This is the Depth Dossier: the USC Trojans, Week 8.

USC's offense picked the worst possible week to vanish, and the Trojans fell 24 to 7 at Wisconsin in what was the lowest scoring game of the Lincoln Riley era.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw two interceptions in the first quarter alone, got sacked five times, and finished with 258 yards and just one touchdown. The run game simply didn't show up. USC finished with minus 17 yards on 25 carries. Tight end Taniela Tupou scored on a four-yard touchdown to briefly make it 7 to 3, but Wisconsin answered before halftime and pulled away in the third quarter on a fourth and two touchdown pass. Kicker Caden Chittenden missed two second-half field goals, including one that got blocked. USC's defense actually held up for three quarters, but it wasn't enough. The Trojans are 6 and 2 now, with Ohio State up next.

Let's dig into how this actually fell apart. USC came in with just three interceptions on 224 attempts all season. Maiava threw two before the first quarter even ended, one to Bryce West and one to Cairo Skanes. Here's the real crime of the game: those turnovers happened while USC's defense was still playing well enough to win. Wisconsin had just eight total yards in the first quarter and finished with only 200 for the whole game. The defense did its job. The offense and special teams didn't.

That rushing number is worth sitting with. Minus 17 yards on 25 carries isn't just a backfield problem, it's sacks and pressure eating into that total too. Running back Shahn Alston's 28 yards was the only gain of any real size all night. Even accounting for the sacks, USC never threatened Wisconsin on the ground, which let the Badgers tee off on Maiava all night.

A few moments really decided this one. USC's only scoring drive went 15 plays and 67 yards, but it leaned on three Wisconsin penalties, so there's a real question whether that drive ever reaches the end zone otherwise. The 7 to 3 lead lasted under two minutes before Wisconsin answered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive to retake it by half. Then in the third quarter, a fourth and two conversion turned into a 16-yard touchdown, making it 17 to 7 and pretty much ending the competitive part of the night. And on special teams, Chittenden had a 44-yard attempt blocked, a fake field goal blown up by a delay of game penalty, and a 58-yarder that fell short late.

Put it together and USC lost the turnover battle, the trenches battle and the special teams battle all in the same afternoon. That's the first time all three have gone wrong at once this season.

Now, on to the depth chart. There were no injuries reported from this game, which is about the only clean news USC gets out of Madison. The damage instead is to confidence up front. The offensive line allowed five sacks and enough pressure to push Maiava into two intentional grounding penalties. After last week's questions about the left tackle spot, this game didn't answer anything. It just added pass protection to the list of concerns.

In the backfield, Alston's 28 yards were the only positive thread in a lost rushing night. With running back King Miller unable to find room either, there's no sign of a change in the committee, just a shared problem neither back could fix behind that line.

The real takeaway for the depth chart is at tight end. Tupou's touchdown, his first career score, gives him a real claim on more red zone and short yardage work going forward, in a passing game that otherwise had little to point to.

Special teams is worth watching too. Chittenden's two misses, one of them blocked, came in a game USC could have used every point in. The block was more of a protection issue than a kicking one, but back-to-back late misses will keep his margin for error thin.

USC now turns to Ohio State needing answers in pass protection, the run game, and special teams, all at the same time.

This was the depth dossier. For everything college football, be it depth charts, data or dossiers, head over to C F B Depth dot com. We will be back next week. This was an AI-generated podcast from content developed by real human beings passionate about college football.