No. 13 USC vs. Utah State
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
TV/radio: Big Ten Network/710 AM
Records: USC 1-0 (0-0 Big Ten), Utah State 1-0 (0-0 Mountain West)
Line: USC by 28.5
Notable injuries
USC: QUESTIONABLE: LB Mason Cobb (undisclosed); CB Jaylin Smith (undisclosed)
Utah State: OUT: RB Robert Briggs (leg, season-ending); QUESTIONABLE: QB Spencer Petras (ankle)
What’s at stake? Utah State is flying to Southern California in search of an upset, with a first-year head coach in Nate Dreiling who’s the youngest in the FBS at 33 years old and still on an “interim” designation after former coach Blake Anderson was fired in the summer. The Aggies field some talented, intriguing pieces on an offense that hung 36 points on FCS school Robert Morris last week, namely quarterback Bryson Barnes, who could start with Petras’ injury and is all-too-familiar to USC fans after leading Utah to a win over the Trojans last season.
Ultimately, though, this game should serve as a breather for USC after a war against LSU on Sunday, a chance to ideally tuck away a Mountain West program within the first two or three quarters and give some burn to a few youngsters. The stakes for USC, ultimately: Show there’s no trace of a Vegas hangover from last weekend.
Who’s better? USC, on paper, at nearly every position. The Aggies have some weapons: Barnes has dual-threat pop and gusto; senior back Rahsul Faison ran for 736 yards on 6.2 yards a carry last season; and senior receiver Jaylen Royals caught 15 touchdown passes last season and will again be a focal point of the passing attack. Senior Kyrese White, too, looks primed for a breakout after a 131-yard, two-touchdown performance against Robert Morris.
But the Trojans’ secondary did a tremendous job of limiting explosive plays from a much more talented LSU offense last week, and even USC’s biggest position of question – offensive line – is more stout than Utah State’s front, a unit that allowed a boatload of pressures last season.
Matchup to watch: USC’s run game versus Utah State’s defense. The Aggies fielded the fifth-worst unit against the run in 2023 by yards per game, and have seen wide turnover on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. Their tied-leading tackler against Robert Morris was Division II transfer Jon Ross Maye, and the Aggies missed nine tackles against the run in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus.
USC head coach Lincoln Riley has spoken at length about the early-season importance of establishing stability in the run game, and despite a gritty two-touchdown performance by starter Woody Marks, the Trojans picked up just 69 total yards on the ground against LSU. There’s a chance here to give a few more touches to freshman Quinten Joyner and grease the wheels.
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USC wins if: The defensive line and linebackers continue to show improvement and contain Barnes on play-action looks, if he starts; if Marks and Joyner collectively average more than 5 yards a carry; if no sort of magic spell is cast on the Coliseum pregame.
Prediction: USC 52, Utah State 21. Coming off a grueling battle in Vegas last week, it’s easy to see USC starting slow and pulling even with Utah State through a quarter or so before turning on the jets.