Lost in USC’s 41-27 loss to No. 15 Oregon on Sept. 26 was a significant development for the Trojans: defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart finally got the green light to play defensive snaps.
Stewart had tried to get back on the field in USC’s previous two home games, but coach Lincoln Riley decided he still wasn’t ready. Against the Ducks, that changed, and Stewart’s return gave the Trojans a boost up front after rough stretches against the run at Rutgers and in the prior game against Louisiana.
On Sept. 30, Stewart spoke openly about what the absence meant to him. He said being sidelined was difficult for someone who has been around the game since childhood.
"I've been playing football since three years old. So I don't like the game being taken away from me," Stewart shared.
His foot had been an issue before the season, too. Stewart was seen in a walking boot at a school prep rally, though he wasn’t wearing it during USC’s August media day and appeared healthy at that point. The injury kept him out of Week 0 against San Jose State and beyond.
"It was messing with my mind a little bit that I couldn't be there," Stewart added. "But me just mentally being there for my brothers, like keeping them upright, you can uplift your brothers. It also built my mentality and just building who I am as a person."
Stewart’s return also offered USC a chance to tap into some of the pass-rush work he said he picked up over the offseason while attending various summits. Even so, the Trojans were still exposed by Oregon. Defensive coordinator Gary Patterson saw the Ducks hit multiple explosive plays and USC struggle to generate pressure against backup quarterback Dylan Raiola, who entered after the injured starting passer, Dante Moore, was hurt following linebacker Desman Stephens II’s scary targeting hit.
Stewart didn’t sugarcoat the performance.
"We've got to play together, and we've got to play as one," Stewart boldly said. "I feel as though we're slowly getting there.
In the game of football, you slowly elevate. Like, you don't come out the gate."
Still, he made clear USC can’t sit on that loss. With the Trojans slipping in the rankings and seeing their path to the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff grow thinner, Stewart said the focus has to move forward fast.
"We don't want that loss to stick on our record. I mean, it's there.
But we've got to avoid having a negative mindset," Stewart said. "We can't think about that loss because we got Washington, and Washington is a good program right now."
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Maiava still had to finish the job on the field, and he did so with a strong day through the air, throwing for 326 yards and two touchdowns. Afterward, he also made clear he was sympathetic to what Moore went through, a response that has resonated beyond the box score and given Oregon fans plenty to discuss after a rivalry-type matchup that ended with both injury concern and disciplinary fallout. [Read more 🡒]
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Through four games, Dixon-Wyatt now leads the Trojans with 25 receptions, 272 yards and three touchdowns, a striking start for a player still getting his footing at the college level. The bigger question for USC is no longer whether he can contribute, but how much of the passing game will continue to flow through him as the schedule moves forward and the Trojans adjust to life without Mosley in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Big-Budget Vision Is Facing A Credibility Test Already
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But the selling point of a big-budget rebuild has always been credibility on the field, and that is where the conversation has started to turn. The loss to Oregon, along with persistent defensive issues, has made it harder to separate the long-term plan from the week-to-week reality, and it has put Riley under a more skeptical microscope. For a program that has been trying to show it can operate like a heavyweight again, the next stretch matters less for optics than for whether the overhaul is actually producing the kind of football USC says it is building. [Read more 🡒]