No. 12 USC heads into Saturday’s trip to Rutgers with a clear advantage on paper, but the Trojans also know this is the kind of game that can test how far their depth has come.
Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey, with CBS and 710 AM carrying the game. USC is a 22.5-point favorite.
The Trojans arrive at 3-0 after finishing their nonconference schedule cleanly, while Rutgers is still searching for traction at 0-2 after losses to UMass and Boston College. That’s why this game has turned into more than just another early-season stop for USC.
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is under pressure and looking for any sign that his team is moving in the right direction. USC, meanwhile, is trying to build the kind of roster depth that can survive a demanding Big Ten schedule.
The injuries on both sides are worth watching, even if the Trojans still look deeper and more settled. USC is without DT Jahkeem Stewart, WR Trent Mosley, S Kendarius Reddick, LB Shaun Scott, LB Elijah Newby, S Madden Riordan, LS Dylan Black, LB Taylor “Taybo” Johnson, OL Kilian O’Connor, WR Roderick Tezeno, TE Taniela Tupou and DT Brendan Cho. RB Deshonne Redeaux and LB Jadyn Walker are questionable.
Rutgers has its own list of absences, with DB Kevin Levy and DL Jayon Simon out. WR Dino Kaliakmanis is doubtful, while RB Antwan Raymond, LB Abram Wright, DL Malachi Davis and DB Mikey Munn are questionable. QB Dylan Lonergan and OL Dantae Chin are listed as probable.
Even with those names on the report, USC still looks like the more complete team. The Trojans have shown dependable play from their starters on both sides of the ball, but this matchup also puts the spotlight on the next wave of contributors. The second- and third-string players have to be able to finish games, not just enter them.
Rutgers is still trying to sort out basic questions, including its offensive line mix and its quarterback rotation between Dylan Lonergan and AJ Surace. That uncertainty is part of why USC is viewed as the better team from top to bottom.
One individual matchup stands out: KJ Duff against USC’s defensive backfield. Duff has been Rutgers’ most dangerous receiving threat so far, with 17 catches for 333 yards in two games. At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, the junior presents a different kind of challenge for the Trojans’ secondary, which has allowed only three pass breakups and one interception and is giving up 174.3 passing yards per game.
USC’s path to a clean win also comes with some travel logistics. This is the Trojans’ longest trip of the season, and they won’t play another road game until Oct. 10 at Penn State in Happy Valley.
They left Thursday, which should help with the time-zone adjustment. If they arrive rested and ready, USC should be in position to handle Rutgers.
In Other News...
USC Might Be Closing In On Another Major Local Defensive Win
USC has spent plenty of time trying to strengthen its defensive future in Southern California, and the next local name to watch is already drawing serious attention. Rivals national recruiting analysts Adam Gorney and Greg Biggins the Trojans the leading favorite to land four-star safety Ace Leutele from Mater Dei in the 2028 class, a notable position for a program that has made keeping elite local talent home a priority.
Leutele stands out not just because of where he plays, but because of how early he has risen at one of the regions most demanding programs. He is a rare freshman starter at Mater Dei and is regarded as a versatile defensive piece, the kind of player USC wants to keep stacking into its next recruiting cycle. The Trojans are also pursuing other safety targets as they look to build a stronger 2028 group after a smaller 2027 class, so this is only part of a broader push on the back end. [Read more 🡒]
USC Has A New Debate Over Which Trojans Deserve Bigger Roles
Three games into the season, USC already has one of those early-depth-chart conversations that tends to follow a team with real expectations. The evaluation around the Trojans has started to separate the players whose roles seem to be growing from the ones who have not quite matched the opportunity in front of them, with King Miller and Luke Wafle among the names trending up as the staff sorts out who can handle more.
Waymond Jordan and Kam Crawford sit on the other side of that ledger, which makes the next stretch worth watching for a team trying to sharpen its rotation before the schedule gets more demanding. For USC, this is the kind of internal debate that can quietly shape the rest of a season, because bigger roles do not always go to the most obvious candidates, and the opening month has already created a few decisions worth tracking. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Big Ten Play With Serious Depth Questions
USCs transition into Big Ten play arrives with more uncertainty than the Trojans would like, and the timing could hardly be worse. As they get ready for Rutgers, the injury list is already shaping the conversation around the roster, with star freshman receiver Trent Mosley out for an extended stretch after a knee injury in Week 2.
The concern does not stop there, either. Several other players, including Jahkeem Stewart, Nela Tupou, Dee Reddick, Madden Riordan and Jadyn Walker, are dealing with injuries or are in question for the opener, leaving the Trojans to manage depth issues as the level of competition ramps up. For a team about to find out what life looks like in a new conference, availability may be the first major test. [Read more 🡒]