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- Jayden Maiava passed for 261 yards and five touchdowns as No. 14 USC defeated Louisiana 49-30 to head into Big Ten play next week unbeaten.
- Running back King Miller rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown in 18 carries and tight end Mark Bowman made six catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
- Wide receiver Trent Mosley returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown in addition to catching a touchdown pass.
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.
USC center Tobias Raymond’s mother died of cancer when he was in the eighth grade, but her lessons on work ethic and leadership continue to inspire him.
The second half didn’t feel quite as hopeful, as the Trojans let up and let Louisiana linger through a victory that coach Lincoln Riley deemed “up and down.”
Still, the win was USC’s 10th straight at home, going back to last season, and gives the Trojans a spotless nonconference slate — not that anyone would confuse their early schedule for a Murderers’ Row. There won’t be any easy home wins from here, though, with USC’s next three home games against Oregon, Washington and Ohio State.
“It’s been good getting adjusted to this,” Mosley said. “But now we go on the road, so that’ll be a new adjustment.”
USC has, in glimpses, looked like a team that belongs among those Big Ten behemoths. And the most encouraging of those moments largely have come from the talented freshman class.
Mosley, who also had an acrobatic touchdown catch Saturday, wasn’t the only one who made his presence felt. Tight end Mark Bowman had his eagerly anticipated breakout game, as he exploded for six catches, one of which he capped by hurdling two defenders. He finished with 83 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half. Defensive end Luke Wafle, meanwhile, continued his streak of early dominance by tallying a team-leading seven tackles.
“I feel like our peak, our trajectory should be even higher because of how many young guys are playing,” Riley said.
The win wasn’t nearly as dominant an effort for the rest of USC’s defense, which was coming off of a shutout of Fresno State. Louisiana averaged 7.6 yards per play and scored 20 points in the second half, led by dual-threat quarterback Lunch Winfield, who scampered to 91 rushing yards.
“We’re just gonna take this as a learning moment,” defensive tackle Jide Abasiri said. “I just feel like sometimes we’ll get comfortable or complacent, then that’s something we need to, going forward, fix when adversity hits.”
It wasn’t the sharpest night for the Trojans’ offense, either. Though, you wouldn’t know it from the box score. While USC rushed for 214 yards, nearly 100 came in the fourth quarter, with the game well in hand. Quarterback Jayden Maiava put up solid passing numbers again as well, completing 19 of 29 passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns.
The five touchdown passes were a career high. But Maiava said afterward that it “definitely didn’t feel like” that strong of a performance.
Through two games, Maiava had accounted for as many touchdowns (six) as he had incomplete passes. But on Saturday, he missed his first three passes, the third of which went directly to a Louisiana defensive back.
The interception was Maiava’s first of the season and it led to a Louisiana field goal, giving the Ragin’ Cajuns (1-1) an early lead. It was also the first time the Trojans trailed this season.
USC (3-0) and its quarterback settled down after that. The Trojans mounted a 13-play scoring drive on the ensuing possession, and Maiava found Bowman for a five-yard touchdown. Then after a Louisiana punt, they mounted a 10-play drive, and Maiava found Bowman again.
By that point, USC’s offense had piled up 166 yards, while Louisiana had scraped together just 18.
But the Ragin’ Cajuns refused to go away. They marched the length of the field and scored, cutting USC’s lead to 14-10.
That was the closest they’d get. The Trojans mounted a third straight drive of 10 plays or more, and this time, Maiava fired a touchdown pass through the hands of a Louisiana defensive back to freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt.
USC freshman receiver Trent Mosley has been preparing his whole life to make the most of any opportunity, making it no surprise he is off to a hot start.
The knockout blow came soon after that. Louisiana made the mistake of punting to Mosley, who took off sprinting to his right and didn’t stop until he reached pay dirt.
The punt return was his fourth score of the season. He added a fifth on a 21-yard catch in the third quarter.
The rest of the game didn’t go nearly as smoothly. The intensity, Riley said, “dipped a little bit.” Louisiana lingered well into the fourth quarter.
But by then, the Trojans could safely coast their way to a clean nonconference sheet, knowing the trust test of their season — and their stellar freshmen — is still to come.
