This story was updated at 10:32 p.m. with quotes.
A familiar face returned to the Coliseum on Saturday night, but the 59-20 outcome reminded fans how far USC football has moved on. Former Trojan head coach Clay Helton, now leading Georgia Southern, walked into the stadium he once called home for the first time since his 2021 firing. The crowd offered a mixed reaction — mostly boos — for the man who delivered USC a Pac-12 title and Rose Bowl victory in 2017 but was dismissed just two games into the 2021 season.
“We all wanted better results from [the game],” Helton said. “But to see their growth from week one to week two, how they held together, how they bonded. It’s just going to make us a better football team.”
USC head coach Lincoln Riley spoke on the significance of Helton’s return, noting the impact his predecessor left on the program.
“It’s great to see him,” Riley said. “He made some major contributions to this place. That’s somebody that loves this place, that’s passionate about it. I just want him to know that he’s appreciated by our football program, by USC and we wish him the best going forward.”
Helton’s team started off strong, taking advantage of USC’s mistakes. After a fumble from junior running back Waymond Jordan gave Georgia Southern short field to start the game, the Eagles struck quickly with a 32-yard touchdown to senior receiver Camden Brown.
The Trojans committed two penalties on third downs to extend the Eagles’ drive coming off that fumble – an offside call on sophomore defensive end Kameryn Fountain followed by pass interference against redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald.
That early sequence underscored an issue Riley has been stressing since fall camp — discipline in critical moments.
“Obviously several things, we’ve got to clean up especially with the penalties,” Riley said. “We’ve got to be better as a football team and we’ve got to be more disciplined as a football team.”
It would only take a handful of snaps for the Trojans to respond to Georgia Southern’s 6–0 lead. First came a 16-yard reception from junior receiver Makai Lemon, followed by a 13-yard rush from “Junkyard Dog” Jordan.
Redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava then connected with junior receiver Ja’Kobi Lane on a spectacular one-handed grab for USC’s first touchdown of the game, as well as Lane’s first touchdown of the season.
Lane didn’t hesitate to put his circus grab among the best of his career.
“It’s definitely up there, I had a similar one in high school,” Lane said.
The high school catch he’s talking about? Another spectacular catch he made at Red Mountain High on a Friday night against Brophy Prep.
The Trojan defense was back on the field as quickly as it was off it, with freshman cornerback Marcelles Williams leading the pack forcing a three-and-out.
Maiava followed with back-to-back scoring drives featuring Lemon, who torched the Eagles for 74 and 62-yard touchdowns in the first quarter.
On the next drive, Maiava was flushed out of the pocket and threw off his back foot for another big gain to Lane – a 53-yard reception. By halftime, USC had built a 31–13 lead, with Maiava piling up 304 yards and four touchdowns, and Lemon already sitting on 158 yards and two scores.
Eagles quarterback JC French IV would come out of halftime with a strike to cut down the lead with a 24-yard throw to Brown. The big play came off a broken coverage by Fitzgerald, who gave up his second score of the day.
The second half was more of the same. Jordan powered in for a 36-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter, and the Trojans’ backfield depth took over from there. Redshirt senior running back Eli Sanders scored twice, while redshirt freshman walk-on back King Miller broke loose for a 41-yard touchdown late.
The Trojans showed signs for improvement but built off of their momentum from last week’s game against Missouri State, showcasing an explosive offense and flashes of depth across the roster.
“These games right here are just preparing us for conference play,” Georgia Southern linebacker Brandon Tyson said. “This is a very good USC team, good offense. Having this experience was definitely not the best one, but it’s giving us something to work off of, and that’s all we can do.”
With Big Ten play opening at Purdue next week, USC will look to carry this momentum, and a sharpened focus on discipline, into a tougher stretch of the season.