Dec 18, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) throws the ball in the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks during the Pac-12 Championship at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

News Articles

San Jose State takes on No. 15 Southern California

Reigning Mountain West Conference champion San Jose State seeks a landmark win Saturday, traveling to Los Angeles to face a No. 15-ranked Southern California team with designs on a Pac-12 championship in 2021.

It is the season opener for USC, which is 4-0 against the Spartans all time. The Trojans will play in front of a home crowd for the first time since routing rival UCLA at the conclusion of the 2019 regular season more than 21 months ago.

Quarterback Kedon Slovis set a program record with 515 passing yards in that game, and returned as a sophomore in 2020 to guide USC to the Pac-12 title game.

Despite the Trojans’ perfect regular season, however, Slovis’ individual production regressed. He finished 2020 completing almost 5 percent fewer of his pass attempts, threw almost as many interceptions in six games (seven) as the previous season’s 13 games (nine) and his yards per attempt dipped from 8.9 to 7.3.

“Going through all those feelings and adversity and not feeling your best to now, feeling pretty good, the best I’ve felt in a long time,” Slovis told the Los Angeles Times of his efforts to get back to form after a slight sophomore slump. “It felt like a long journey. I’m just happy to be on the back end of that.”

Slovis is throwing to an outstanding wide receiving corps, including 6-foot-5 playmaker Drake London and veteran Colorado transfer K.D. Nixon. The running back rotation returns fifth-year contributor Vavae Malepeai and Kenan Christon, a promising change-of-pace back who showed flashes of brilliance in 2019.

But defense might be the central component to USC’s Pac-12 title chances.

Coordinator Todd Orlando has a talented rotation in his first full season with the Trojans, including defensive backs Chris Steele and Isaiah Pola-Mao, edge rusher Drake Jackson and the defensive line duo of Nick Figueroa and Tuli Tuipulotu.

The USC defense faces an immediate test from San Jose State (1-0). Veteran quarterback Nick Starkel led the Spartans to their first Mountain West championship a season ago, and opened the new season last Saturday with 394 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-14 blowout of Southern Utah.

“Our offense is built not around specific players, but around schemes,” Starkel told the San Jose Mercury News. “So being able to have 10 different guys that can catch the ball and more that you are trying to get the ball to is huge for this team.”

“(Offensive coordinator) Kevin McGiven is one of the best play callers in the country. He’s an incredible teacher, and I think Nick would agree with that,” San Jose State coach Brent Brennan said in his postgame press conference.

San Jose State held opponents to 19.9 points per game in 2020 thanks in part to an aggressive pass rush, and the Spartans return standout defensive ends Cade Hall and Viliami Fehoko. The duo combined for 16 sacks a season ago.

USC counters with an offensive line built around veteran All-Pac-12 honorees Jalen McKenzie and Andrew Vorhees. Saturday marks the 26th career start for Vorhees.

–Field Level Media

Field Level Media
Sport Writer & Editor
FLM has a North American focus while tying into regional and hyper-local resources – providing the ability to distribute compelling content through the writing of professional journalists. As the U.S. sports content provider to dozens of digital and print media publishers through strategic partnerships with the likes of Reuters and Nielsen Sports, FLM covers the nuts and bolts with a breaking news desk and game event coverage.

Sportsbooks

Rated 5/5

Upcoming Games

Aug 23rd, 12:00 PM

Iowa State (15) +3 -113

Kansas State -3 -113

@

Aug 23rd, 3:33 PM

Idaho State

UNLV (23)

@

Aug 23rd, 6:30 PM

Fresno State +13.5 -115

Kansas -13.5 -115

@

Aug 23rd, 7:00 PM

Sam Houston State +10 -105

WKU -10 -105

@

Aug 23rd, 7:30 PM

Stanford -1 -110

Hawaii +1 -110

@

Aug 28th, 3:33 PM

Stony Brook

San Diego State

@

Aug 28th, 5:30 PM

Boise State (8) -9 -110

USF +9 -110

@

Aug 28th, 6:00 PM

Ohio +10.5 -110

Rutgers -10.5 -110

@

Aug 28th, 6:00 PM

Lafayette

Bowling Green

@

Aug 28th, 7:00 PM

St. Francis-PA

Louisiana-Monroe

@

Aug 28th, 7:00 PM

Wyoming

Akron

@

Aug 28th, 7:00 PM

East Carolina +12.5 -105

NC State -12.5 -105

@

Aug 28th, 7:00 PM

Jacksonville State +16.5 -110

UCF -16.5 -110

@

Aug 28th, 7:00 PM

Delaware State

Delaware

@

Aug 28th, 7:30 PM

Central Arkansas

Missouri (22)

@

Aug 28th, 7:30 PM

Tennessee-Martin

Oklahoma State

@

Aug 28th, 7:30 PM

Elon

Duke

@

Aug 28th, 8:00 PM

Stephen F. Austin

Houston

@

Aug 28th, 8:00 PM

Buffalo +17.5 -105

Minnesota -17.5 -105

@

Aug 28th, 8:30 PM

Alabama State

UAB

@

Aug 28th, 9:00 PM

Nebraska -7 -115

Cincinnati +7 -115

@

Aug 28th, 9:00 PM

Miami-OH +17 -115

Wisconsin -17 -115

@

Aug 29th, 6:00 PM

Tarleton

Army (21)

@

Aug 29th, 7:00 PM

Appalachian State -8.5 -116

Charlotte +8.5 -116

@

Aug 29th, 7:00 PM

Kennesaw State +17.5 -110

Wake Forest -17.5 -110

@

Aug 29th, 7:00 PM

Western Michigan +17.5 -115

Michigan State -17.5 -115

@

Aug 29th, 7:00 PM

Bethune-Cookman

Florida International (FIU)

@

Aug 29th, 7:30 PM

Wagner

Kansas

@

Aug 29th, 7:30 PM

Western Illinois

Illinois (16)

@

Aug 29th, 8:00 PM

Georgia Tech -4.5 -108

Colorado (25) +4.5 -108

@

Aug 29th, 8:00 PM

Auburn

Baylor

@

Aug 29th, 9:30 PM

UNLV (23) -13.5 -110

Sam Houston State +13.5 -110

@

Aug 29th, 10:30 PM

Central Michigan +10.5 -110

San Jose State -10.5 -110

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

Mississippi State -13 -115

Southern Miss +13 -115

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

Northwestern +6.5 -105

Tulane -6.5 -105

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

Florida Atlantic +16.5 -110

Maryland -16.5 -110

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

VMI

Navy

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

Syracuse (20) +12.5 -110

Tennessee (9) -12.5 -110

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

Texas (4) +2.5 -110

Ohio State (1) -2.5 -110

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

Duquesne

Pittsburgh

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

Ball State +16.5 -110

Purdue -16.5 -110

@

Aug 30th, 12:00 PM

Merrimack

Kent State

@

Aug 30th, 12:45 PM

Toledo +10 -110

Kentucky -10 -110

@

Aug 30th, 2:00 PM

Robert Morris

West Virginia

@

Aug 30th, 2:00 PM

Fordham

Boston College

@

Aug 30th, 2:00 PM

Central Connecticut State

UCONN

@

Aug 30th, 2:30 PM

Old Dominion +23.5 -110

Indiana (10) -23.5 -110

@

Aug 30th, 3:00 PM

Eastern Kentucky

Louisville

@

Aug 30th, 3:30 PM

Bucknell

Air Force

@

Aug 30th, 3:30 PM

South Dakota

Iowa State (15)

@

Aug 30th, 3:30 PM

Holy Cross

NIU

@

Aug 30th, 3:30 PM

Nevada +44 -110

Penn State (5) -44 -110

@

Aug 30th, 3:30 PM

Marshall +39 -110

Georgia (6) -39 -110

@

Aug 30th, 3:30 PM

Temple -1.5 -110

Massachusetts +1.5 -110

@

Aug 30th, 3:30 PM

Alabama (17) -13.5 -115

Florida State +13.5 -115

@

Aug 30th, 4:00 PM

Montana State

Oregon (3)

@

Aug 30th, 4:00 PM

Maine

Liberty

@

Aug 30th, 4:15 PM

Alabama A&M

Arkansas

@

Aug 30th, 4:30 PM

Chattanooga

Memphis (24)

@

Aug 30th, 6:00 PM

Illinois State

Oklahoma

@

Aug 30th, 6:00 PM

Albany-NY

Iowa

@

Aug 30th, 6:00 PM

Coastal Carolina +12 -110

Virginia -12 -110

@

Aug 30th, 6:00 PM

Weber State

James Madison

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

Southeast Missouri State

Arkansas State

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

Morgan State

South Alabama

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

Nicholls State

Troy

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

UTSA +21 -110

Texas A&M -21 -110

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

Austin Peay

Middle Tennessee

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

North Alabama

WKU

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

Charleston Southern

Vanderbilt

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

North Dakota

Kansas State

@

Aug 30th, 7:00 PM

LIU

Florida

@

Aug 30th, 7:30 PM

Missouri State +33 -110

USC -33 -110

@

Aug 30th, 7:30 PM

UTEP +3.5 -110

Utah State -3.5 -110

@

Aug 30th, 7:30 PM

Southeastern Louisiana

LA Tech

@

Aug 30th, 7:30 PM

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Texas Tech

@