On Saturday, the USC football team will host Iowa at the Coliseum. When the schedule was announced many months back, it was presumed to be an opportunity for the Hawkeyes to escape November in the Midwest and enjoy some Southern California weather. However, it appears as though they will instead be bringing the Iowa weather with them to Los Angeles, as Saturday’s forecast calls for rain.
The Trojans have not had rain for a home game in nearly nine years. So how, if at all, will this affect the game?
On the surface, the weather forecast seems to favor Iowa. For one, the Hawkeyes are far more used to playing in bad weather than the Trojans are. In addition, wet conditions tend to favor a more physical, grind it out style of play akin to the one Iowa likes to deploy, rather than USC’s explosive offense.
Further, rain only further emphasizes the importance of ball security. With the Trojans having struggled some with turnovers in recent weeks, it will be extra important for them to protect the football on Saturday.
When asked about the weather this week, USC head coach Lincoln Riley said that, “unless it’s a complete downpour, we feel like we can function very close to normally.”
For the sake of everyone in attendance at the Coliseum on Saturday, let’s hope that it is not “a complete downpour”, as that would not be a very fun experience for anyone.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: How could rain in weather forecast affect USC’s game plan against Iowa?
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
