No. 13 USC Trojans dominate Utah State in first shutdown win since 2011

The No. 13 USC Trojans dominated from start to finish as they defeated Utah State 48-0 in their home opener at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was the first time USC had thrown a shutout since the Trojans’ 50-0 win over UCLA in 2011. Even a few power outage delays couldn’t slow the Trojans down.

“Great team win, very complimentary football from all sides,” Riley said. “Really proud of our defense, it’s really hard to shut people down in modern college football.”

After having to settle for a field goal on their first possession, USC marched back down the field for their second drive. A big 33-yard run by sophomore running back Quinten Joyner, which included him running through a couple of defenders and even picking off a big block from quarterback Miller Moss, got them back in the red zone. Joyner then ran the ball from 9 yards out on the next play to cap off an 8-play, 88-yard drive that put them up 10-0 in the first quarter.

The Trojans opened the game with a heavy dose of the running game, between Woody Marks and Joyner, picking up 142 yards on 12 carries in the first quarter. USC finished the day with 249 yards on the ground.

USC’s offense continued to roll in the second quarter, as a two-yard touchdown run from Marks and a six-yard touchdown reception from sophomore Makai Lemon for his first career score put the Trojans up 27-0 at halftime. However, the Trojans had two possessions inside the 10-yard line, but they were unable to find the end zone.

UNLV transfer QB Jayden Maiava made his debut as a member of the Trojans after Joyner’s 2-yard touchdown for his second score of the day made it 34-0 in the third quarter. Moss finished his day 21 of 30 for 229 yards and one touchdown.

Maiava wasted no time introducing himself to the Trojan fan base, orchestrating a scoring drive of his own that ended with Maiava making a Caleb Williams-esque play by making defenders miss in the backfield and running in a seven-yard touchdown. A play that had Lincoln Riley and Moss all laughing from the sidelines.

The USC defense made a statement with former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald in the mix, making life difficult for Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes all night long.
Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold intercepted the ball from Barnes and safety Kamari Ramsey forced a fumble that resulted in a turnover on downs.

Utah State attempted a cross-field kick in the final minute to keep the score at zero, but the ball went wide of the left side.

“I don’t think we’re anywhere near as good as we can be,” Mascarenas-Arnold said. “I think that’s really how a good defense should work.”

USC has a week off next week before traveling to Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 21 to take on the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines in their first-ever Big Ten game.