Illinois Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema hopes to turn the page from a disastrous game, welcoming 21st-ranked Southern California to Champaign, Ill., to face the 23rd-ranked Fighting Illini on Saturday.

Illinois (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) climbed to No. 9 on the strength of winning its first three games by a combined 135-22 margin, but the Illini had no answers for the Hoosiers.

Compounding the lopsided loss that snapped a seven-game winning streak dating back to last November, was the news that the Illini will be without All-American defensive back Xavier Scott for the foreseeable future.

Scott was a scratch from the Indiana contest after sustaining an apparent ankle injury Sept. 13 vs. Western Michigan, and Bielema announced on Monday the standout of the Illinois secondary will be sidelined for "most of the season."

The absence comes at a bad time, ahead of USC Trojans's first visit to Champaign since 1996. That game ended up as a 55-3 Trojans victory.

USC (4-0, 2-0) brings one of the nation's sixth-leading passer, Jayden Maiava (1,223 yards), as well as the fourth-most prolific pass-catcher, Makai Lemon (438 receiving yards).

Lemon caught a season-high eight passes for 127 yards, hauling in his third touchdown receptions of the year in USC's 45-31 win last week over Michigan State. He also rushed for a score

Like Maiava, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has nine touchdown passes without a pick, but Altmyer managed just 146 passing yards at Indiana.

Altmyer's top target has been Hank Beatty, who has 21 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, of wideout Justin Bowick's eight total receptions, three were TD grabs.

Game time is 11 am on Saturday.