USC
2-0 , 0-0
Nevada
0-1 , 0-0
Caleb Williams Shines As No. 6 USC Football Dominates Nevada, 66-14
September 02, 2023 | Football
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although Lincoln Riley was pleased by big plays and small improvements alike during No. 6 Southern California's second straight blowout win, nothing thrilled the head coach and his sideline more than the 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown by 275-pound defensive lineman Stanley Ta'ufo'ou.
"When big people score, football is more fun," Riley said with a grin.
Defense gets in on the scoring!
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) September 3, 2023
📺: @Pac12Network
📱: https://t.co/H8gtm99ygy pic.twitter.com/Xj43eg7d5j
Led by their biggest star of all, the Trojans had another Saturday of fun while preparing for bigger challenges ahead.
Caleb Williams threw for 319 yards and hit Tahj Washington with two of his five touchdown passes, leading USC to a 66-14 victory over Nevada.
Zachariah Branch, Michael Jackson III and Brenden Rice also caught TD passes from their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for the Trojans (2-0), who followed up their blowout of San Jose State with another rout of a Mountain West opponent at the Coliseum.
USC's 668 yards were its most under Riley, and its 66 points matched the highest-scoring game of his tenure.
"I'm proud of both sides (of the ball)," Riley said. "A few plays here and there that we're going to want back, that we know we have to continue to clean up, but we took a step this week."
Williams passed for 258 yards and four TDs on just 15 completions while USC built a 35-7 halftime lead. He finished 18 of 24 while also rushing for 42 yards and adding another array of remarkable escapes and pinpoint completions to his collection - but Riley qualified his praise.
"He's improving," Riley said. "I can't say I'm disappointed with how he's played, but he's got to get better. ... Everybody wants to look at the score and just write the story, and there's so much to it. There's some things he's done really well, especially the situational ball, and some understandings defensively have improved, but we've had a handful of plays in both games that we both want back, that we've got to go get and not leave on the table."
South Carolina transfer MarShawn Lloyd had 76 yards rushing and 59 yards receiving, while touted freshmen Quinten Joyner and Duce Robinson scored their first career touchdowns in the fourth quarter.Caleb. Williams.
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) September 2, 2023
📺: @Pac12Network
📱: https://t.co/H8gtm99ygy pic.twitter.com/BugyG7DPIT
"We didn't finish how we wanted to in the last game, but this game, we got the young guys in," said receiver Mario Williams, who had four catches for 66 yards.
Brendon Lewis passed for 182 yards for the Wolf Pack (0-1), who scored on their opening drive before giving up 45 consecutive points. Freshman AJ Bianco threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Bell on his first career pass attempt during the fourth quarter for Nevada, which went 2-10 in coach Ken Wilson's debut last season after four straight winning campaigns under Jay Norvell.
Williams was in control from the opening drive, during which he improvised a stunning 30-yard completion to Dorian Singer while on a dead sprint to the sideline. Two plays later, he threw a perfect 22-yard TD fade to Branch, the freshman phenomenon who scored two touchdowns in the opener.
Nevada answered with a 73-yard catch by Spencer Curtis leading to a TD run by Sean Dollars.
RILEY DEFENDS ROLAND-WALLACE
Riley began his postgame availability by voicing his displeasure with the Pac-12 for suspending backup defensive back Christian Roland-Wallace for the first half over his role in a melee during last year's Territorial Cup game while Roland-Wallace played for Arizona.
Riley said the Pac-12 didn't tell him Roland-Wallace needed to serve a suspension until the Thursday afternoon before USC's second game - and when he questioned the decision, due to Roland-Wallace's minor role in the fracas, the conference told him it was too late to reconsider.
"I don't want this to put (Roland-Wallace) in a bad light, because it shouldn't, and it's wrong,"Riley said.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Trojans have been exactly what most voters already thought they were, so they should stay about where they started.
UP NEXT
USC: Host Stanford on Saturday, Sept. 9. Tickets to the game start at $75 but are going fast.
Team Stats
NEV 0, USC 7
USC - Branch,Zachariah 22 yd pass from Williams,Caleb (Lynch,Denis kick) 4 plays, 79 yards, TOP 02:15
NEV 7, USC 7
NEV - Dollars,Sean 3 yd run (Talton,Brandon kick), 4 plays, 85 yards, TOP 01:39
NEV 7, USC 14
USC - Lloyd,MarShawn 24 yd run (Lynch,Denis kick), 4 plays, 54 yards, TOP 02:09
NEV 7, USC 21
USC - Washington,Tahj 22 yd pass from Williams,Caleb (Lynch,Denis kick) 4 plays, 45 yards, TOP 02:10
NEV 7, USC 28
USC - Jackson III,Michael 15 yd pass from Williams,Caleb (Lynch,Denis kick) 4 plays, 68 yards, TOP 01:11
NEV 7, USC 35
USC - Rice,Brenden 13 yd pass from Williams,Caleb (Lynch,Denis kick) 3 plays, 64 yards, TOP 02:17
NEV 7, USC 42
USC - Washington,Tahj 45 yd pass from Williams,Caleb (Lynch,Denis kick) 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 02:58
NEV 7, USC 45
USC - Lynch,Denis 37 yd field goal 10 plays, 79 yards, TOP 04:42
NEV 7, USC 52
USC - Ta'ufo'ou,Stanley 23 yd fumble recovery (Lynch,Denis kick)
NEV 14, USC 52
NEV - Bell,Jamaal 77 yd pass from Bianco,AJ (Talton,Brandon kick) 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:47
NEV 14, USC 59
USC - Joyner,Quinten 47 yd run (Lynch,Denis kick), 5 plays, 69 yards, TOP 02:01
NEV 14, USC 66
USC - Robinson,Duce 71 yd pass from Moss,Miller (Robles,Tyler kick) 2 plays, 68 yards, TOP 00:54
