No. 14 USC left no doubt in its home opener against a new conference rival, blanking Fresno State 39-0 behind another sharp outing from quarterback Jayden Maiava and a defense that looked nothing like the group that took the field a week earlier. The Trojans improved to 2-0 to open the season, following up a 42-26 win over San Jose State with a far more complete performance across the board on both sides of the ball.
Maiava Continues His Heisman-Caliber Start Maiava, USC's third-year starter and a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate after leading the Big Ten in passing yards a season ago, was nearly flawless again on Friday night. He completed 23 of 25 attempts for 349 yards and three touchdowns, needing only a single series after halftime before giving way to the bench. Through two games, Maiava has thrown just six incompletions to go with five touchdown passes, numbers that put him squarely in the national conversation at his position.
Beyond his accuracy, Maiava has shown an ability to extend plays with his legs and deliver accurate throws on the move, traits that will be tested more rigorously later this season against ranked competition. Mosley Emerges as Maiava's Top Target Freshman receiver Trent Mosley, an Orange County product who broke out with a 118-yard debut against San Jose State, wasted little time building on that performance. He hauled in a 68-yard touchdown early in the game after getting behind the Fresno State secondary, then added a 10-yard scoring grab just before halftime.
Mosley finished with four catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns, giving him back-to-back 100-yard performances to begin his college career. Fellow freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt also had a strong night, hauling in six receptions for 102 yards, while Tanook Hines capped USC's opening drive with a touchdown catch of his own. A Defense Transformed Under Gary Patterson If USC's offense picked up where it left off, the bigger storyline was the defense's turnaround under new coordinator Gary Patterson.
A week after allowing San Jose State to score three late touchdowns in a game that got closer than the final score suggested, USC's defense suffocated Fresno State from the opening whistle. The Bulldogs managed just 116 total yards, only 49 of which came through three quarters, and averaged a meager 2.6 yards per play. USC's front seven also delivered two safeties and forced a pair of turnovers, with Notre Dame transfer Kennedy Urlacher — son of Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher — recording two sacks and the game's first safety on a blitz.
Coach Lincoln Riley credited the unit's belief in Patterson's system for the leap in performance from Week 0 to Week 1. Fresno State's Difficult Debut in the New Pac-12 Friday's result was a rough welcome for Fresno State, which is playing its first season as part of the reshaped Pac-12 after head coach Matt Entz led the program to a 9-4 record and one of the nation's stingiest pass defenses a year ago. Quarterback Jayden Mandal, making just his second career start after missing all of last season with an injury, finished 7 of 15 for 77 yards and was intercepted and stripped of a fumble that USC converted into points.
Entz, a former USC linebackers coach under Riley, acknowledged after the game that his team fell well short of its standard, saying the performance was unacceptable and vowing his group would respond with more focused preparation. He also pointed to moments where Mandal's inexperience showed, noting the young quarterback occasionally lost trust in his protection under pressure. Depth Players Make Their Mark Beyond the headline performers, USC got meaningful contributions up and down the roster.
Running back Waymond Jordan scored on the ground to help push USC's lead to 30-0 by halftime, and sixth-year defensive back Prophet Brown, who missed the entire 2025 season with an injury, notched his first career interception in an emotional moment for a player who has fought his way back onto the field. Riley praised the overall completeness of the win, saying he was pleased with how his team closed out the game after building an early cushion. Looking Ahead to a Marquee Matchup With two dominant wins to open the year, USC now turns its attention to a far tougher test: a home date with No.
2 Oregon on September 26, a game that will offer the clearest measure yet of whether the Trojans' fast start translates against elite competition. Maiava's efficiency and Patterson's revamped defense will both face a significant step up in difficulty, but after two lopsided victories to begin the season, USC has given itself real momentum heading into the heart of its schedule.
