6-Points: USC 43, UNLV 21
September 01, 2018 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
The Trojans moved to 1-0 on the season.
The USC offense started slowly but found its rhythm with a 24-point outburst in the fourth quarter.
The Kids Are Alright
All the talk leading up to this game centered around USC's true freshman QB JT Daniels, but he was one of many young players to thrive on opening day. "The situation wasn't too big," head coach Clay Helton said about his neophytes. "To be able to see JT and Amon-Ra [St. Brown], Trevon Sidney, some redshirt freshmen and Brett Neilon making his first start as a redshirt freshman, just to see their comfort level, it was really neat." Daniels finished 22/35 for 282 yards, linking up with his high school teammate St. Brown seven times, including the first touchdown of both of their careers. Sidney enjoyed the biggest game of his young career (3 catches for 72 yards), while RS freshman Isaiah Pola-Mao marked the first start of his career by forcing a fumble on the opening play and making a team-high seven tackles.
Three-Headed Monster
The Trojans split carries almost evenly between Aca'Cedric Ware (10 rushes for 100 yards and a TD), Stephen Carr (9 carries for 54 yards + a 73-yard kickoff return) and Vavae Malepeai (8 carries for 47 yards and 2 TD) en route to a 219-yard day on the ground. "I was proud of the three backs and the offensive line," Helton said. "In the second half, they wanted to establish the run and did. It opened up the passing game for JT." Ware enjoyed the fourth 100-yard game of his career as he continues to thrive when he's given 10+ touches so he can find a rhythm. "Being a running back, you've got to get a feel of the game," Ware explained. "You've got to get the ball a few times before you really get to running like yourself."
Sack You Very Much
After leading the nation in sacks in 2017, the Trojans picked up right where they left off, racking up five more QB takedowns today. "I cannot commend our pass rush enough," Helton said. "We were rolling people all day and it felt like they were getting to the quarterback." While DC Clancy Pendergast is known to be aggressive, he stuck mostly with a four-man rush today and USC still got home consistently. Senior OLB Porter Gustin led the way with a sack and a half.
Mind the Gaps
The defense did prove susceptible to too many explosive plays in the run game. "Usually, that means a man got out of a gap," Helton explained. "That comes with first game. We've got to eliminate that because we are getting ready to play one of the top backs in the world (Bryce Love), but also one of the top rushing attacks with a brilliant mind in David Shaw." LB Cameron Smith concurred with his head coach's assessment, saying, "We obviously had trouble in the beginning fitting the runs and I think that's something that comes with the first game of the year. We're all running around and trying to make plays. We got that first one under our belt and now it's time to go back and watch some film and see where we can get better." Smith recorded seven tackles, including two for loss, a sack and two passes broken up.
Timing Thing
For the first three quarters, the offense succeeded only in fits and starts. "We ended up scoring 43 points, having over 500 yards and we are all in there saying, 'We can do so much better going into Stanford,'" said Helton about the improvement that needs to be made this week. In particular, Daniels had trouble connecting with Tyler Vaughns and Michael Pittman Jr. "Our kids are going to make those plays. We did not make enough of them and they know it," Helton said. "I thought JT did a wonderful job of giving kids a chance to make plays and that's where we've got to get better."
Chasing Down Killeen
Sophomore kicker Chase McGrath made five field goals to tie the school's single-game record (Ryan Killeen in 2004 vs. UCLA). "That's a big honor but it's a credit to the team," McGrath praised his snapper Damon Johnson and his holder Wyatt Schmidt. "They give me the easiest job because the operation with the snap-hold is so clean." Of course, five field goals means the red zone offense was not efficient today. "I definitely want touchdowns," McGrath joked about the life of a kicker. "That's a good thing, but if we have to settle for a field goal, I've always got JT's back." The final extra point was fired back by long snapper Jake Olson. "Jake is such an amazing person. He has such an amazing story," McGrath said. "He is an inspiration to me and I'm pretty sure he's an inspiration to the whole team."
Â
The Kids Are AlrightAll the talk leading up to this game centered around USC's true freshman QB JT Daniels, but he was one of many young players to thrive on opening day. "The situation wasn't too big," head coach Clay Helton said about his neophytes. "To be able to see JT and Amon-Ra [St. Brown], Trevon Sidney, some redshirt freshmen and Brett Neilon making his first start as a redshirt freshman, just to see their comfort level, it was really neat." Daniels finished 22/35 for 282 yards, linking up with his high school teammate St. Brown seven times, including the first touchdown of both of their careers. Sidney enjoyed the biggest game of his young career (3 catches for 72 yards), while RS freshman Isaiah Pola-Mao marked the first start of his career by forcing a fumble on the opening play and making a team-high seven tackles.
Three-Headed Monster
The Trojans split carries almost evenly between Aca'Cedric Ware (10 rushes for 100 yards and a TD), Stephen Carr (9 carries for 54 yards + a 73-yard kickoff return) and Vavae Malepeai (8 carries for 47 yards and 2 TD) en route to a 219-yard day on the ground. "I was proud of the three backs and the offensive line," Helton said. "In the second half, they wanted to establish the run and did. It opened up the passing game for JT." Ware enjoyed the fourth 100-yard game of his career as he continues to thrive when he's given 10+ touches so he can find a rhythm. "Being a running back, you've got to get a feel of the game," Ware explained. "You've got to get the ball a few times before you really get to running like yourself."
Sack You Very Much
After leading the nation in sacks in 2017, the Trojans picked up right where they left off, racking up five more QB takedowns today. "I cannot commend our pass rush enough," Helton said. "We were rolling people all day and it felt like they were getting to the quarterback." While DC Clancy Pendergast is known to be aggressive, he stuck mostly with a four-man rush today and USC still got home consistently. Senior OLB Porter Gustin led the way with a sack and a half.
Mind the Gaps
The defense did prove susceptible to too many explosive plays in the run game. "Usually, that means a man got out of a gap," Helton explained. "That comes with first game. We've got to eliminate that because we are getting ready to play one of the top backs in the world (Bryce Love), but also one of the top rushing attacks with a brilliant mind in David Shaw." LB Cameron Smith concurred with his head coach's assessment, saying, "We obviously had trouble in the beginning fitting the runs and I think that's something that comes with the first game of the year. We're all running around and trying to make plays. We got that first one under our belt and now it's time to go back and watch some film and see where we can get better." Smith recorded seven tackles, including two for loss, a sack and two passes broken up.
Timing Thing
For the first three quarters, the offense succeeded only in fits and starts. "We ended up scoring 43 points, having over 500 yards and we are all in there saying, 'We can do so much better going into Stanford,'" said Helton about the improvement that needs to be made this week. In particular, Daniels had trouble connecting with Tyler Vaughns and Michael Pittman Jr. "Our kids are going to make those plays. We did not make enough of them and they know it," Helton said. "I thought JT did a wonderful job of giving kids a chance to make plays and that's where we've got to get better."
Chasing Down Killeen
Sophomore kicker Chase McGrath made five field goals to tie the school's single-game record (Ryan Killeen in 2004 vs. UCLA). "That's a big honor but it's a credit to the team," McGrath praised his snapper Damon Johnson and his holder Wyatt Schmidt. "They give me the easiest job because the operation with the snap-hold is so clean." Of course, five field goals means the red zone offense was not efficient today. "I definitely want touchdowns," McGrath joked about the life of a kicker. "That's a good thing, but if we have to settle for a field goal, I've always got JT's back." The final extra point was fired back by long snapper Jake Olson. "Jake is such an amazing person. He has such an amazing story," McGrath said. "He is an inspiration to me and I'm pretty sure he's an inspiration to the whole team."
Â
Players Mentioned
TB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
OLB
/ Football
SNP
/ Football
TB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
C
/ Football
SNP
/ Football
WR
/ Football
S
/ Football
HLD-SNP
/ Football
WR
/ Football
ILB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
TB
/ FootballUSC Football vs. Illinois Post Game Press Conference
Saturday, September 27
Football - USC 32, Illinois 34: Highlights (9/27/25)
Saturday, September 27
Women's Volleyball - USC 3, OSU 0: Highlights (9/27/25)
Saturday, September 27
Women's Volleyball - USC 2, Penn State 3: Highlights (9/26/25)
Friday, September 26
