he should have a pretty good idea what the Boilermakers will prefer on offense. After all, Purdue’s offensive coordinator, Josh Henson, spent the previous two seasons as Riley’s offensive line coach and coordinator at USC.

“He’s going up against us, too,” Riley said. “So those things kind of go both ways. There’s obviously going to be some things that both sides are familiar with because of that. But it’s a players’ game at the end of the day.”

Here are three things to watch as USC takes on Purdue on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PDT (CBS, Paramount+):

While the Welsh Rugby Union’s plans to halve the number of regions have divided opinion, its vision for the women’s game has been met with an air of optimism.

The governing body wants to move forward with just two professional men’s teams, saying the current model of Scarlets, Ospreys, Cardiff and Dragons is unsustainable.

As part of the reform, the two remaining teams would have professional women’s sides.

Each would have a squad of around 40 home-grown players with the Union pledging “significant investment”.

The plans are currently out for consultation.

Wales women’s head coach Sean Lynn has welcomed the proposals.

Speaking from the Rugby World Cup, he said: “It’s a symbol of positivity in the women’s game, I think it’s only going to benefit us.”

Lynn would not be drawn on where he would prefer the two women’s sides to play.

Wales coach Sean Lynn admits he told his players their performance “was just not good enough” as they were soundly beaten 38-8 by Scotland in their opening game of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

MATCH REPORT: Women’s Rugby World Cup: Scotland v Wales – Pool C

Available to UK users only.

Through the first two weeks of USC’s preseason football camp, Prophet Brown had established himself as one of the early standouts in a crowded cornerback room.

But Brown’s breakout was cut short this week, when the redshirt junior suffered a noncontact injury during USC’s practice that’s expected to keep him out for the foreseeable future.

The timeline for his return remains uncertain. USC coach Lincoln Riley suggested the team would definitely be without him “for the first few games” but was still “hopeful to get him back here at some point.”

“Hate it for him because he’s been playing really well,” Riley said. “Obviously has had one of the more rapid ascents [this fall] in terms of all the years that he’s been here.”

USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn had just singled out Brown on Wednesday night as “one of the guys we trust most on defense.”

“He’s taken a big step,” Lynn said. “Outside of [safety] Kamari [Ramsey], I would say there’s no one on the back end that knows the defense quite like him.”

Brown had taken reps at all three corner spots since the beginning of camp, but was widely believed to be the favorite to start at slot corner. The only other player on USC’s roster with more than a handful of snaps in the slot during his college career is transfer corner DJ Harvey.

Lynn said on Wednesday that Harvey was getting some reps at slot corner.

“He’s a guy from a skill set standpoint that can do all three [corner positions],” Lynn said. “So we’re trying to get him as many reps at those slots as possible, to try to see which one is his best spot.”

Chasen Johnson, a transfer from Central Florida, and DeCarlos Nicholson were both expected to compete for outside corner spots and have minimal experience in the slot.

Until Friday, USC had felt pretty good about its depth at the position. But losing Brown is a significant blow, one that will put more pressure on young defensive backs to contribute early.

Riley also mentioned Braylon Conley and Marcelles Williams as corners who impressed in camp and could step up in Brown’s place.

Feeling good up front

At the start of camp, no position on USC’s roster appeared, on paper, to be as big of a concern as the offensive line, where the Trojans have to replace three starters from a group that already struggled a year ago.

But nearing the midway point of camp, Riley said he feels better about depth up front than he did in the spring.

“I like this group a lot,” Riley said. “Some young guys that have really come on fast. Give credit to Coach [Zach] Hanson for the development of these guys because we’ve got some guys who are rapidly improving.”

Among those who have surprised Riley: Guards Hayden Treter and Micah Banuelos, both of whom have dealt with injuries since coming to USC.

Both will likely be needed this season, given the lack of proven options otherwise.

Etc.

Star wideout Ja’Kobi Lane [unspecified injury] has yet to fully participate in USC’s preseason practices, but is expected to begin “ramping up” in the coming days, Riley said.