In USC’s first home game in its inaugural Big Ten season, the No. 13 Trojans left no doubt about their winning capabilities by beating Utah State 48-0, shutting out their first opponent since 2011.
“It’s a good visualization of our defense and how much work we put in,” senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold said. “We know what we got to do and I think we did a good job of execution today.”
The first quarter was filled with explosive runs from redshirt senior running back Woody Marks and redshirt freshman Quinten Joyner as the duo combined for over 140 yards by the end of the quarter.
Joyner punched in the first touchdown for the Trojans right after a powerful run where he bounced off multiple would-be tacklers to put USC up 10-0.
Marks answered his fellow tailback’s score, grabbing his third touchdown of the season on a two-yard run, putting USC up 17-0 two minutes into the second quarter.
“We only need a little bit of a hole and [the offensive line] gave it to us all night,” Marks said. “I applaud them for that, for giving us the chance to hit the holes and make space, so hats off to the O-line.”
The defensive onslaught continued throughout the first half. With the Trojans up by three scores, their next three defensive possessions resulted in a turnover on downs, a punt, and an interception.
“We’ve done a lot of good things, I thought we made some improvements today in terms of our communication, especially in pass coverage,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “That was a big emphasis point, so proud of the guys for making some of the adjustments and corrections that we needed to do.”
Junior defensive end Anthony Lucas and redshirt senior defensive end Jamil Muhammed led the charge upfront, putting pressure on Utah State’s junior quarterback Bryson Barnes. One drive later, Mascarenas-Arnold intercepted a tipped pass late in the second quarter, leading to a touchdown for sophomore receiver Makai Lemon to put the Trojans up 27-0 to end the half.
Despite a strong showing in the first half, USC wide receivers dropped two touchdowns, leaving the offense with much to desire.
“There was a lot of stuff in the first half we left out there and we got to continue to climb,” redshirt junior quarterback Miller Moss said. “The offensive line played their butts off and I think that kinda showed the balance we have offensively, really proud of those guys and how they played up front, but skill players, myself included, have to clean some stuff up.”
After a delayed second-half kickoff due to a power outage, the first-half trends continued; USC’s stifling defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs, while on offense, the run game continued to punish the Aggies as Joyner waltzed in for his second touchdown of the night, putting the Trojans past the 30-point threshold.
By the middle of the third quarter, the Trojans began to clear out the bench, with redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava seeing his first snaps as a Trojan. On his first passing attempt, Maiava fumbled the snap but made a miraculous throw downfield to earn his first yards in a cardinal and gold jersey.
Maiava continued to amaze in his first drive with the Trojans, as he made a Caleb Williams-esque escape out of the pocket on third down, and scrambled for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Trojans up 41-0 with 14 minutes to play.
“I had the biggest smile on my face,” Maiava said. “Growing up, I’ve always watched USC football and just being able to be in the shoes that I used to watch is definitely electrifying.”
Redshirt freshman running back A’Marion Peterson notched his first touchdown of the season to cap off the Trojans’ dominant showing, finishing off the Aggies, 48-0.
Next up is a well-deserved bye week for USC before the Trojans head to the Big House to take on the reigning national champions, Michigan on September 21.