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No. 6 USC Football Opens Pac-12 Play vs. Stanford On Joint Forces Day
September 05, 2023 | Football
USC'S OLDEST RIVAL
*No. 6 USC will play the first Pac-12 game of 2023 when long-time foe Stanford comes to visit the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum one final time as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. It's a nationally-televised primetime matchup on FOX.
*Stanford is USC's oldest rival, dating back to 1905. The Trojans have won 6 of the last 11 games against the Cardinal dating back to 2013 (the two teams did not meet in 2020 for the first time since 1945).
*USC has won 2 of its last 3 home games against Stanford dating back to 2017.
*As USC enters the Big Ten Conference in 2024 and Stanford has just announced its move to the Atlantic Coastal Conference in 2024, this could be the last matchup between two historic west coast rivals for the foreseeable future.
*This is the Pac-12's first conference game of 2023.
NEVADA RECAP
*Defending Heisman Trophy winner QB Caleb Williams went 18-of-24 for 319 yards and 5 TDs and rushed for 42 yards to lead the Trojans to victory over Nevada 66-14 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. His 5 touchdown passes tied his most as a Trojan (4th time). Williams has a career high of 6 TD passes while at Oklahoma (vs. Texas Tech on Oct. 10, 2021).
*Through two games, Williams is 36-of-49 (.735) with 9 TDs and 0 INTs.
*As of Sept 3, he is No 1 in the nation (and No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference) in passing TDs (9), No. 1 in the nation (and No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference) in points responsible for (54), No. 2 in the nation (and No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference) in passing yards (597), No. 4 in the nation (and No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference) in passing efficiency (236.4), No. 5 in the nation (and No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference) in yards per pass attempt (12.18), No. 6 in the nation (and No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference) in passing yards per completion (16.58) and No. 6 in the nation (and No. 2 in the Pac-12 Conference) in points responsible for per game (27.0).
*The last time USC opened a season by scoring more than 50 points in each of its first two games was the 2015 season. USC began that season with a 55-6 win over Arkansas State and a 59-9 win over Idaho. Both games were also at home.
*The last time USC scored more points in any two games in a season (122 points through 2 games) was the start of the 2005 season, when the Trojans scored 133 in defeating at home Hawai'i (63-17) and Arkansas (70-17).
*The 66 points scored were USC's most since defeating Rice also 66-14 in the 2022 season opener on Sept. 3, 2022.
*The 35 first-half points scored by USC matches the most points by the Trojans in a half under Lincoln Riley, done twice before (35 in the second half vs. Rice on Sept. 3, 2022 and 35 in first half vs. Stanford on Sept. 10, 2022).
*USC had 668 total yards of offense against Nevada and 501 total yards against San José State. USC now has 11 games of 500 or more total yards under Lincoln Riley (16 games).
*USC's 668 total yards were its most since amassing 737 total yards vs. Idaho on Sept. 12, 2015 in a 59-9 win.
*QB Miller Moss also saw action going 7-of-10 (.700) with 1 TD. He threw a career-long 71-yard TD pass to WR Duce Robinson in the fourth quarter (the first TD of Robinson's USC career).
*WR Zachariah Branch opened the game with a 22-yard TD.
*WR Tahj Washington caught 2 TDs and had 3 receptions for 75 yards. The 2 TD catches ties his career high for one game (3rd time).
*RB MarShawn Lloyd scored his first TD as a Trojan and 11th rushing TD of his career with a 24-yard scamper in the first quarter. In 21 games at South Carolina, Lloyd had 10 rushing and 2 receiving TDs. Tonight, Lloyd had 7 carries for 76 yards and the 1 TD.
*RB Quinten Joyner had a 47-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. It was the freshman's first career TD for USC and it is the longest TD run by a Trojan this season. In total, Joyner had 4 carries for 65 yards.
*DT Stanley Ta'ufo'ou returned a fumble for a 23-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was the first fumble recovery by a Trojan returned for a touchdown since Tuli Tuipulotu at Washington State on Sept. 18, 2021. In his press conference after the game, Coach Riley said, "Obviously Stanley's fumble return was probably the major highlight of the game. When big people score, football is more fun. So that was awesome."
*ILB Shane Lee led USC with 10 tackles today.
*USC recorded 5 sacks, one each by RUSH Jamil Muhammad, RUSH Solomon Byrd, RUSH Braylan Shelby, ILB Shane Lee and DT De'jon Benton.
*PK Denis Lynch went 9-for-9 in extra-point attempts and made a 37-yard field goal.
STANFORD SCOUTING REPORT
*Stanford is 1-0 overall after defeating Hawaii 37-24 in its season opener in Honolulu.
*It was the debut for new head coach Troy Taylor leading the Cardinal. He spent the last four seasons at Sacramento State.
*QB Ashton Daniels went 22-of-36 for 249 yards and 2 TDs and no INTs. It was his first career start.
*TE Benjamin Yurosek was Daniel's favorite target and caught 9 passes for a career-high 138 yards.
*WR John Humphreys had 3 receptions for 29 yards and 1 TD.
*RB Casey Filkins led the Cardinal in rushing with 67 yards on 6 carries.
*RBs E.J. Smith and Bryce Farrell each scored rushing TDs.
*Defensively, S Alaka'i Gilman led the team with 7 tackles.
*OLB David Bailey recorded 3 sacks for minus 20 yards against Hawaii.
*S Jimmy Wyrick, CB Collin Wright and DL Zach Buckey each tallied a PBU.
*K Joshua Karty scored 3 FG of 25, 25, and 46 yards. He was 4-for-4 in OAT attempts.
RANKINGS
•USC is still ranked No. 6 in the pre-season AP sports media poll and 6th in the USA Today coaches poll. Stanford is not ranked. New rankings come out on Sept. 5. SERIES*Stanford is USC's oldest rival, with the series dating back to 1905.
*USC holds a 64-34-3 lead over Stanford (Troy's 2005 victory was vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 65-34-3).
*In games in the Los Angeles area (including a 1918 game in Pasadena), USC leads 28-20-1 (not including a USC win in 2005 vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 29-20-1) and has won 2 of the 3 last home games.
VERSUS PAC-12 CONFERENCE
*USC has won 69.8% (490-204-29) of its games against current Pac-12 opponents (does not include 9 wins later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 499-204-29, 70.2%).
PAC-12 OPENERS
*In conference openers, USC is 71-24-5 (.735). In conference openers at home, the Trojans are 42-10-3 (.791). (Does not include 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 72-24-5, .738)
IN SEPTEMBER
*USC has a 194-55-8 (.770) all-time record while playing in the month of September (does not include 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 197-55-8, .773).
IN COLISEUM
*USC has a 463-146-27 (.749) all-time record in the Coliseum since the stadium opened in 1923 (not including 6 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 469-146-27, .752). USC's 642 games played in the Coliseum (including the 6 vacated wins) is the third most that any school has played in its home stadium (behind Georgia Tech's 718 in Bobby Dodd Stadium and Tennessee's 643 in Neyland Stadium).
USC-STANFORD CONNECTIONS
*USC has 6 players who previously attended a Bay Area school: DL De'jon Benton (Pittsburg HS), OL Andres Dewerk (Los Gatos HS), CB Prophet Brown (Monterey Trail HS), RB Austin Jones (Bishop O'Dowd HS), OL Alani Noa (Grant Union HS) and OL Amos Talalele (Santa Clara HS).
*USC RB Austin Jones played his first 3 years of college football at Stanford (2019-21).
*USC WR Zachariah Branch, S Zion Branch, CB Fabian Ross, RUSH Garrett Pomerantz and Stanford ILB Benjamin Hudson prepped together at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.).
*USC PK-P Garth White, WR Ty Shamblin and Stanford OL Luke Baklenko, WR Bryce Farrell and PK-P Aidan Flintoft all prepped at Oaks Christian School (Calif.)
*USC TE Jude Wolfe, RB Matt Colombo, P Will Rose, DL Kobe Pepe and Stanford CB Jshawn FraustoRamos and ILB Spencer Lytle all prepped at St. John Bosco HS (Calif.)
*USC CB Domani Jackson, ILB Raesjon Davis, WR Kyron Hudson, WR Raleek Brown, WR Josiah Zamora, WR Corey Nerhus, DL Solomon Tuliaupupu and Stanford OLB David Bailey all prepped at Mater Dei HS (Calif.)
*USC RUSH Romello Height, ILB Chris Thompson Jr. and Stanford S Omari Porter previously played together at Auburn.
*USC swimming associate head coach Lea Maurer was the Stanford women's swimming head coach (2006-2012) and also swam for the Cardinal (1992-94).
*Graduate assistant Peyton Pelluer's uncle, Arnie, was a linebacker at Stanford (1985-89).
*Stanford OLB Lance Keneley is the son of former USC DL Matt Keneley (1993-96) and USC women's volleyball player Antoinette Lindemann (Thomas). He is also the nephew of former USC football DT Todd Keneley (1999) and OG-C Clay Hattabaugh (1991-95).
*Stanford OL Jaxson Moi's father, Junior Moi, was a OLB-DE at USC (1991-92).
*Stanford women's beach volleyball coach Andrew Fuller was an assistant at USC for 3 seasons (2013- 15). His wife and volunteer assistant for the women's beach volleyball team, Lauren Fendrick, attended law school at USC.
*Stanford's co-offensive line coach Viane Talamaivao played at USC from 2014-17 and returned as a graduate assistant from 2019-20. He then shifted into a quality control analyst for the 2021 season.
*Stanford offensive quality control analyst Vavae Malepeai played for Trojans from 2017-21 and graduated from USC with three degrees: a bachelor's degree in communications, a master's in project management and another master's in non-governmental organizations and social change.
