Tag: Southern Cal

Sep 3, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) reacts during the game against the Rice Owls at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No. 7 Trojans host dangerous Fresno State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Seventh-ranked USC returns home to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday for a nonconference game against Mountain West Conference favorite Fresno State.

The Trojans (2-0) continued to dazzle offensively early into first-year head coach Lincoln Riley’s tenure last week at Stanford — at least, in the first half.

USC scored five first-half touchdowns of the Pac-12 Conference opener but managed a pair of field goals in the second half against the Cardinal. It marked the second time in as many games that the Trojans did not have to punt until the fourth quarter of a blowout win.

Quarterback Caleb Williams went 20-for-27 for 341 yards with four more touchdown passes, giving him six for the season to go with the team’s five rushing touchdowns and three field goals. His performance earned Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week.

Jordan Addison has four of those touchdown receptions among his 12 catches for an average of 113.0 yards a game.

The Trojans offense cooled off, however, and Stanford pushed around the USC defense for 221 yards on a 441-yard day of total offense. Yet, the SC defense stiffened in the red zone, forcing two turnovers inside the 3-yard line.

“The positives, I think, are pretty obvious on all sides,” Riley said Tuesday. “The errors where we’ve got to get better: Too many mental mistakes. Whether it’s a lack of focus, or a lack of complete trust in what we’re doing, that’s got to grow.

“And the reality is, I’ve had players (who) have been in our systems for multiple years and it’s still not 100 percent trust,” Riley added.

Fresno State (1-1) is no stranger to facing USC and higher-profile teams. The Bulldogs are 1-4 all-time against USC, but last season beat then-No. 13 UCLA (40-37), lost to then-No. 11 Oregon by a touchdown (31-24), and have won four of their past five games against ranked opponents.

This is Fresno State’s first visit to USC since 2019 when the Bulldogs lost the season opener to the Trojans, 31-23.

That season marked the end of Jeff Tedford’s first tenure as Fresno State head coach. Heart procedures prompted him to step down and after a year off he served last season as a consultant to coach Kalen DeBoer. When Washington hired DeBoer, Tedford returned to his old office as head coach of his alma mater.

The veteran Tedford led Cal when it forged a rivalry with USC in the mid-2000s, and then produced seasons of 10 and 12 wins (2017 and 2018) at Fresno State. Tedford’s reputation is well established on the West Coast, even for a regional newcomer such as Riley.

“Not many weaknesses,” Riley said of Fresno State. “They’re good everywhere.”

The Bulldogs opened 2022 with a rout of Cal Poly, 35-7, and last week lost a heartbreaker to Oregon State on the final play. On a night Fresno State’s Jake Haener passed for 360 yards and Jordan Mims rushed for 122 yards with two touchdowns, the Beavers scored from the 2-yard line as time expired for a 35-32 OSU victory.

With Haener leading one offense — coming off a breakout 2021 in which he passed for almost 4,100 yards with 33 touchdowns — and Caleb Williams captaining the other, the quarterbacks promise to occupy the spotlight on Saturday.

“The quarterback is really good at getting (the USC wide receivers) the football,” Tedford said of Williams. “He’s very poised. He can beat you with his legs, as well, when he pulls it down.”

Tedford praised Williams, Addison, and USC running back Travis Dye — all of whom Riley convinced to join him during the offseason.

“It’s a tough place to play,” Tedford said of the Coliseum. “It’ll be a great environment for our kids to go into, against a great football team.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 10, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Tahj Washington (16) and running back Travis Dye (26) celebrate during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Strong first half propels No. 10 USC to win over Stanford

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Tenth-ranked Southern Cal capitalized on four turnovers and built a 27-point cushion, which was enough to endure a sluggish second half in a 41-28 win over host Stanford on Saturday.

The Trojans (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12 Conference) scored touchdowns on all five of their first-half possessions, four coming on Caleb Williams passes. Williams hooked up with Jordan Addison for two of those scores, including a 75-yarder.

Williams finished 20-of-27 passing for 341 yards in the league opener for both teams.

Addison hauled in seven receptions for 172 yards to lead USC, while Mario Williams added four catches for 74 yards and a 15-yard scoring reception. Tight end Lake McRee got the Trojans’ early scoring deluge started with a five-yard touchdown catch.

USC took advantage as three of Stanford’s first four possession ended with turnovers. Max Williams intercepted Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee, Max Williams also forced an E.J. Smith fumble at the goal line, and Mekhi Blackmon picked off a pass in the end zone.

USC led 35-14 at the half.

The Cardinal (1-1, 0-1) never recovered from their three unsuccessful trips into the red zone and fell behind 41-14 late in the third quarter.

Stanford shut down the USC offense after intermission, however, allowing only two Denis Lynch field goals in the second half.

Stanford gained 441 yards of offense with an almost 50-50 split of 220 McKee passing yards and 221 rushing yards, paced by Smith’s 88. Smith rushed for a touchdown and Casey Filkins, who carried for 77 yards, added another.

McKee rushed for one touchdown and passed for another to Smith. Stanford converted 33 first downs to USC’s 24, but the Trojans outgained the Cardinal, with 505 yards.

Travis Dye rushed for 105 yards and scored a touchdown for USC. Stanford transfer Austin Jones added 38 yards on eight carries.

–Field Level Media

Sep 3, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) carries the ball against the Rice Owls in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No. 10 USC puts up new look against pesky Stanford

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No. 10 Southern California will open Pac-12 Conference play against one of its most vexing rivals in recent years, traveling to Stanford for a prime-time matchup on Saturday at Palo Alto, Calif.

The Trojans (1-0) scored 52 points over the second and third quarters to cruise to a 66-14 rout of Rice last week. The blowout marked the debut of Southern Cal head coach Lincoln Riley, as well as the first appearance in a Trojans uniform for a variety of highly anticipated transfers.

Quarterback Caleb Williams, who followed Riley from Oklahoma, completed 19 of 22 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns — both of which went to Pitt transfer and reigning Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver Jordan Addison.

Williams also rushed for a team-high 68 yards on six carries.

“We know the type of player we’re playing this week at the quarterback position, (and) you better bring your feet when you get your hands wrapped around this guy,” Stanford coach David Shaw said of containing Williams in the run game.

The Cardinal (1-0) opened the season with a 41-10 romp over Colgate, an opponent from the Football Championship Subdivision. Stanford outgained the Raiders 497-218, with quarterback Tanner McKee going 22-of-27 passing for 308 yards and two touchdowns.

Stanford’s 169 rushing yards last week marked the program’s most in a game since accruing 204 in a win over Vanderbilt last September – though 87 came on a single run by running back E.J. Smith.

Smith’s 87-yard carry 18 seconds into the game culminated in the first of his two touchdown runs. He had 118 yards on 11 total carries.

Running-game woes hampered the Cardinal in a disappointing 2021, as Stanford’s 86.9 rushing yards per game were the third fewest among Power 5 conference teams and the fewest in the Pac-12.

Stanford eclipsed 100 yards rushing just four times last season, and one such occasion came in the Cardinal’s 42-28 win at USC, also in the second game on the schedule.

The loss was the final game of then-coach Clay Helton’s tumultuous tenure at the helm of the program. For Stanford, it was the first of just two conference wins in an uncharacteristically down season for the program.

Before finishing the 2019 season at 4-8 overall, Stanford concluded on the right side of .500 every season from 2009 through 2018. Last year’s 3-9 finish was the second time in three seasons the Cardinal fell out of the bowl picture.

During its sustained run of success beginning in 2009, however, Stanford went 8-4 against USC. Shaw’s record in the series since becoming head coach in 2011 is 7-5. Riley is the fifth Trojans head coach or interim head coach Shaw will face in that time.

“It’s a coaching matchup; just trying to get our team ready,” Riley said. “We’re excited about going and playing on the road (in the) first conference game. As a program, (if) you want to be championship level, you’ve got to embrace going and playing on the road. And these conference road games are like gold.”

Last season, USC won its first two road games, against conference foes Washington State and Colorado. The Trojans lost their next three away from home.

–Field Level Media

Helmets sit on the field before an NCAA football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. Oklahoma won 28-24. [Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman]

Another blue-chip prospect decommits from Oklahoma

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DeAndre Moore Jr., one of the top wide receivers in the Class of 2023, decommitted from Oklahoma.

The four-star prospect is the sixth player from the class to decommit from the Sooners since former coach Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma in late November to take the head-coaching job at Southern California.

Six more players in the Class of 2022 also decommitted since Riley’s exit.

Moore plays at talent-rich Los Alamitos High School, just about 25 miles from USC, so a reunion with Riley there could be in the offing. Already a pair of five-star high school teammates — quarterback Malachi Nelson and wide receiver Makai Lemon — switched their commitments from the Sooners to the Trojans.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Moore announced his decision Monday on Twitter.

“Sooner Nation has been nothing short of great and I’m thankful for the love all of you showed,” he posted.

“With that being said, I am reopening my recruitment and de-committing from The University of Oklahoma.

Moore is ranked as the No. 4 wide receiver and No. 48 overall player by the 247Sports composite.

–Field Level Media

Dec 4, 2021; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) run the ball against the California Golden Bears during the first quarter at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Southern Cal QB Jaxson Dart enters transfer portal

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Southern California dual-threat quarterback Jaxson Dart has entered the transfer portal, multiple outlets reported Monday.

The true freshman appeared in six games for USC this season, completing 61.2 percent of his passes for 1,353 yards and nine touchdowns against five interceptions.

Dart relieved starting quarterback Kedon Slovis on Sept. 18 when the latter injured his neck on USC’s first possession against Washington State. Dart set a program record for most passing yards in a debut — 391 — to go with four touchdowns and two interceptions as the Trojans won 45-14.

However, Dart sustained a meniscus injury during the game, reportedly during the second quarter, and played through it.

Dart underwent surgery and returned Oct. 30 against Arizona, splitting time with Slovis against the Wildcats.

Dart’s impending departure opens the door for Oklahoma transfer quarterback Caleb Williams to rejoin new USC coach Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles. Williams played under Riley for the Sooners in 2021.

–Field Level Media

Dec 4, 2021; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) run the ball against the California Golden Bears during the first quarter at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Cal sends USC to most losses since 1991

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Christopher Brooks ran for a pair of touchdowns, and Trey Paster returned a fumble 55 yards for a score on Saturday to lead Cal past USC 24-14 in Berkeley, Calif., its first home win over the Trojans since 2003.

Cal (5-7, 4-5 Pac-12 Conference) turned a pair of USC turnovers into touchdowns, including Paster’s long return of a fumble forced by Elijah Hicks, and the Golden Bears held the Trojans to conversions on just 1-of-3 red-zone opportunities.

Cal stymied one trip to the red zone with a fourth-down stop near the goal line. The other ended inside the 10-yard line when Daniel Scott jarred the ball loose from Miller Moss on a sack.

Cal nearly forced a third turnover when Lu-Magia Hearns III made a spectacular leaping grab for an interception, but an offsides penalty negated the play.

USC (4-8, 3-6) scored later on the same drive when Moss –replacing starter Jaxson Dart at quarterback in the third quarter when Dart was helped off the field following a hard hit — found K.D. Nixon for a 16-yard touchdown.

The late fourth-quarter score came too little, too late, as Cal recovered the ensuing onside-kick attempt to preserve the win.

Chase Garbers went 18-of-21 passing for 177 yards. He added 12 yards rushing on a night that Cal only gained 88 yards on the ground, led by Brooks’ 49.

Despite the lack of explosive offense and being outgained 409 yards to 265, the Golden Bears were helped by the turnovers and good field position. One of Cal’s scoring drives went 62 yards, culminating in a Dario Longhetto field goal of 22 yards, and nother covered 65 yards, ending with a 2-yard Brooks rush.

The Trojans concluded the season on a four-game losing streak and finished with eight losses for the first time since 1991, when they went 3-8.

Vavae Malepeai rushed for 107 yards on Saturday. Before coming out, Dart went 17-of-26 passing for 191 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown to Kyle Ford.

The loss of Dart compounded issues for an already depleted roster.

USC had only “about 60” players dressed for the season finale, according to the Los Angeles Times.

–Field Level Media

Nov 29, 2021; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Lincoln Riley (left) and Southern California Trojans athletic director Mike Bohn shake hands during a press conference to introduce Riley as USC head coach at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

5-star RB Raleek Brown commits to USC

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Five-star running back Raleek Brown committed to Southern California and new coach Lincoln Riley on Thursday, a day after decommitting from Oklahoma.

Brown, who plays at powerhouse Mater Dei in nearby Santa Ana, Calif., committed to Riley and the Sooners on Feb. 5. But Riley’s decision over the weekend to leave Oklahoma for USC gave Brown second thoughts about the Sooners.

“Momma I’m Staying Home… Los Angeles let’s turn it up a lil #FightOn #GoTrojans,” the 5-foot-8 back tweeted Thursday afternoon.

The 247Sports composite lists Brown as the No. 2 running back and No. 34 player nationally in the Class of 2022.

Brown told 247Sports that Riley’s move to USC cemented his decision.

“Lincoln Riley, that’s my guy,” Brown said. “… I was shocked he was leaving, but then excited he was coming to USC.

“I’ve been up to USC a ton of times, since before I even got to high school, and I’m super familiar with it there. I have a strong comfort level at the school and a lot of family nearby, so it’s honestly a great situation for me.”

Brown becomes the second former player previously committed to Riley and Oklahoma to choose USC.

On Tuesday, 2023 quarterback Malachi Nelson committed to the Trojans. From Los Alamitos High School, about 30 miles from USC, Nelson is the No. 2-ranked quarterback and player in the 2023 class behind Arch Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning.

Since Riley announced his departure, eight players combined have decommitted from Oklahoma’s 2022 and ’23 classes.

–Field Level Media

OU coach Lincoln Riley says he was out Tuesday dealing with a personal matter. Lx13680

Southern Cal hires Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma

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Lincoln Riley, the accomplished head coach at the University of Oklahoma, is leaving the Sooners to become the next head coach at Southern California, per multiple media reports.

Riley informed his staff Sunday.

Riley, 38, excelled as an assistant coach at Texas Tech and East Carolina before being hired as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2015. He inherited the top job at the Oklahoma program when former coach Bob Stoops retired in June 2017.

The Sooners rolled to a 12-2 record and the College Football Playoff in his first season, losing to Georgia in the semifinals at the Rose Bowl 54-48 in double overtime.

Oklahoma made two more playoff appearances during his tenure and won four straight Big 12 championships, as Riley accumulated a 55-10 record in five seasons.

Riley led the Sooners to a 10-2 record and third-place finish in the Big 12 in 2020.

The Trojans job came open when USC athletic director Mike Bohn fired Clay Helton on Sept. 13, two days after Southern Cal was wrecked 42-28 by Stanford, which is now 3-9.

Helton went 46-24 at USC, with multiple seasons of double-digit wins, but the program had slipped in recent years. USC is just 4-7 this year.

The move comes as a bombshell in the sport, not only because of its high-profile nature, but also because Riley had cut off questioning about a potential move to LSU Saturday night by saying in part, “I’m not going to be the next coach at LSU. Next question.”

Those LSU rumors ended up being a smokescreen for this move, with USC not being listed as a likely destination for Riley during its own head coaching search.

ESPN is reporting that Oklahoma will pursue Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury for its vacancy.

–Field Level Media

Nov 27, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; BYU Cougars running back Lopini Katoa (4) runs the ball against Southern California Trojans linebacker Ralen Goforth (10) in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 BYU thwarts USC comeback bid, gets 10th win

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Tyler Allgeier rushed for 111 yards and scored two touchdowns, and No. 13-ranked BYU made a fourth-down stop at its own 10-yard line with 38 seconds remaining to hold off USC, 35-31, Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Cougars (10-2) built a 28-13 early in the second half of their regular-season finale. Allgeier posted 9- and 5-yard touchdown runs in the second quarter, and Jaren Hall threw the second of his two touchdown passes early in the third quarter to put BYU ahead by the 15 points.

Hall’s arcing, 41-yard pass to Keanu Hill threaded through two USC defenders. Hall found Puka Nacua on a 28-yard pass play in the first quarter.

Having dropped four home games by double-digit margins this season, including a 62-33 defeat last week to rival UCLA, the Trojans (4-7) appeared headed for another lopsided home loss after the Hall-to-Hill touchdown.

But the Trojans rallied for 18 consecutive points in the third and fourth quarters.

Vavae Malepeai, who rushed for 99 yards, started the rally with a 2-yard scoring run midway through the third. Parker Lewis tacked on the third of his three field goals — a 37-yarder — before Jaxson Dart capped a 12-play, 91-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Gary Bryant Jr. four minutes into the fourth quarter.

The score put the Trojans up 31-28, their first lead since going up 3-0 on the game’s opening drive.

Calen Bullock intercepted Hall on a deep pass into the end zone to end BYU’s subsequent possession, but the Trojans then went three-and-out and punted the ball back to BYU for what would become the game-winning drive.

The longest gain of the drive came when Allgeier fumbled after an 8-yard gain to midfield, but Cougars tight end Dallin Holker recovered the carom and ran for another 22 yards. Four snaps later, Jackson McChesney rushed 7 yards to put the Cougars back on top.

USC moved into Cougars territory quickly on the next drive, which included a 14-yard Dart scramble. But on fourth-and-6 at the BYU 15-yard line, Kaleb Hayes swarmed to Bryant at the 10-yard line to deny USC the first down by a yard and end the game.

Hall finished 20 of 32 for 276 yards and was intercepted twice to go with the two touchdowns. Dart went 23 of 35 for 248 yards and a score. Bryant led USC with five receptions for 56 yards.

With the win, BYU reached double-digit victories in consecutive seasons for the first time since doing it four straight times from 2006 through 2009. The Cougars also completed a 5-0 season against Pac-12 opponents.

–Field Level Media

Nov 6, 2021; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars running back Tyler Allgeier (25) reacts after his first quarter touchdown against the Idaho State Bengals at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 BYU visits USC aiming for continued success vs. Pac-12

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No. 13 BYU can secure consecutive double-digit-win seasons and complete a regular-season sweep of Pac-12 Conference competition on Saturday when it visits Southern California in Los Angeles.

Since dropping consecutive decisions midway through the season, the Cougars (9-2) have rolled off four straight wins. Another on Saturday would give them 10-plus for a second straight year, a feat not achieved at BYU since the program reached the 10-win milestone four consecutive times from 2006-09.

“I know that everyone wants to talk about possibilities and future opponents,” Cougars coach Kalani Sitake said in his Monday press conference. “We are just focused on this game and this opportunity.”

USC (4-6) is BYU’s fifth Pac-12 opponent in 2021. The Cougars opened the campaign with a 24-16 defeat of Arizona, knocked off rival Utah and Arizona State in the following two weeks, then outlasted Washington State on Oct. 23.

None of the four scored more than 19 points on a BYU defense holding opponents to an average of 23.6 points per game. In their current winning streak, the Cougars have held three of their last four opponents to fewer than 20 points, including their most recent outing.

BYU pitched a second-half shutdown in last week’s 34-17 win at Georgia Southern — a program that, earlier this month, announced the hire of Clay Helton to fill its head-coaching vacancy for the 2022 season.

Helton was fired at USC in September following a blowout loss to Stanford. His tenure included a Rose Bowl win to cap the 2016 season and a conference championship in 2017, but also featured several disappointments, including the program’s first losing record since 2000 in 2018.

Under Helton’s interim replacement, Donte Williams, USC is in danger of finishing below .500 again. The Trojans need to win their final two regular-season games to earn bowl eligibility and avoid a losing campaign.

USC dropped its last two, including a 62-33 rout last week against rival UCLA. The Trojans surrendered four rushing touchdowns for a second consecutive game, and allowed a combined 542 rushing yards in losses to the Bruins and Arizona State.

BYU comes in boasting one of the nation’s most prolific ball-carriers in running back Tyler Allgeier. The native of nearby Fontana, Calif., returns to southern California averaging 118.5 rushing yards per game with 18 touchdowns.

Saturday’s matchup could come down to which offense more effectively establishes its run game, as Williams touted USC’s ground attack as an underrated strength.

“We came into this year, nobody expected us to be a good running team,” Williams said during his Sunday night media availability. “When we actually call running plays, we actually do a darn good job running the football.”

The Trojans operate a spread air-raid offense, a pass-happy descendant of the scheme Hall of Fame BYU coach LaVell Edwards popularized in the 1980s and 1990s. USC has mixed in almost 140 rushing yards per game in its version of the system, and Trojans ball-carriers are averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

USC recorded a net total of 159 rushing yards last week vs. UCLA, a figure somewhat skewed by the three sacks quarterback Jaxson Dart took in his first career start. Running back Keaontay Ingram gained 96 yards on 17 carries, and backfield mate Vavae Malepeai rushed for three touchdowns.

As for Dart, the Utah native will make the start again this week in place of injured Kedon Slovis. Dart threw for 325 yards and a touchdown against UCLA, but was intercepted twice. He faces a BYU secondary with two players, Malik Moore and Jakob Robinson, who each have three picks this season.

–Field Level Media