Missouri State was the exact type of opponent USC needed to face in Week 1

The final result was about as lopsided as expected. The fact that coach Lincoln Riley felt comfortable sitting the starters coming out of the half speaks to the type of dominance that was on display in the Coliseum. USC ended up winning 73-13, but there were a lot of positives outside of the scoreline.

In many ways the game played out the way it was supposed to. Missouri State is a first-time participant as an FBS school after all.

To the Bears' credit, however, they did not allow the inherent talent gap or historic venue to shake their approach as the visiting team.

Missouri State certainly competed through all four quarters. Even when the game was out of hand in terms of a win or a loss, the Bears continued to give all-out effort, looking to make the most of their trip to Los Angeles.

The visitors also were bold in their approach. Particularly on offense, the Bears were more than willing to try out some gadget and trick plays. This helps the Trojans in the sense that the defense had the chance during a game to react to these types of plays. Something unconventional only works if the defense chooses to bite on something that they should not or if the eye discipline goes away. Instead, the coach D'Anton Lynn, maintained their gaps and did a good job of preventing anything significant from building up in the infancy of the play.

Solid all-around USC performance

Going up against a team that is playing with perceived house money and a willingness to try anything to stay in the game can be risky. Yes, the Trojan defense gave up points. For the most part, though, that side of the ball took care of business and looked to be even further improved in coach Lynn's second year in Troy.

Some wanted to see a shutout. There were obviously some mistakes that were made that will need to be cleaned up. Overall, it was a good performance against an eager team that was looking to prove itself. For the first outing in 2025, USC did well to start the year on the right note.