Lincoln Riley didn’t need long to spot the problem after USC’s 42-26 win over San José State. The first three quarters were good enough. The fourth quarter, when the Spartans poured in 23 points and USC managed only seven, left plenty to clean up.
Desman Stephens II saw the same thing, and on Sept. 2 he didn’t try to dress it up. The linebacker, who is emerging as one of the more vocal leaders in USC’s room, said the game offered a clear lesson for a defense that needs to tighten up fast before Fresno State arrives.
"Really it was taking it as a learning experience," Stephens began when addressing reporters. "Just so many different lessons and things we can learn from all aspects of that game. So just watching those things, correcting them, and getting fixed for next week is the best thing to do."
Stephens finished the Aug. 29 game with two tackles, including one for loss, and he was just as direct about his own play.
"Every time I'm out there, I'm going to go and do what the coaches say. So I gave my 100 percent attitude and effort as far as technique and all those things.
If there's things I need to correct, we're good with that in the film room with the coaches," Stephens said. "But as far as my attitude and effort, I gave 100 percent."
That standard will matter even more on Sept. 4 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where USC faces a Fresno State team built very differently from San José State. The Spartans came in with their "Spread-N-Shred" air attack, but the Bulldogs want to lean on the run, control the tempo and keep pounding for four quarters.
That style gives Fresno State a different kind of chance to stress USC. Under former USC linebackers coach Matt Entz, now the Bulldogs’ head coach, and offensive coordinator Josh Davis, Fresno State is expected to keep hunting for soft spots in the Trojans’ run defense - not just the ones exposed in the fourth quarter, but the ones visible throughout the opener.
San José State still managed 4.1 yards per carry, which is not what USC wanted to see from a team known for throwing it around. The Spartans found room by stretching the field and punishing overpursuit.
Davis also has ways to make the defense sort through more than one problem at a time. He mixes personnel groupings, leans on tight ends, and will line up multiple tight ends at the weakest point of a defense as the game goes on.
He also folds in RPO looks, especially with new starting quarterback Jayden Mandal, whose mobility adds another layer. At the same time, Davis can spread things out with multiple-receiver sets and force defenses to guess before the snap.
Mandal’s arm brings another challenge. His throws carry a strong arc, and USC may see Fresno State attack the intermediate middle of the field where Stephens operates. The Bulldogs could also try to challenge true freshman cornerback Elbert Hill IV early.
For USC, the assignment is simple: erase the fourth-quarter defensive slip and avoid letting Fresno State turn it into an upset bid. Stephens, meanwhile, will be expected to do more than just talk like a leader. The Trojans will need him around the ball, and likely above the five-tackle mark, if they want to hold the edge.
In Other News...
USC Faces One Huge Question With JuJu Watkins Back
JuJu Watkins is back on the floor for USC after recovering from the ACL injury she sustained in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and that alone changes the conversation around the Trojans as they head into the new season. Her return gives USC its senior star back, but it also puts a spotlight on how the offense will look now that Watkins is rejoining a backcourt that learned to thrive without her.
Jazzy Davidson made the most of that window, putting together a standout freshman season and collecting multiple national awards along the way. Now the Trojans have two high-usage guards expected to share the court, which makes their fit one of the biggest questions on campus: how much the ball is in each players hands, how their styles complement each other, and whether USC can make both stars fully effective at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Former USC Staffer Brings A Real Coliseum Test For The Trojans
Matt Entz has reason to feel good about where Fresno State stands as it heads into the kind of game that can tell you plenty about a program. The head coach, who once worked in the USC orbit, has pointed to a roster built around experience, with 14 of 15 starters back, and he has not been shy about framing his team as a legitimate Group of Six College Football Playoff contender if it can keep that core together.
The challenge, of course, is whether that confidence holds up once the Bulldogs are inside the Coliseum. Entz has also acknowledged the modern reality of roster building, where keeping players in place can be difficult when bigger money and bigger stages are available elsewhere, and this trip to USC gives him and his team a real measuring stick for how far that vision has come. For the Trojans, it is a familiar brand name across the sideline, but also a chance to see whether a veteran Fresno State group can turn that experience into something more than talk. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Opener Put A Young Trojan At The Center Of Attention
USCs 42-26 win over San Jose State in the season opener had plenty to unpack on offense, but one of the quieter subplots was how quickly Trent Mosley became impossible to ignore. Pro Football Focus individual grades painted a picture of a Trojans attack that had multiple contributors at the Coliseum, with quarterback Jayden Maiava among the players reviewed in detail, but Mosley landed at the top of the board.
The 90.7 grade attached to Mosley stands out not just because it was the highest mark on the offense, but because it came in a game where USC had enough production to spread the spotlight around. For a young Trojan, that kind of opening-night attention is often the first sign of a role expanding, and it gives the coaching staff something useful to sort through as the season starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]