Freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley is not expected to suit up for the Trojans’ conference opener this Saturday at Rutgers, USC football head coach Lincoln Riley said in a press conference on Wednesday.
“We knew, knew after the game that there’s a little something that we needed to, to get looked at,” Riley said. “So we were able to do that and you know, he won’t be available this week.”
Mosley suffered a knee injury on Saturday and is expected to miss multiple games.
“He won’t be available this week and we’ll just continue monitoring forward. Don’t expect it to be extremely long term, but still a little inconclusive on this time,” Riley said.
Mosley leads the team with 255 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. The Trojans will have to outsource production in his absence during their first conference outing.
The game will mark just the second time the programs have met, with USC boasting the series’ sole victory in 2024.
The 12th-ranked Trojans are heavily favored for Saturday’s game, as Rutgers’ early-season woes have relegated them to the bottom of the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights lost their opener to a University of Massachusetts (UMass) squad that won zero games in 2025, then dropped a second contest to Boston College last week.
The Trojans are an undeniable offensive force. Heisman-contending senior quarterback Jayden Maiava, flanked by senior running back Waymond Jordan and sophomore running back King Miller, make up one of the nation’s most talked-about backfields.
The Trojans are averaging 43.3 points per game, fourth-best in the Big Ten, which poses a daunting mismatch for the struggling Scarlet Knights defense.
For all of USC’s offensive firepower, defense is the biggest question mark for the playoff-hopeful Trojans this year. The unit was subpar in 2025, but has shown sporadic signs of improvement under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.
Freshman defensive end Luke Wafle, the cornerstone defensive recruit in Riley’s standout 2026 recruiting class, has already been making waves in the trenches. Wafle notched five tackles against Louisiana in the first half alone last Saturday.
The Trojan defensive line will have its hands full with Rutgers junior running back Antwan Raymond, who rushed for over 1,200 yards for the Scarlet Knights last year.
Patterson’s game plan is also dependent on who Rutgers selects to replace starting senior quarterback Dylan Lonergan, who left the opener against Umass with an undisclosed injury. It remains unclear whether Lonergan will suit up on Saturday or if junior AJ Surace will get his second consecutive start.
Surace went 18 for 27 against Boston College last week, tossing three touchdowns against four interceptions. If Surace takes the helm, USC’s improved secondary will have an opportunity to exploit the mistake-prone quarterback.
The Trojans defense has been a volatile group this year. They shut out Fresno State two weeks ago, but a lackluster back-end performance against Louisiana raised concerns about their ceiling entering Big Ten play.
The Ragin’ Cajuns churned out consecutive 75-yard touchdown drives last Saturday, posting 20 second-half points. Each of Louisiana’s red zone trips ended in a touchdown, a trend the Trojans will have to right as their slate gets rockier.
In a Wednesday night presser, Riley emphasized the importance of rush defense to bridge red zone holes.
“You look at great red zone defenses. You know, one thing they do, they don’t give up rushing touchdowns in the red,” Riley said.
This year, only eight opposing drives have reached the Trojans’ 20-yard-line this year, a figure that ranks third nationally.
After Rutgers, USC’s run of high-profile matchups kicks off. The series includes home games against Oregon, Ohio State and Washington, along with away games at Penn State, Wisconsin and the defending national champion, Indiana.
“It’s our next game coming up and, you know, our team just loves to play together. We’re just excited to go and actually go to an away game, get a different environment, get a different atmosphere and be able to play in front of different people and against a different team,” senior safety Christian Pierce said.
The first few weeks of USC’s 2026 campaign have been drama-free. The Trojans took care of business on Saturday, thwarting a long-shot upset bid from Louisiana to punctuate a 3-0 start. Staring down the barrel of one of the nation’s toughest gauntlets, the Trojans will have to keep their eye on the prize to sidestep a loss against a downtrodden Rutgers squad.
The game will kick off at 12:30 p.m. PDT Saturday at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Edited by Sammie Vassallo and Bennett M. Weinschenk