USC heads into its first Big Ten road test of the season with a notable hit to the lineup.
Freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley has been ruled out for Saturday’s matchup with Rutgers, and the Trojans are expecting him to miss multiple games because of a knee injury. That’s a real blow for USC, because through three weeks he has been the team’s top receiver with 13 catches for 255 yards and four touchdowns.
The Trojans will need other pass catchers to step forward, with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Tanook Hines among the names expected to get more chances against the Scarlet Knights. USC also listed defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart as out for Saturday’s game.
The timing matters because this is the Trojans’ first road game and first Big Ten game of the season after opening with three straight double-digit home wins over San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana. USC is trying to get to 4-0 for the second year in a row, but the trip to Piscataway brings a different kind of test.
These two teams have met only once before, on Oct. 25, 2024, when USC beat Rutgers 42-20 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. That game came in the Trojans’ first season in the Big Ten after joining from the Pac-12 alongside Oregon, Washington and UCLA.
Saturday also sits in a busy stretch for USC, which is trying to get through Rutgers before a much bigger date on Sep. 26 against coach Dan Lanning and No. 21 Oregon.
Rutgers comes in at 0-2 after losses to UMass and Boston College, and the Scarlet Knights are searching for any kind of spark early in a season that already feels shaky, with Greg Schiano’s future in question. Led by wide receiver KJ Duff, Rutgers will try to spring a major upset at home.
USC enters as a 21.5-point favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT at SHI Stadium, and the game will air on CBS.
In Other News...
USC Escaped Rutgers But One Troubling Issue Still Lingers
USC survived a tense battle with Rutgers, pulling out a 42-35 win that was far less comfortable than the ranking suggested. The Trojans needed big days from redshirt sophomore Miller and redshirt-freshman Riley Wormley to keep the offense moving, with both players supplying key runs and touchdowns as Rutgers stayed within striking distance throughout the afternoon.
The result will count, but it also left a familiar concern hanging over the Trojans. USC leaned heavily on individual playmakers, and the offense still had stretches defined by penalties and uneven passing, the kind of issues that can make even a win feel like a warning sign. Rutgers kept forcing USC to answer, and the bigger question now is whether the Trojans can clean up the rough edges before a tougher spot in the schedule turns those flaws into something more costly. [Read more 🡒]
USC Stayed Unbeaten But One Problem Looms Before Oregon
Southern California escaped its Big Ten opener with a 42-35 win over Rutgers, a game that looked more comfortable on the scoreboard than it felt on the field. Jayden Maiava threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, King Miller added 102 rushing yards and a score, and the Trojans did enough to stay unbeaten even as Rutgers Dylan Lonergan pushed back with 272 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The bigger concern now is what comes next. USC gets Oregon at home, and the Ducks will be a far different test than a Rutgers team that hurt itself with turnovers, including a 99-yard interception returned for a touchdown. The Trojans survived this one, but the margin for error gets a lot thinner from here. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Wont Like How USC Kept That Drive Alive
USCs first road trip of the season had the kind of third-quarter sequence that tends to linger long after the final whistle. In the middle of a pivotal drive against Rutgers, an inadvertent whistle wiped out a completed third-down pass, forcing the down to be replayed and turning one clean conversion into a fresh round of pressure for the Trojans.
From there, the drive took a winding path, with USC failing on the replayed third down before going for it on fourth and eventually hitting a 32-yard completion to keep things moving. It was the sort of break-and-response sequence that can swing a road game, and the No. 12 Trojans made enough of those plays to leave New Jersey with a win and a 4-0 record. [Read more 🡒]