USC
Arizona State
Players Mentioned
No. 5 USC Football Visits Arizona State For First Away Game Of 2023 Season
September 19, 2023 | Football
TEMPE TIME
*USC hits the road for the first time this season as the Trojans travel to Tempe, Ariz. to challenge Arizona State in another conference match up.
*Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT, and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
*The Trojans are ranked No. 5 in the latest AP Poll.
STANFORD RECAP
*Defending Heisman Trophy winner QB Caleb Williams continues to show why is he the greatest player in the nation as he led the USC Trojans to defeat Stanford 56-10 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
*Leading Lincoln Riley's electric offense, Williams put up incredible numbers – and hasn't yet played an entire game for the Trojans, as backup QB Miller Moss has come in to take over in each game this season.
*Williams has played 8 quarters of football through 3 games this season.
*Against the Cardinal, Williams went 19-of-21 for 281 yards and 3 TDs with no INTs. He also rushed for 21 yards and 1 TD. He spread the ball out to 8 different receivers and WR Dorian Singer, WR Brenden Rice and TE Lake McRee each scored TDs off passes from Williams, all in the second quarter.
*The 56 points USC scored against Stanford were the most against the Cardinal in the history of the series. The previous high for points by USC against Stanford was 54 in a 54-7 win in 1952. The 46-point margin of victory over Stanford is USC's largest since winning by 49 points (49-0) in 1977. It is also the third-largest margin of victory for USC against Stanford, behind the 1977 (49 points) and 1952 (47 points) wins. USC has scored 50 or more points in the first three games of this season, and it is the first time it has accomplished this feat in school history.
*USC's 178 points in three games this season, ties for the third-most in any three-game stretch in school history. USC scored 188 points from 2004-05 (Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Arkansas, but later vacated due to NCAA penalty. USC scored 186 points in the first three games of the 1925 season, and also scored 178 in the first three games of the 2005 season.
*USC held Stanford to 10 points for the first time since winning 13-10 in the 2014 season.
*The 49 first-half points scored by USC are the most scored by the Trojans in a half under Lincoln Riley. The previous high had been 35 points, done three times (1st half vs. Nevada on Sept. 2, 2023, 2nd half vs. Rice on Sept. 3, 2022 and 1st half at Stanford on Sept. 10, 2022).
*USC's 49 first-half points were the most points scored in a half by the Trojans since scoring 49 points in the second half vs. Notre Dame on November 30, 1974 in a 55-24 victory (USC trailed 24-6 at the half).
*USC had 27 first downs against Stanford and 80 first downs in its first three games.
*USC scored on its first drive of the game, an 8-play, 75-yard drive which concluded with a 21-yard TD run by QB Caleb Williams. USC has scored on its first drive in all three games this season.
*USC had 573 total yards of offense and has had over 500 total yards in all three games this season. USC now has 12 games of 500 or more total yards under Lincoln Riley (17 games).
*WR Zachariah Branch returned a punt for a 75-yard TD in the second quarter. He had a 96-yard kickoff return for a TD vs. San Jose State on Aug. 26.
*RB MarShawn Lloyd scored on a 5-yard TD run in the first quarter. It was his second rushing score as a Trojan and 12th career rushing TD. Lloyd finished with 9 carries for 77 yards.
*RB Austin Jones, who began his career at Stanford, had a 1-yard TD run in the first quarter. Jones finished with 6 carries for 33 yards.
*S Max Williams had his first interception of the season in the first quarter which set up USC's second TD. It was Williams' third career interception, and the 39-yard return was the longest of his career.
*WR Brenden Rice scored on a 75-yard TD reception in the second quarter. It was the longest catch and TD reception of his career. It was his only catch of the night and he led USC in receiving yards in the game.
*S Jaylin Smith led the Trojans with 6 solo tackles
*QB Miller Moss played the entire second half and finished 11-for-15 with 112 yards passing. Moss also had a 15-yard TD run, the second of his career (also scored a rushing TD vs. San Jose State in the season opener).
*PK Denis Lynch went 8-for-8 in extra-point attempts.
CALEB BY THE NUMBERS
*QB Caleb Williams has played 133 snaps compared to Oregon's Bo Nix (167 snaps), Washington's Micahel Penix Jr. (168 snaps), Notre Dame's Sam Hartman (209 snaps) and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders (239 snaps).
*This season, Williams is 55-of-70 for 878 yards with 12 TDs and 0 INTs. He has also rushed for 61 yards this season with 1 TD – all within just 8 quarters of football throughout 3 games.
*Compared to his first three games of his Heisman winning season in 2022 (64-of-86 for 874 yards with 8 TDs and 73 rushing yards with 2 TDs – playing 11 quarters of football), Williams has thrown 4 more TDs through 3 games this year, all while playing 3 fewer quarters than he did to begin the 2022 season.
*He is currently No. 1 in the nation for yards per pass attempt (12.54), No. 1 in the nation in points responsible for per game (26.0), No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency (240.5), No. 2 in the nation in passing TDs (12), No. 2 in the nation in points responsible for (78), No. 5 in the nation in completion percentage (0.786), No. 9 in the nation in passing yards per completion (15.96).
RILEY'S ELECTRIC OFFENSE
*The Trojan offense is No. 1 in the nation for scoring offense (59.3), tied for No. 1 in the nation in red zone offense (1.000), No. 3 in the nation in total offense (580.7), No. 4 in the nation for team passing efficiency (211.06) and No. 4 in the nation for passing offense (395.7).
BREATHTAKING BRANCH
*WR Zachariah Branch returned a punt for a 75-yard TD in the second quarter. He had a 96-yard kickoff return for a TD vs. San Jose State on Aug. 26.
*He also has 2 TD receptions and is the first Trojan since Adoree' Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return and kickoff return for a TD, as well as at least one receiving TD in the same season. Jackson had 2 punt returns and 2 kickoff returns for TDs and 1 TD reception during the 2016 season.
*Since 1971 (when records are available) Branch is one of just 3 USC players to accomplish the feat, joining Jackson and Curtis Conway (1992 – 1 kickoff return TD, 1 punt return TD, 5 rec TD). He also had 4 receptions for 30 yards and 1 carry for 2 rushing yards against Stanford.
*Branch is currently tied for No. 1 in the nation for kickoff return TDs (1), tied for No. 1 in the nation in punt return TDs (1), No. 2 in the nation in combined kick returns (283) and No. 4 in the nation in punt returns (22.6).
ARIZONA STATE SCOUTING REPORT
*Arizona State is 1-2 on the 2023 season.
*On Saturday Sept. 16, the Sun Devils lost 29-0 to Fresno State in Tempe, Ariz.
*The Sun Devils had not been shut out at home since Nov. 12, 1988, a 50-0 loss to USC.
*ASU has not scored a point since WR Elijhah Badger caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from QB Jaden Rashada with 10:07 left in the second quarter against Oklahoma State in Week 2.
*ASU played three quarterbacks against Fresno State, with Jacob Conover, the fourth-string QB seeing a lot of the action after Trenton Bourguet and Drew Pyne left with injuries.
*QB Jaden Rashada, ASU's starting quarterback in the first two games, didn't play because of injury which may keep him out 4-6 weeks.
*ASU had 8 turnovers against the Bulldogs - Pyne lost two fumbles and had two passes intercepted. Conover had two passes intercepted. Bourguet had a pass intercepted. RB Tevin White lost a fumble.
*The ASU defense held the Bulldogs to just 2 TDs, both on Fresno State's opening possession of each half, and 5 field goals. Fresno State regularly had a short field because of the turnovers.
*RB Cam Skattebo is the Sun Devil's leading rusher with 36 carries for 152 yards and 2 TDs.
*Three Sun Devils have caught TDs this season WR Xavier Guillory (12 receptions for 140 yards and 1 TD), WR Elijhah Badger (9 receptions for 125 yards and 1 TD) and WR Troy Omeire (1 reception for 3 yards and 1 TD).
*DB Chris Edmonds leads the team in tackles with 21.
*DL Prince Dorbah has recorded 2.5 sacks for minus 23 yards this season.
*PK Dario Longhetto is 1-for-1 in field goals making a 38 yarder against Southern Utah in the season opener.
RANKINGS
*USC is ranked No. 5 in the latest AP Poll and 5th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Arizona State is not ranked.
SERIES
*USC holds a 24-14 edge in its series with Arizona State (not including Troy's 2005 road victory later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 25-14). USC has won 6 of the past 8 meetings.
*In games played in Tempe, USC leads the series, 12-7.
VERSUS PAC-12 CONFERENCE
*USC has won 69.8% (491-204-29) of its games against current Pac-12 opponents (does not include 9 wins later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 500-204-29, 70.2%).
IN SEPTEMBER
*USC has a 195-55-8 (.771) all-time record while playing in the month of September (does not include 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 198-55-8, .774).
AT NIGHT
*USC is 190-77-4 (.709) at night, including 113-35-4 in the Coliseum, 62-33 on the road and 15-9 at neutral sites (does not include 5 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 195-78-4, .711 overall, 116-35-4 in the Coliseum, 17-10 at neutral sites).
USC-ARIZONA STATE CONNECTIONS
*USC has 8 players from Arizona (DB Jacobe Covington of Saguaro HS, DB Daniel Jimenez-Fulton of Chandler HS, OL Andrew Milek of Brophy Prep, WR Brenden Rice of Hamilton HS, DL Anthony Lucas of Chapparal HS, WR Duce Robinson of Pinnacle HS, OL Elijah Paige of Pinnacle HS and WR Ja'Kobi Lane of Red Mountain HS), while the Sun Devils have 26 Californians on their roster.
*While not originally from Arizona (his hometown is Saint Paul, Minn.), USC WR Dorian Singer attended high school at Pinnacle HS with teammates WR Duce Robinson and OL Elijah Paige.
*USC DB Max Williams' brother, Macen, is a redshirt junior defensive back at Arizona State.
*USC ILB Eric Gentry transferred to USC in the fall of 2022 from Arizona State, where he was a 2021 consensus Freshman All-American first teamer (Football Writers, ESPN.com, Maxwell Football Club, Pro Football Focus, 247Sports.com, Pro Football Network) as a Sun Devil.
*USC P/PK Eddie Czaplicki transferred to USC in the spring of 2023 from Arizona State, where he spent two seasons handling punting and kickoff duties.
*USC RUSH Romello Height was college teammates with ASU DB Ro Torrence at Auburn.
*USC S Zion Branch, WR Zachariah Branch, RUSH Garrett Pomerantz, CB Fabian Ross and ASU OL Cade Briggs all prepped at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas, Nev.
*USC WR Brenden Rice's stepfather Rick Cunningham played for the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals from 1992-94.
*USC WR Brenden Rice and ASU WR Tyson Jordyn were college teammates at Colorado.
*USC CB Jacobe Covington and ASU RB Javen Jacobs, LB Will Shaffer and DL Tristan Monday, DL West Magnum, OL Bram Walden and DL John Butler III all prepped at Saguaro HS in Arizona.
*USC DL Kyon Barrs and ASU WR Giovanni Sanders prepped together at Murrieta Mesa HS in California.
*USC TE Jude Wolfe, P Will Rose, DL Kobe Pepe, RB Matt Colombo and ASU OL Sean Na'a all prepped at St. John Bosco HS in California.
*USC CB Domani Jackson, DL Solomon Tuliaupupu, ILB Raesjon Davis, WR Kyron Hudson, WR Josiah Zamora, WR Raleek Brown, WR Corey Nerhus and ASU P Race Mahlum all prepped at Mater Dei HS in California.
*USC S Daniel Jimenez-Fulton and ASU QB Jacob Conover prepped together at Chandler HS in Arizona.
*USC DL Kyon Barrs and WR Dorian Singer were college teammates with ASU DB Adama Fall at Arizona.
*ASU cornerbacks coach Bryan Carrington was previously an offensive quality control analyst at USC.
*USC Athletics' Director of Web Content & Development Josh Nacion is a graduate of Arizona State.
*ASU women's volleyball head coach JJ Van Neil previously served as USC's associate head coach under Brad Keller. He coached at USC from 2018-22.
*ASU women's tennis coach Sheila McInerney was a four-time All-American at USC from 1977-1980, winning three national championships. McInerney also served as assistant women's tennis coach during the 1983-84 season, where USC was a NCAA finalist.
*ASU DB Xavion Alford and WR Jake Smith both previously played at USC.
