PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Jayden Maiava kept USC moving from the start, throwing for 277 yards and two touchdowns as No. 12 Southern California held off Rutgers 42-35 on Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
USC (4-0) never gave up the lead and built its biggest edge when it went up 35-21 with 5:52 left in the third quarter. Rutgers (0-3) answered to pull within 35-28 later in the quarter, but the teams traded touchdowns in the fourth and the Trojans stayed in front the rest of the way.
King Miller gave USC a big lift on the ground, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown. Riley Wormley added a score on the ground and later caught a touchdown pass that pushed the Trojans ahead 42-28 with 3:04 remaining.
USC was without star freshman receiver Trent Mosley, who sat out because of a knee injury. In his absence, fellow freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt stepped in with five catches for 77 yards.
Rutgers got a strong passing day from Dylan Lonergan, who threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns. But the Scarlet Knights were undone by mistakes, including two interceptions from Lonergan and a 99-yard pick-six by Prophet Brown.
The Trojans also left some questions on defense. USC surrendered five plays of 20 yards or more, and through three games the Trojans have allowed opponents to score on 10 of 13 red-zone trips.
For Rutgers, the problems keep stacking up. The Scarlet Knights have held a lead for just 2:54 all season, with their only edge coming on the opening drive of a 37-21 loss to UMass. They never led against Boston College or USC, and turnover trouble has remained a constant with a minus-7 margin after Saturday.
USC hosts Oregon on Sept. 26.
Rutgers is back home against Howard on Sept. 25.
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 🡒]
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 🡒]
Lincoln Rileys USC Reaction Says A Lot About Rutgers Fight
USCs first Big Ten road test of 2026 had the kind of edge and volatility Lincoln Riley has been trying to prepare his team for, and the Trojans left New Jersey with a 42-35 win that was equal parts encouraging and unsettling. The offense did enough to survive, but the game had enough swing moments to remind everyone this is still a team sorting out its identity in a new league, with Christian Pierces pick six standing out as one of the biggest early sparks.
Rileys reaction afterward fit the shape of the afternoon. He praised the result, but he was clear-eyed about the defense giving up too many big plays and too many penalties, and he pointed to Rutgers fake punt as one of the moments that changed the feel of the game. For USC, the victory counts, especially in a Big Ten opener on the road, but the coachs tone suggested the more important question is whether the Trojans can clean up the sloppiness before it catches up with them. [Read more 🡒]