USC holds on for a road victory over feisty Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — After eight tumultuous trips into Big Ten country over two seasons, Lincoln Riley figured ahead of his third that he had learned something about how rough the road could be. Just twice in those eight tries had USC left L.A. and managed to return home with a conference win.

So at the start of a third Big Ten road slate, Riley resolved to have his Trojans better prepared. They had experience to build on now, after all. They even borrowed a plane from the Arizona Cardinals, with special lie-down seats for added comfort. All of this in anticipation of a team that lost its first two games to Boston College and Massachusetts.

And yet, in spite of all that, Riley and the Trojans still found themselves right back in the same precarious position Saturday, bogged down by bad football on both sides and fighting for their life on the road against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten.

No. 12 USC 42, Rutgers 35, end of game

USC started on its 25 after the touchback.

Jayden Maiava passed to Mark Bowman 17 yards. Maiava passed to Tanook Hines for seven yards. King Miller rushed for five yards. Miller ran for nine yards and the two-minute warning was triggered.

Miller ran for 12 yards. Miller ran for no gain and Rutgers called timeout with 1:15 remaining. Maiava passed to Mark Bowman for seven yards to the Rutgers 18. On third-and-three for the Rutgers 18, Miller ran for eight yards.

USC botched a snap and Maiava fought to regain control. Rutgers was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

USC took a knee and ran out the clock.

No. 12 USC 42, Rutgers 35, 4:22 left in fourth quarter

Rutgers started on its 25.

Dylan Lonergan ran for 11 yards, tossed an incomplete pass and ran for one yard. Antwan Raymond ran for six yards. On fourth-and-three, Lonergan ran for five yards. Lonergan tossed an incomplete pass. On fourth down, Lonergan passed to KJ Duff for 12 yards.

Lonergan tossed three consecutive incomplete passes. On fourth down at the USC 28, Lonergan passed to Vernon Allen III for a 28-yard touchdown and Rutgers hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 42, Rutgers 28, 8:41 left in fourth quarter

Waymond Jordan ran for five yards.

Jayden Maiava passed to Mark Bowman in triple coverage in the end zone and it fell incomplete. On third-and-five, Jordan ran for one yard. On fourth-and-four, Maiava passed two Corey Simms for two yards and USC turned the ball over on downs.

Rutgers started on its 15. Dylan Lonergan tossed an incomplete pass, Antwan Raymond ran for six yards, Lonergan ran for three yards and Raymond ran for gain, turning the ball over on downs.

USC started on Rutgers 24.

King Miller ran for three yards. Riley Wormley ran 13 yards. King Miller ran for no gain and Rutgers was called for a substitution infraction. Jordan ran two yards and no gain before Maiava passed for a two-yard touchdown.

Caden Chittenden hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 35, Rutgers 28, end of third quarter

USC started on its 25 after a touchback.

King Miller ran for three yards. Jayden Maiava tossed an incomplete pass intended for Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Rutgers was called for a substitution penalty. On third-and-two at the USC 23, Maiava’s pass intended for Tanook Hines was dropped. On fourth down, Maiava passed deep for Dixon-Wyatt and he pulled in a contested ball for a gain of 32 yards. Rutgers also was offsides on the play, but it was declined. Maiava rolled out of the pocket and ran for 12 yards to the Rutgers 23 as time expired in the third quarter.

No. 12 USC 35, Rutgers 28, 1:08 left in the third quarter

Rutgers started on its 25 after the touchback.

Antwan ran for nine yards, two yards and one yards. Dylan Lonergan then passed to Ben Black III for 31 yards.

Lonergan passed to Jourdin Houston for 14 yards, moving the ball to the USC 18.

Raymond ran for two yards. Lonergan tossed an incomplete pass, but USC’s Chasen Johnson was called for pass interference.

On first-and-goal at the USC 10, Raymond ran for eight yards. Raymond then ran for a two-yard touchdown.

Rutgers hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 35, Rutgers 21, 5:51 left in the third quarter

USC started on its 25 after the touchback.

Riley Wormley ran for 27 yards. Jayden Maiava passed to Corey Simms for nine yards. King Miller ran for four yards.

Maiava passed toward Kayden Wyatt-Dixon in the middle of the end zone, but the ball sailed too deep and out of play. Maiava held his helmet in frustration after the errant throw. Maiava passed to Tron Baker for 12 yards.

On first down at the Rutgers 23, Maiva passed to Tanook Hines for 10 yards.

Wormley then ran for a 12-yard touchdown.

Maiava passed to Wyatt-Dixon for a two-point conversion.

No. 12 USC 27, Rutgers 21, 8:52 left in the third quarter

Rutgers started on its 25 after the touchback.

Antwan Raymond carried for no gain, but USC was called offsides.

Raymond ran for four yards and then 49 yards to the USC 17.

Clay Thevenin then went up the middle for a 17-yard touchdown.

Rutgers hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 27, Rutgers 14, 10:32 left in the third quarter

Rutgers started on its 25 after the touchback.

Dylan Lonergan passed to Antwan Raymond for 22 yards before throwing an incomplete pass. He then passed to KJ Duff for nine yards. Raymond ran for four yards. Lonergan’s pass intended for Raymond was incomplete. Lonergan passed to Duff for nine yards. On third-and-one, CLay Thevenin ran for two yards.

Lonergan tossed an incomplete pass. On second-and-10 at the USC 29, Prophet Brown intercepted Dylan Lonergan’s pass and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown.

Caden Chittenden hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 20, Rutgers 14, 14:52 left in the third quarter

USC kicked off to Rutgers start the third quarter.

Rutgers started on its 25 after the touchback.

No. 12 USC 20, Rutgers 14, end of second quarter

USC started on its 25 after the touchback.

Rutgers returned the kickoff to its 28.

Dylan Lonergan took a knee and time expired in the first half.

During a halftime interview with CBS, USC coach Lincoln Riley said:

“The fake punt and them taking it down there and capitalizing was a huge momentum shift and those are plays you can’t give up on the road. Kind of gets them into it, gets their crowd into it.

“So we had a good drive to get points there, but we need to respond a little better in the second half.”

No. 12 USC 20, Rutgers 14, 10 seconds left in the second quarter

USC started on its 25 after the touchback.

Jayden Maiava passed to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for six yards and Zacharyus Williams for 27 yards.

On first down at the Rutgers 42 with 49 seconds left, USC called timeout to stop the clock.

King Miller ran for three yards and USC called timeout with 42 seconds left.

Maiava tossed a fade to Dixon-Wyatt for 25 yards. Maiava was flushed out of the pocket and tossed the ball. Rutgets lobbied for intentional grounding but got no call.

On second-and-10 at the Rutgers 14, Maiava over-threw Tanook Hines, but Rutgers did not intercept it. On third down with 18 seconds left, Rutgers called timeout. Maiava’s pass toward the end zone was incomplete.

Caden Chittenden hit the 32-yard field goal to extend USC’s lead.

No. 12 USC 17, Rutgers 14, 1:23 left in the second quarter

Rutgers started on its five-yard line.

Dylan Lonergan passed to Clay Thevenin for seven yards and Thevenin ran for two yards. Antwan Raymond ran for two yards. Raymond ran for eight yards and then another three yards.

On first down at the Rutgers 27, Lonergan passed for Logan Blake, but Ben Black III was called for pass interference. On first-and-20, Lonergan’s pass was tipped at the line and fell incomplete. Lonergan’ long pass to KJ Duff was caught and dropped under pressure from Christian Pierce. On third-and-20, at the Rutgers 17, the Scarlet Knights called timeout. Lonergan tried to evade a collapsing pocket and was sacked for a loss one yard.

Rutgers faked a punt and Jacob Anderson passed for a 40-yard gain, with Kennedy Urlacher earning a tackle on the play.

On first down at the Rutgers 44, Lonergan tossed an incomplete pass. Lonergan then passed to Raymond for 15 yards and USC was called offsides on the play. The two-minute warning was triggered.

On first down at the USC 29, Lonergan tossed an incomplete pass. Lonergan passed to KJ Duff for 15 yards despite pass interference by USC’s Chasen Johnson. Lonergan passed to Elias Coke for a 16-yard touchdown.

Rutgers hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 17, Rutgers 7, 8:06 left in the second quarter

USC started on its 20 after the punt into the end zone.

King Miller ran for one yard. Jayden Maiava passed to Mark Bowman for eight yards. Miller ran for five yards.

Maiava passed to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt across the middle, but he was called for offensive pass interference.

On first-and-20, Waymond Jordan ran for seven yards. Maiava passed to Kayden Dixon-Wyatte for eight yards. On third-and-five, Maiava tossed an incomplete pass Bowman could pull in.

USC downed Lachlan Carrigan’s punt at the Rutgers five-yard line.

No. 12 USC 17, Rutgers 7, 11:22 left in the second quarter

Rutgers started on its 25 after a fair catch.

Dylan Lonergan’s deep pass up the field was off target. Antwan Raymond ran for five yards. On third-and-five, Lonergan passed to Logan Blake but the ball popped out as he was tackled by Kennedy Urlacher.

Rutgers then punted into the end zone.

No. 12 USC 17, Rutgers 7, 11:58 left in the second quarter

On second-and-four at the USC 46, Jayden Maiava passed to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for six yards. Waymond Jordan rushed for three yards. USC was called for delay of game. On second-and-12, Maiava was sacked for a loss of two yards. On third-and-14, Maiava passed to Corey Simms for a 52-yard gain.

Caden Chittenden hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 10, Rutgers 7, end of first quarter

USC started on its 25 after a touchback.

Jayden Maiava passed to Tanook Hines for 15 yards as time expired in the first quarter.

No. 12 USC 10, Rutgers 7, 4 seconds left in the first quarter

Rutgers started on its 25 after a fair catch.

Luke Wafle sacked Rutgers’ Dylan Lonergan, but Wafle was called for a face mask penalty on the play.

On first down at the Rutgers 40, Antwan Raymond ran for no gain. Lonergan’s pass sailed high, but Ben Black III stretched to pull it in with one hand and gained 12 yards on the play.

Lonergan passed for two yards. Rutgers was then called for delay of game. On second-and-13, Lonergan passed across the middle to Jourdin Houston for 13 yards.

Raymond ran for five yards and then four yards. On third-and-one, Raymond ran one more time for one yard.

Lonergan scrambled out of the pocket for eight yards. Clay Thevenin ran for three yards.

On first down at the USC 17, Lonergan tossed an incomplete pass. Lonergan passed to Logan Blake for six yards. On third-and-four, Lonergan’s pass into the end zone was caught by Blake out of bounds along the right sideline. Officials reviewed the play and determined Blake got a foot down in the end zone, calling it a touchdown.

Rutgers hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 10, Rutgers 0, 8:07 left in the first quarter

Rutgers starts on 25 after the touchback.

Antwan Raymond ran for one yard.

Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan’s pass was intercepted by Christian Pierce at the Scarlet Knights’ 26.

King Miller ran for 13 yards. Miller then ran up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown.

Caden Chittenden hit the extra point.

No. 12 USC 3, Rutgers 0, 9:30 left in the first quarter

USC started on its 25.

King Miller rushed for three yards. Jayden Maiava passed to Corey Simms for nine yards. Miller rushed for two yards and Maiava tossed an incomplete pass to Zacharyus Williams. On third-and-eight, Miller then rushed up the middle for 20 yards.

On first down a the Rutgers 41, Maiava delivered a short pass to Waymond Jordan and he ran forward for a 20-yard gain.

Jordan then ran for a loss and USC was called for holding. On first-and-20 on the Rutgers 31, USC was called for a false start. On first-and-25, Jordan ran for a two-yard gain. Mark Bowman was open for a potential first down or touchdown, but Maiava’s pass sailed long and off target. On third-and-23, Maiava’s pass intended for Simms in the end zone was incomplete, but Rutgers was called for pass interference.

Maiava passed to Boobie Feaster for two yards. On second down, Maiava tossed an in incomplete pass intended for Kayden Wyatt-Dixon. On third-and-eight, Maiava tossed an incomplete pass that was behind Williams.

Caden Chittenden hit a 35-yard field goal to give USC a 3-0 lead.

No. 12 USC 0, Rutgers 0, 14:58 left in the first quarter

USC won the coin toss and opted to receive the opening kickoff.

Rutgers kicked the ball into the end zone and USC started its first drive on its 25-yard line.

Starting Sept. 21, this newsletter will be available to Los Angeles Times subscribers only. A free press isn’t free, and we depend on reader support to report on the stories that make a difference. If you’re already a subscriber, nothing will change. If you’re not, there’s never been a better time to sign up. Get started here.

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where we have reached the end of USC’s cupcake non-conference season. There’s only so much we can take from a three-game stretch in which the Trojans outscored their opponents by 25 points per game.

On the whole, there was plenty to be encouraged about. USC’s freshman class has been a revelation. The offense hasn’t skipped a beat. And the defensive line has been better than anyone could have hoped. Suddenly, with two of the conference’s top three teams falling last week, it doesn’t sound so crazy to think that USC could contend for a Big Ten regular-season crown.

Playing center is a lot different than playing guard or tackle, according to new USC starting center Tobias Raymond.

“It kind of felt like I was a freshman all over when I was playing center,” Raymond said Aug. 25 ahead of his first start at center against San José State.

Raymond would know: He had started games and played significant time at both tackle and guard during his first three seasons with the Trojans before his recent move.

Trent Mosley, USC’s rising star freshman receiver, will miss this week’s Big Ten opener against Rutgers and could be out an extended period of time after suffering an injury during the Trojans’ Week 2 win over Louisiana.

USC coach Lincoln Riley said that he doesn’t expect Mosley to be out “extremely long term,” but that any timeline for his return was “still a little inconclusive … depending on how he responds.”

Riley didn’t offer any details on the nature of the injury, but he said that it became clear after USC’s 49-30 win over Louisiana that “there was something we needed to get looked at.” Mosley still spoke to reporters after the game.

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where it turns out hiring a Hall of Fame coach as your defensive coordinator was a pretty sensible strategy!

But before we delve into USC’s extraordinary defensive effort against Fresno State, a note about this newsletter: Starting Sept. 21, Times of Troy will be available to Los Angeles Times subscribers only. A free press isn’t free, and we depend on our readers’ support to do the important stories that make a difference. If you’re already a subscriber, nothing will change. If you’re not, trust me, you won’t want to miss out on what we have planned for this make-or-break season of USC football. You can subscribe to The Times by clicking here.

At the end of a topsy-turvy Saturday in which the Big Ten’s top contenders tumbled, Trent Mosley stood just inside USC’s 15-yard line, looking skyward.

By that point, Ohio State had blown a 20-point, fourth-quarter lead to Texas, and hours earlier, Oregon had been stunned by Oklahoma State. The path to the top of the Big Ten suddenly seemed open as ever, just as the Trojans’ tremendous freshman caught the punt and took off in search of an opening.

With his stunning start to the season, no other player at USC — and perhaps in the nation — had manufactured more hope through two games. While the conference’s other top teams spent the day licking their wounds, here, once again, was Mosley weaving joyfully through the open field and conjuring the same magic from thin air. He shook off one tackle, then another. Soon enough, he was heading to the end zone on an 86-yard punt return, and the No. 14 Trojans were on their way to a 49-30 win over Louisiana.

On Oct. 20, 1928, the William & Mary Indians and Catholic University of Washington Cardinals met under the lights at Cary Field in Williamsburg, Va. Just a year earlier, in 1927, the two football programs made history, taking part in the first night college football game played on the East Coast. Thousands had come to watch that night and marvel at the temporary lights illuminating the field.

Their rematch, by comparison, was largely lost to history. William & Mary used “a thrilling avalanche of forward passes” and “set their teeth grimly to stage a gigantic comeback” in the third quarter, according to a Newport News story at the time. But Catholic blocked the final extra-point attempt and prevailed 13-12.

The significance of their 1928 meeting, nearly a century later, really had nothing to do with the result. In fact, it wouldn’t be fully understood until much later, when the great-grandson of two men on opposite sides of that matchup emerged as one of college football’s most promising freshmen.