USC
Utah State
Players Mentioned
No. 13 USC Football Welcomes Utah State In 2024 Home Opener At L.A. Memorial Coliseum
September 04, 2024 | Football
THE pLAce TO BE
*No. 13 USC returns home to LA to challenge Utah State in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for it's home opener.
*After 9.2 million viewers (peaking at 11.1 million) watched USC win the fist fight against LSU at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with a 27-20 victory, the Trojans are ready to play in the Coliseum and show the world that USC is the pLAce to be.
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS…
*Then-ranked No. 23 USC upset then-ranked No. 13 LSU on the grandest of stages on Sunday, Sept. 1 in front of a record-breaking, sold-out crowd at Allegiant Stadium.
*This matchup set a new Allegiant Stadium attendance record at 63,969, surpassing Super Bowl LVIII.
*USC is now 1-0 on the season and improves to 2-1 over LSU all-time.
*USC now has 8 straight season opening wins.
*Head coach Lincoln Riley remains undefeated in USC season openers.
*It was USC's first win when it trailed entering the fourth quarter against an AP-ranked team since the 2017 Rose Bowl 52-49 victory over Penn State.
*It's also the Trojans' first season-opening win against an AP-ranked team since defeating the then No. 6 Auburn Tigers in 2003.
*This game was ABC's most-streamed college football game on record.
BIG TEN – BIG HONORS
*USC QB Miller Moss earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors for his outstanding performance.
*In USC's first meeting with LSU in 40 years, Moss went 27-for-36 (.750) with 378 yards, a career-best, while throwing 1 TD.
*He is the first Trojan starting quarterback to debut with back-to-back wins over ranked teams since records available in 1971.
*He has started two games in his career and was named Holiday Bowl MVP in his debut and Big Ten Offense Player of the Week in his second start.
*Per PFF, Moss was the third highest-graded QB in the nation with a grade of 93.4 (just behind Ole Miss' Jaxon Dart [95.7] and Purdue's Hudson Card [94.9]).
*Moss, with a plethora of aerial options, spread the ball around to 10 different receivers, with 6 of them recording at least 45 yards or more.
*With 1:47 left on the clock and tied at 20-20, Moss led the Trojan offense on an eight-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in a 13-yard rushing TD from RB Woody Marks with 8 seconds left to secure the victory.
*Moss ranks No. 9 in the nation in passing yards per game (378), No. 9 in the nation in completions per game (27.00) and No. 11 in total offense (370), which also leads the Big Ten Conference.
*Moss also earned placement on the Davey O'Brien Award Great 8.
*To quote head coach Lincoln Riley, "That was some pretty good Big Ten football today."
MAKING HIS MARK
*RB Woody Marks recorded 68 rushing yards on 16 carries (4.2 avg.). and 2 TDs.
*He also tallied 3 receptions for 7 yards (2.3 avg.).
*Marks extended his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 46, which is the longest active streak in the nation.
PLAYERS WITH A CATCH IN AT LEAST 25 CONSECUTIVE GAMES
| NAME | POS | SCHOOL | CATCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woody Marks | RB | USC | 46 |
| LaJohntay Wester | WR | Colorado | 38 |
| Kyle Williams | WR | Wash. St. | 38 |
| Brant Kuithe | TE | Utah | 33 |
| Jaylin Noel | WR | Iowa St. | 33 |
| Brennan Presley | WR | Ok. St. | 31 |
| Andrew Armstrong | WR | Arkansas | 28 |
| JP Richardson | WR | TCU | 28 |
| Derwin Burgess Jr. | WR | Ga. Southern | 28 |
| Elijhah Badger | WR | Florida | 27 |
| Corey Dyches | TE | California | 27 |
| Barion Brown | WR | Kentucky | 27 |
| Raylen Sharpe | WR | Fresno State | 27 |
| Jordan Moore | WR | Duke | 27 |
| Kaedin Robinson | WR | App. State | 26 |
| Isaac TeSlaa | WR | Arkansas | 26 |
| Elijah Sarratt | WR | Indiana | 26 |
| Donavon Greene | WR | Wake Forest | 26 |
| Money Parks | WR | Utah | 25 |
| Ife Adeyi | WR | Sam Houston St. | 25 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | Ohio State | 25 |
LIKE OBJ
*USC's most experienced WR Kryon Hudson led the Trojans as he tallied a career-high 5 catches for 83 yards and 2 TDs.
*He made a "catch of the year" worthy one-handed, acrobatic catch in the second quarter mimicking Odell Beckham Jr.'s most famous catch. This play set up the first TD of the game as RB Woody Marks scored a 2-yard TD later in the drive to give USC a 7-0 lead.
*His second notable catch came in the fourth quarter during USC's final 75-yard drive. He made another one-handed catch and secured the ball into his body despite a blow (a targeting blow, at that) from an LSU defender. This game-changing play set up USC to lock down the victory with Mark's final TD of the game.
*Hudson's one-handed nab in the second quarter was No. 1 on Sunday's SportsCenter Top 10, while his fourth quarter highlight was ranked No. 3.
OTHER STATS OF NOTE
*TE Lake McRee, coming off a torn ACL right before the 2023 Holiday Bowl, had a spectacular first game back recording 5 receptions for 56 yards (11.2 avg.) and making key blocks.
*WR Zachariah Branch, one of the most dangerous men in college football, recorded 102 all-purpose yards between his 56 receiving yards (on 4 catches) and 46 yards on a key kickoff return which took the momentum away from the Tigers. He was one half-step away from yet again taking a kickoff return to the house.
*P Eddie Czaplicki averaged 55.3 yards on 3 punts (a career-best) with a long of 57. He gave the Trojan defense great field position all game long.
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE DEFENSE
*The Trojans debuted defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn's brand of defense against the Tigers holding LSU to just 20 points.
*The last time LSU was limited to 20 points or less was in 2022 in the Tigers' 13-10 victory over Arkansas.
*Following Coach Lynn's 3 pillars of "shocking effort, obnoxious communication and attack", the Trojan defense made some key third and fourth down stops, including a first quarter goal-line stand that changed the momentum of the game.
*The Trojan defensive line held its own against an experienced LSU offensive line.
*The defense limited LSU to just 3 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.
*S Kamari Ramsey led the Trojans with 9 tackles.
*LB Eric Gentry notched 7 tackles with a team leading 2 TFLs for minus 2 yards.
*LB Mason Cobb intercepted LSU QB Nussmeier late in the fourth quarter to secure the victory for USC.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
*Caleb Williams, USC Heisman Trophy winner and Chicago Bears QB – "Mossy you did yo thing playa"
*Dez Bryant, former NFL WR - "USC QB is very legit… Lincoln Riley probably got his best football team in his career as a college coach"
*Emmamuel Acho, FOX Sports Analyst – "Any Quarterback who can land the cover 2 hole shot vs. a sinking corner is like that! You need both the will to take the throw, and the skill to make the throw! Miller Moss, I see you!!"
*Matt Leinart, USC Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst – "Big win for @uscfb beating a very good LSU football team. Defense was a lot better and how about Miller Moss.. ice cold !"
*Robert Griffin III, Baylor Heisman Trophy winner - "3 years ago I called USC's spring game and there was a QB who was absolutely balling out. His name was Miller Moss. I called him M&M because he lived what it meant to lose yourself in the music. Tonight was his moment. He owned it. He got his shot and now he won't ever let it go."
*Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports media personality – "Kyron Hudson. Just unreal hands."
*Nicole Auerbach, NBC College Football Insider – "Zachariah Branch remains must-see TV."
*DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings NBA player – "Kyron Hudson!"
*Caleb Williams, USC Heisman Trophy winner and Chicago Bears QB – "10 you're insane Kyron Hudson"
*Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times reporter – "It should be against the laws of physics what Kyron Hudson just did with that that one-handed catch. My god."
*Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN College Football Analyst - "Miller Moss was bringing the juice on Sunday night...."
UTAH STATE SCOUTING REPORT
*Utah State defeated FCS team Robert Morris 36-14 in its season opener on Saturday, Aug. 31
*Interim head coach Nate Dreiling was elevated from defensive coordinator on July 2 after Utah State parted ways with former head coach Blake Anderson.
*He is the youngest head coach at the FBS level as he is 33 years old.
*He is also one of only two interim head coaches in the nation along with Fresno State's Tim Skipper.
*Starting QB and Iowa transfer Spencer Petras left the game after suffering a left ankle injury while getting tackled on a second-quarter scramble and was unable to return. He threw for 145 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs before leaving the game.
*Former Utah QB Bryson Barnes stepped in and led Utah State to victory.
*Barnes went 11-for-21 (.524) with 198 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.
*He also tallied a career-high 88 rushing yards, including a 63-yard TD.
*The Aggies lost one of their biggest offseason weapons as RB Robert Briggs fractured his left leg in the team's season-opener. Last year, Briggs ran for 420 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and 2 TDs. He collected 88 yards on 9 carries before the injury.
*WR Kyrese White caught 3 passes for a career-high 131 yards and 2 TDs.
*White's father, Emmett White, was a legendary Utah State tailback from 1998-2001. He ranks third all-time in school history in all-purpose yards (5,872), fifth in rushing touchdowns (27) and sixth in rushing yards (2,791), and set the NCAA single-game record with 578 all-purpose yards.
*2023 Third Team All-American and First Team All-Mountain West WR Jalen Royals had 5 catches for 77 yards and 1 TD
*Utah State came back from a 14-10 halftime deficit by outscoring Robert Morris 26-0 during the second half.
*The Aggies outgained the Colonials 376-115 in the second half and finished with 646 yards of total offense.
*The Utah State offensive line didn't allow any sacks or quarterback hurries.
*The Aggies ran a balanced offensive attack and accounted for 343 yards through the air and 303 on the ground.
*Transfer LB Jon Ross Maye, who was an All-American at Division II program Lenoir-Rhyne, finished with a team-leading 10 tackles. It was the 11th career double-digit tackling performance from Maye.
*S Jordan Vincent, a New Mexico State transfer, also tallied a team-leading 10 tackles.
*P Stephen Kotsanlee averaged 45.8 yards on four punts, highlighted by a 67-yarder. It was the veteran's first game back after suffering a season-ending injury last season in Game 6 against Colorado State.
*K Elliott Nimrod was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week. He was 3 for 3 on his field goal attempts, including a career-long 50-yarder. All 8 of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks, which was a career-best. He was 3-for-4 on PATs.
*Utah State is 6-66 all-time against Associated Press-ranked teams, but has won five of its last 17 meetings, including its 46-13 win at No. 19 San Diego State in the 2021 Mountain West Championship game, which was its last win against an AP top-25 team.
*USU's last meeting against an AP top-25 team was its 2023 season opener when it lost at No. 25 Iowa, 24-14.
RANKINGS
*USC is ranked No. 13 in the latest AP Poll and in 14th the USA Today Coaches Poll.
*Utah State is not ranked in either poll.
SERIES
*USC is 6-0 all-time against Utah State, with all of the contests taking place at the Coliseum.
*The most recent encounter with the Aggies was a 45-7 victory over Utah State in 2016.
*The first meeting between the two teams was in 1928 when USC won 40-12.
VERSUS THE MOUNTAIN WEST
*USC is 36-1-1 (.961) all-time against Mountain West schools (does not include 2 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 38-1-1, .963).
*The last time USC played a team from the Mountain West was in 2023 when USC defeated Nevada 66-14 in the Coliseum.
IN SEPTEMBER
*USC's record for home openers is 102-19-7 (.824). (Does not include 1 home and 1 road win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 103-19-7, .826).
USC VS. UTAH SCHOOLS
*Besides its 6-0 mark versus Utah State, USC is 13-10 against Utah and 2-2 against BYU.
IN THE COLISEUM
*USC has a 465-149-27 (.747) all-time record in the Coliseum since the stadium opened in 1923 (not including 6 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 471-149-27, .749). C
OUNTING AT THE COLI
*USC's 647 games played in the Coliseum (including 6 wins vacated by NCAA penalty) are the third most that any school has played in its home stadium, behind Georgia Tech's 725 in Bobby Dodd Stadium and Tennessee's 651 in Neyland Stadium.
SUPER BOWL SITES
•Just 3 teams in the nation are scheduled to play at 3 different Super Bowl sites:*USC – All home games are at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; USC defeated LSU 27-20 at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 1; USC will play UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 23
*Notre Dame – The Irish will play Georgia Tech at MercedesBenz Stadium on Oct. 19; Notre Dame will face Navy at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 26; The Irish will challenge the Trojans in the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 30
*Navy – The Midshipmen will play Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 26; Navy will face Rice at Rice Stadium on Nov. 2; The Midshipmen will challenge South Florida at Raymond James Stadium on Nov. 9.
OLYMPIC RECORD
*USC is 204-70-10 (.736) in seasons that the Summer Olympics have been held (including this season). The Trojans won 4 national titles (1928, 1932, 1972, 2004) and played in 11 bowls (winning 8) during those Olympic seasons. (Does not include 2 wins--including 1 bowl appearance and 1 bowl win--vacated by NCAA penalty; original record: 206-70-10, .738.)
PRESIDENTIAL RECORD
*USC is 222-70-14 (.748) during presidential election years (including this season).
*To be determined later this season, but the Trojans are 127-29- 5 (.804) in years when Republicans won the White House and 94-41-9 (.684) when Democrats won. (Does not include 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; revised record: 223-70-14, .748 overall and 128-29-5, .806 with Republicans.)
*USC has won 4 national championships (1928-32-72-2004) during presidential election years.
TURNAROUNDS
*In USC's 135 seasons, the Trojans have lost 4 or more games 45 times. Following 9 of those 4-plus loss seasons, USC "turned it around" to win the Rose Bowl the next year (1938-43-62-67-72-76-78-84-16).
TV OUTLETS
*USC has appeared live on 34 different television broadcasting outlets. The Trojans have won on the air of all but 3 of those outlets (KTLA, Innovative and a local Memphis station).
*This weekend's game on Big Ten Network will be the 35th television broadcasting outlet that USC has appeared on.
*USC has appeared on live national, regional or local telecasts 580 times.
NIGHT TIME
*USC's first night game (5 p.m. or later) was on Oct. 14, 1944 against St. Mary's Pre-Flight in Fresno.
*The first USC night game in the Coliseum was Oct. 23, 1944 versus Washington.
*USC's 10 night games in 2010 and 2017 are a school record.
*USC opened a season with 6 consecutive night games for the first time in 2015.
*USC is 193-80-4 (.704) at night, including 114-36-4 in the Coliseum. (Does not include 5 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 198-81-4, .707 overall, 117-35-4 in the Coliseum including 3 home wins and 1 loss).
*USC had a school-record 32-game win streak at home at night from 1997 to 2010.)
*USC's most night foes: Oregon State (27), Notre Dame (18) and Washington State (16).
HOME SWEET HOME
*Just 13 players across the nation returned to their previous school after spending one or more seasons at another NCAA institution.
| NAME | SCHOOL | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|
| Beau Allen | Kentucky | Ga. Southern & Tarleton State |
| Jori Benson | Utah | UConn |
| Tyler Buchner | Notre Dame | Alabama |
| Vita Calvaruso | Arkansas | Wisconsin |
| Duce Chestnut | Syracuse | LSU |
| Omarion Cooper | Florida State | Colorado |
| Gilber Edmond | South Carolina | Florida State |
| Kyle Ford | USC | UCLA |
| Jam Griffin | Oregon State | Ole Miss |
| Henry Ikahihifo | Nevada | California |
| Lorando Johnson | Baylor | Arkansas |
| Christian Rorie | Duke | Texas State |
| Corey Rucker | Arkansas St. | South Carolina |
USC-UTAH STATE CONNECTIONS
*Utah State QB Bryson Barnes earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 for his performance in Utah's 2023 win over No. 18 USC, recording 235 passing yards and 3 TDs (14-of-23, 1 INT) with 10 rushes for a season-best 57 yards and a rushing TD.
*Utah State CB D.J. Graham played under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma in 2020 and 2021. He was a Sooner for 4 seasons (2020-2023).
*USC OL Mason Murphy and Utah State RB Nick Floyd are both from Riverside, Calif.
*USC S Akili Arnold, LB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Utah State ILB John Miller were college teammates at Oregon State.
*USC LB Raesjon Davis and Utah State ILB Tanner Williams prepped together at Mater Dei HS.
*USC WR Kyle Ford and Utah State LS Alexander McDougall are both from Corona, Calif.
*USC CB John Humphrey and Utah State DE Ioholani Raass were previously teammates at UCLA in 2020.
*USC WR Ja'Kobi Lane and Utah State S Torren Union are both from Mesa, Ariz.
*USC TE Carson Tabaracci was high school teammates with Utah State ILB Max Alford at Park City HS and are both from Park City, Utah.
*USC TE Carson Tabaracci spent time with Utah State QB Bryson Barnes at Utah.
*USC DT Kash Amos and Utah State S Jordan Vincent are both from Chicago, Ill.
*USC S Bryson Shaw competed at Ohio State while Utah State Vice President and Director of Athletics Diana Sabau served as Ohio State's Football Administrator.
*USC has 3 players from the state of Utah on its roster, while Utah State has 17 players who hail from the state of California.
*USC LB Mason Cobb and Utah State ILB Logan Pili are both from Provo, Utah.
*USC WR Seth Zamora and Utah State LS Alexander McDougall and QB Levi Manning prepped at Centennial HS.
*US RB Cian McKelvey and Utah State ILB Nathan Wright are both from Prescott, Ariz.
*USC CB Jacobe Covington and SNP Hank Pepper and Utah State TE Broc Lane and QB Jacob Conover are all from Chandler, Ariz.
*USC DE Kameryn Fountain and Utah State CB JE Drew both prepped at Booker T. Washington HS.
*While at Utah, Utah State WR Kyrese White played against USC in 2019 (USC won 30-23), 2020 (USC won 33-17) and 2021 (USC lost 26-42).
*While at Utah, Utah State ILB Jason Pearson played against USC in 2022 (USC lost 42-43) and 2023 (USC lost 32-34).
SCOUT TEAM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
*Each week, head coach Lincoln Riley will honor 3 Scout Team Players of the Week.
- Offensive Scout Team Player of the Week: QB Dylan Gebbia
- Defensive Scout Team Player of the Week: S Brandon Shepherd
- Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Week: LB Garrett Pomerantz
