2024-09-08 12:40:02
After a thrilling 27-20 victory over then-No. 13 LSU at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, USC football returns home to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for its home opener. With the win over the Tigers in the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic, the Trojans jumped 10 spots in the Associated Press Top 25, soaring to No. 13 after clocking in at No. 23 in the AP’s preseason poll.
In addition to USC moving up in the polls and earning one of its biggest victories under head coach Lincoln Riley, redshirt junior quarterback Miller Moss earned the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Week award for his standout performance against the Tigers.
Moss went 27-for-36 and threw for 378 yards with a touchdown, connecting with 10 different receivers in the process. While Moss should continue to take advantage of the depth in USC’s receiver room, he should also not be afraid to feed the hot hand should he have one against Utah State.
The run game, however, was not as effective as Moss’s lethal passing attack. Redshirt senior running back Woody Marks accounted for two rushing touchdowns, including the game-winning score with eight seconds remaining on the clock. The Trojans need to get the running backs more involved so the offense can have a more balanced attack against the Aggies.
While Moss was busy torching the LSU defense, the USC defense debuted its new scheme under first-year coordinator D’Anton Lynn. While the Trojans did allow LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to throw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, they limited the Tigers to only 117 rushing yards.
Defensively, redshirt sophomore safety Kamari Ramsey and senior linebacker Eric Gentry, who combined for 16 tackles against LSU, will play crucial roles in stopping Utah State’s offense. While the run-game defense limited the Tigers’ ability to carry the ball, the USC secondary struggled to bring down LSU’s receivers. Playing the Aggies gives the Trojans an opportunity to fix the mistakes from the LSU game, especially with a daunting challenge at Michigan two weeks away.
USC currently holds a 6-0 record against upcoming opponent Utah State, with every game taking place at the Coliseum. The Trojans last played the Aggies in 2016, when they beat USU 45-7 on September 16 in the second game of the season.
The Aggies won their first game at home in Logan, Utah 36-14 over FCS team Robert Morris to also start their season 1-0. Despite the win over RMU, Utah State is operating under interim head coach Nate Dreiling after former head coach Blake Anderson was fired in July for “actions [that] violated both his employment agreement and university policy.”
With an injury to USU quarterback Spencer Petras, former Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes — who helped Utah beat USC 34-32 last season at the Coliseum — could get the start in Week 2 for the Aggies after coming in for Petras against RMU last week.
The Trojans will make their Big Ten Network debut when they kick off their second game of the season in the Coliseum on Saturday at 8 p.m. against the Aggies.
