USC gets back under the lights Friday night with a familiar test and a familiar face waiting on the other sideline.
No. 14 USC, fresh off a 1-0 start, hosts Fresno State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sept.
- Kickoff on FOX is set for 6:00 p.m.
PT, and it will be the sixth all-time meeting between the California programs.
The matchup brings back Matt Entz, now the Fresno State head coach after serving as USC’s linebackers coach in 2024. Lincoln Riley had plenty of respect for him this week, saying, "He's a really good football coach and took over a proud program and a program that's got a lot of great history and tradition in the way that they play. A lot of respect for him,"
USC’s opener against San Jose State gave fans plenty to chew on, starting with Jayden Maiava’s sharp performance. The quarterback was named AP National Player of the Year after accounting for three total touchdowns and completing passes to nine different receivers. At one point, he ripped off 14 straight completions.
That game also introduced a wave of young talent on offense. The Trojans started four true freshmen - receivers Trent Mosley, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Tron Baker, plus tight end Mark Bowman.
Mosley led the way with seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first USC freshman since JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2014 to top 100 receiving yards in his debut. Dixon-Wyatt added a touchdown, and Baker finished second on the team with 45 receiving yards.
There’s a chance Maiava gets another weapon back in the mix, too, with sophomore Tanook Hines returning to the lineup. NC State transfer Terrell Anderson remains sidelined after getting banged up in fall camp.
The Trojans also want more out of the ground game. Waymond Jordan saw live-game action for the first time since the season-ending ankle injury he suffered last October, joining King Miller, who led USC in rushing in 2025.
But the explosive plays never really showed up in the opener. Jordan said the film session with running backs coach Anthony Jones was brutal because of how few big runs the group created, even with strong blocking up front.
Riley felt the same way after the game. USC’s longest run against San Jose State went for just 15 yards, by freshman Deshonne Redeaux, and the coach wasn’t pleased with the lack of burst.
The fourth quarter bothered him, too. USC was up 35-3 after three quarters, but once the second and third strings entered, San Jose State outscored the Trojans 23-7 over the final 15 minutes.
The result never came close to changing, and it didn’t reflect on the starters, but it still left a sour finish to an otherwise strong opener. Riley made it clear the goal is a full game, no matter who’s on the field to close it out.
Fresno State brings a different kind of challenge. Quarterback Jayden Mandal is making only the second start of his career, but the Bulldogs lean on the run game, where Rayshon Luke and Bryson Donelson provide the muscle.
Both tailbacks ran for at least 600 yards and five touchdowns in 2025. Up front, Fresno State’s massive offensive line is built to test USC’s size and depth on the defensive front.
That front will be under the microscope again after a promising debut. Freshman defensive end Luke Wafle flashed as a rising star, defensive tackle Jide Abasiri made his presence felt, and linebackers Desman Stephens and Deven Bryant turned in solid outings. If USC wants to handle Fresno State cleanly, those players will need to keep that momentum going.
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USC Is About To Get An Early Test Up Front
USC is getting a useful measuring stick early, and it comes in the form of a Fresno State defense that was the best unit in the Mountain West a year ago. The Bulldogs held opponents to just 286 yards and 19 points per game, and the strength starts up front under defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto, who brought his system over from Northern Illinois and has plenty of experience to lean on in the trenches.
The matchup should tell plenty about where the Trojans are on the line of scrimmage, especially against a front that has made life hard on the run game. Fresno State went 9-0 last season when it kept opponents under 140 rushing yards, and linebacker Tytus Khajavi is expected to be one of the key players helping set the tone. Against a USC offense that wants to establish itself early, that kind of resistance can reveal a lot quickly. [Read more 🡒]
USC Fans May Not Love This Name In The Next Coaching Cycle
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For Trojans fans, the part worth tracking is not just who lands where, but which coaches remain in the conversation if jobs at the top of the market open up. Kingsbury, Norvell and Sitake each bring a different profile and a different recent track record, which is why speculation around them is starting to build now, well before any actual vacancy is filled. [Read more 🡒]
USC Already Has One Clear Strength And One Growing Concern
USCs season opener against San Jose State offered an early look at what this roster might already do well, and which parts still need work. Jayden Maiava handled his first game of the year with plenty of positives, while defensive tackle Jide Abasiri also stood out in a performance that gave the Trojans something to build on. There were encouraging contributions, too, from wide receiver Trent Mosley and running back King Miller, suggesting the offense has multiple pieces ready to matter right away.
The concern showed up on the other side of the ball, where the secondary and some individual defenders had a rougher time keeping things clean. Kam Crawford was among the players who struggled, and that mattered because USCs defense is still trying to sort out its identity as the schedule moves forward. One game does not settle the bigger picture, but it did give the Trojans a pretty clear snapshot of where the strength is and where the questions are likely to linger. [Read more 🡒]