USC brings style points in Week 1

Week one couldn’t have gone much better for the Trojans, who welcomed the Missouri State Bears to the FBS ranks with a harsh reality check in their FBS debut. Entering the matchup as five-touchdown favorites, USC made those odds look generou as they overwhelmed the Bears in every phase of the game on the way to a 60-point blowout. The Trojans’ 73-point outburst wasn’t just dominant, it stood as the highest scoring performance by any FBS team in week one, even surpassing programs that faced non–Division I opponents.

Scoring 73 points in a game is impressive no matter the opponent, but the way USC piled on those points was the real story. The Trojans opened the game with touchdowns on each of their first six possessions, a streak that stretched well into the third quarter before true freshman quarterback Husan Longstreet lost a fumble on drive number seven. That minor hiccup came sandwiched between more fireworks as the backup quarterback had already led a scoring drive just before, and USC immediately followed the turnover with a one-play, 75-yard touchdown strike on their next offensive snap.

There was a lot of offseason chatter about this new Jayden Maiava-led offense and what it would mean for the Trojans in 2025. Big Ten analyst and Elite 11 coach Yogi Roth was on the call for the Big Ten Network in the Coliseum and had an interesting quote:“When you are named the starting quarterback at USC to start the season, you are immediately placed into the Heisman race.” That perfectly summed up the external expectation placed on the signal-caller. And while nobody is going to start labeling Maiava a Heisman front runner, the dual-threat quarterback did nothing to suppress extreme levels of optimism going forward. Maiava had three incompletions and three touchdowns on the night, two of which were passing. His 296 passing yards were good for a 16.4-yard average per completion, and the reality is that these numbers could have been much higher as the starters were pulled at halftime, an expectation I did not include in our week one predictions earlier in the week, but I am glad I was pleasantly proved wrong on that front.

Strong run game present for USC

The running game went for over 200 yards on the night, with Wymond Jordan and Eli Sanders averaging a respectable 8.4 and 6.6 yards per carry. This backfield partnership showed signs of dominance and will certainly be something Lincoln Riley leans into as the games get bigger, tougher, and more physical. The defense also did a phenomenal job and looks to be a very strong pass-rush unit, something USC fans have been asking for a long time. The five total sacks were led by Braylen Shelby, who is expected to be a big part of the defense’s success this year. The unit also recorded a pick-six by Bishop Fitzgerald.

USC will turn the page quickly as they get ready to host Clay Helton and Georgia Southern at the Coliseum next Saturday. But with week one officially in the books, one thing is very clear about this team, they are serious about making waves across both the nation and the conference, and in true California, Hollywood fashion, they plan on doing it with style.