Outside the Box is a USC football column that looks beyond the stat sheet and box score to trace larger trends and tell more complex sports stories.
USC football kicked off its 2025 campaign with a whopping 60-point victory over Missouri State in the Bears’ first ever FBS game. Nine different Trojans (none of them receivers) recorded touchdowns in the 73-13 win.
Many wondered about the production of redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava, who went 3-1 in four starts last season but who’s never had the keys as a season starter for the Trojans. He ended the night with two touchdown passes, going 15-for-18 for 295 yards and notching an additional rushing touchdown.
Critics and fans alike may have doubts about the Trojans’ ability to match up against ranked teams like No. 7 Oregon, No. 12 Illinois and No. 14 Michigan, all teams that USC will face later this season. Those doubts likely weren’t dispelled by a win over a team just getting its footing in FBS play. Even though they haven’t yet had the opportunity to prove themselves against ranked opponents, here are a few things the Trojans did prove in their victory over Missouri State:
- The RB room got a lot more interesting in the off-season
One of the biggest stories of the night was the emergence of junior back Waymond Jordan. Nicknamed the “Junkyard Dog”, Jordan is a spring transfer from Hutchinson CC who was rated the No. 1 JUCO running back in the nation before arriving at USC. He broke free for a 26-yard run in the first quarter, paving the way for another 5-yard burst and the first Trojan touchdown of the night.
“I was really anxious, and I was ready for the ball to come to me,” Jordan said postgame. “Once it came, I already knew what I wanted to do with it, and I just let my fundamentals take over.”
Beyond Jordan’s standout performance, the matchup presented an opportunity for USC to showcase its depth at the position. Sophomore returner Bryan Jackson punched in a 3-yard rush for the second USC touchdown of the night. Redshirt senior Eli Sanders had five rushing attempts for 33 yards and turned a screen pass from Maiava into a 73-yard touchdown. And redshirt freshman King Miller exploded for a 75-yard scoring sprint as the third quarter rolled on.
This depth will be crucial for the Trojans, as former transfer back Woody Marks was drafted to the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
- The Maiava-Lemon connection is firing on all cylinders
Neither Maiava nor junior receiver Makai Lemon played a snap in the second half, but their synergy is looking promising even in limited time. Lemon is a 2025 Biletnikoff candidate and led the Trojans in receptions (52) and receiving yards (764) last season. Against the Bears, Lemon converted seven of his eight targets (twice as many as any other USC receiver) for 90 yards.
Though the Trojans found the most success in the run game against Missouri State, Maiava looked comfortable with both Lemon and fellow junior receiver Ja’Kobi Lane. Lane and Lemon have taken on an iron-sharpens-iron mentality, and hope to bring that energy to USC’s receiving corps.
The duo wasn’t featured prominently in the Trojans’ win over the Bears, but they connected well with Maiava and made some important off-ball plays. Head coach Lincoln Riley praised the receiving core postgame for its efficiency and perimeter blocking.
- The Trojans’ defense will make or break their season
If USC proved anything tonight, it’s that the team can get the job done in a variety of ways on offense. What we don’t know? How the defense will stack up against offensive powerhouses later in the season.
Missouri State’s only touchdown of the night, for instance, came on blown coverage on fourth down midway through the second quarter. The first points of the game, a Missouri State field goal, wouldn’t have been possible if the Trojans didn’t give up a 23-yard run to senior back Shomari Lawrence on third down.
These mistakes, forgotten as they may be when a team scores 73 points, are faults that stronger teams will capitalize on. Five of the six Trojan losses last season came by a margin of a touchdown or less, and they still have more work to do to prove that they can handle the defensive pressure of a tighter contest.
The bright side? Aside from a few slip-ups, USC’s defense looked sturdy. The unit had three takeaways in the matchup, two of which came from Riley’s second group – an interception by redshirt junior DE Garrett Pomerantz and a fumble forced by freshman LB Matai Tagoa’i.
“It’s healthy for the football team,” Riley said. “It’s not just the starting guys that you see going out there. It’s the guys on the scout team. It’s the young guy developing that’s maybe not ready to contribute in a big way yet, but we’re going to need him down the line. It’s just really healthy for the roster.”
Redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald, who emphasized attention to Missouri State’s “eye candy” in practice earlier this week, recorded a pick-six for USC’s only defensive score of the game. It was his first pick-six of his career.
“We were doing what we’ve been doing all fall camp, all spring ball,” Fitzgerald said. “It was important for us to go out there, fly around and communicate.”
And fly around they did. The Trojans recorded 13 TFL and four different players notched sacks: junior defensive end Braylan Shelby (2), sophomore defensive end Kameryn Fountain, sophomore safety Kennedy Urlacher and sophomore defensive tackle Jide Abasiri. This is big news for a team which recorded only 21 sacks all of last season.
Looking forward
Saturday’s matchup against Missouri State was a confidence-booster for a USC team with a lot of new faces. True freshman quarterback Husan Longstreet went 9-for-9 and showed he can get it done on the ground, accounting for three touchdowns after replacing Maiava in the second half. Transfers Jordan and Fitzgerald each made their presence known on opposite sides of the ball. And nine different Trojans scored touchdowns, showcasing the team’s versatility and adaptability.
For some, USC putting up the most points in a game since 1930 simply isn’t enough. They want to see the Trojans square off against the Wolverines or the Ducks before they can make a call on how successful this current team can be.
“It’s a good start,” Riley emphasized. ”It’s nothing more than that. It’s nothing less than that. It’s a really good start.”
The Trojans will aim to build on their really good start Saturday when they host the Georgia Southern Eagles at 4:30 p.m.