Tag: usc

Oct 23, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson reacts during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

USC names Hall of Famer Gary Patterson as new DC

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Southern California has tabbed a Hall of Famer to run its defense by announcing Friday that former TCU coach Gary Patterson is the school’s new defensive coordinator.

Earlier this month, Patterson was announced as part of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. That honor comes after he went 181-79 in 21 seasons (2001-21) with the Horned Frogs, including a 13-0 campaign and No. 2 finish to the 2010 season when Andy Dalton was the school’s quarterback.

“As a Hall of Fame coach who is one of the game’s most highly regarded defensive minds, he brings a wealth of success and experience to our program,” USC football coach Lincoln Riley said in a statement. “His impact will be immediate, elevating our defense and strengthening the culture we’ve built.”

Patterson, who turns 66 next month, replaces D’Anton Lynn, who left after two seasons for a similar role at Penn State.

Patterson was defensive coordinator at TCU from 1998-2000 before becoming head coach. The Horned Frogs led the nation in total defensive five times while he was on campus, including three straight seasons from 2008-10.

Patterson was the national Coach of the Year in both 2009 and 2014. He won 10 or more games 11 times.

Following an 11-3 season in 2017, Patterson went just 21-22 over the next 3 1/2 seasons and he and TCU agreed to part ways when the team was 3-5 in 2021.

Patterson’s last on-field position was as an on-field analyst at Texas in 2022. He was hired as a consultant at Baylor in 2024 before resigning prior to the season.

Riley is 35-18 in four seasons at USC but has been unable to field a national championship-caliber squad despite having 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, for two of those seasons.

–Field Level Media

Jeremy Payne’s OT jaunt lifts TCU past No. 16 USC in Alamo Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jeremy Payne broke two tackles on his way to the game-winning touchdown and TCU shocked Southern California 30-27 in overtime to win the Alamo Bowl in dramatic fashion Tuesday in San Antonio.

TCU faced third-and-20 and needed at least a field goal to match USC and force a second overtime. Ken Seals threw a checkdown to the running back Payne, who made multiple Trojans miss while remaining inbounds along the left sideline and then sprinting to the end zone.

“We’re trying to figure out if (we’re) about to kick a field goal,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said in the postgame TV interview. “He makes about four guys miss. You got to give our guys credit. So proud of this group, they hung in there. It didn’t look great. Jeremy made plays, Ken made plays. Defense kept us in the game.”

The unlikely play capped a comeback from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for TCU (9-4).

Payne finished with 73 rushing yards and one touchdown along with six receptions for 50 yards and the winning score. Seals, who got the start after quarterback Josh Hoover opted out in anticipation of entering the transfer portal, finished 29-for-40 for 258 yards, the one TD and one interception.

“He’s going to be a Fort Worth legend,” Dykes said of Seals, a former starter at Vanderbilt who backed up Hoover for two years. “Never buy a drink in Fort Worth the rest of his life. He’s a great college football story. Just persevered, hung in there, and then he got his time. He got his time, he got his chance, he made the most of it and he was ready.”

Jayden Maiava completed 18 of 30 passes for 280 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for USC (9-4). King Miller rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown but was stuffed twice from the 2-yard line during overtime, leading the Trojans to settle for Ryon Sayeri’s fourth field goal of the night. Tanook Hines caught six passes for 163 yards.

Jaden Richardson made a highlight-reel play to put the Trojans ahead in the final minute of the third quarter. A backup wide receiver with 11 receptions in two seasons for USC, he leapt and leaned back with his right arm outstretched to pluck Maiava’s 21-yard pass out of the air. Richardson tapped one foot in bounds on his way down for his first FBS touchdown.

The two-point conversion, a pass to Taniela Tupou, was successful to give the Trojans a 21-14 lead. Sayeri converted from 41 yards out for a 10-point cushion with 9:37 to play.

The Horned Frogs answered with a 75-yard drive culminating in Payne’s 5-yard touchdown run with 4:24 left. TCU forced a USC three-and-out and used the remaining 2:44 to set up Kyle Lemmermann’s 27-yard field goal to force overtime.

Freshman running back Jon Denman rumbled in from the 5-yard line to put TCU up 7-3 early in the second quarter. The drive was arranged by Jamel Johnson’s fifth interception of the season.

USC answered quickly. Miller had a 24-yard rush across midfield before ending the drive with a 2-yard score.

TCU wideout Major Everhart converted a fourth-and-2 in the red zone, nearly scoring a touchdown on an 11-yard jet sweep, and Seals cashed in on a 1-yard keeper on the next play to make it 14-10 with 4:58 left in the half.

Sayeri cut the margin to 14-13 with his 28-yarder just before halftime.

Christian Pierce intercepted Seals during the first minute of the second half and USC drove to the TCU 7, but Maiava underthrew a pass to the end zone that Channing Canada picked off.

–Field Level Media

Lincoln Riley shreds Notre Dame for end of series with USC

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Southern California coach Lincoln Riley said Notre Dame is to blame for the longtime rivalry between the two schools coming to at least a temporary pause.

The schools, which first faced off in 1926, have met every season since 1947 with the exception of the 2020 season that was disrupted by COVID-19. They were scheduled to play in Los Angeles next season but that game is off after Notre Dame inked a home-and-home with BYU for the next two seasons.

Riley said the Fighting Irish didn’t take much time to reject the final proposal from USC athletic director Jen Cohen, who traveled to South Bend to try to broker a deal.

“We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us anytime and anywhere,” Riley told reporters in San Antonio ahead of the Alamo Bowl matchup against TCU on Tuesday. “That proposal was rejected. Not only was it rejected, five minutes after we got the call, it was announced that they had scheduled another opponent (BYU), which I’ll give them credit. That might be the fastest scheduling act in college football history.”

When the Notre Dame-BYU series was announced on Dec. 22, the Fighting Irish and Trojans put out a joint statement.

“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” the joint statement said. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sports, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

A resumption of the series is unlikely to occur before 2030.

“Had Notre Dame lived up to their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we would be playing in the next two years, and looking ahead after that and hopefully, continuing the series,” Riley said. “They did not follow through on it. Thus, we are not playing them the next couple years.”

According to reports, USC has expressed it no longer wants to host Notre Dame in late November and wanted the game be played earlier in the season. Games in the series at Notre Dame typically are played in October.

Riley said that Notre Dame has more flexibility in scheduling since it is an independent. The Trojans are in the Big Ten and have a conference slate to figure in while putting together a schedule.

“We at USC would love for the game to continue,” said Riley, “and we have no problem following through on our promises in the future.”

Riley is finishing up his fourth season with the No. 16 Trojans (9-3) with the battle against the Horned Frogs (8-4).

–Field Level Media

Reports: Penn State hiring USC DC D’Anton Lynn

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Penn State is finalizing a deal with Southern California defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn for the same position, multiple outlets reported Monday.

Lynn, 36, played cornerback for the Nittany Lions from 2008-11 and is joining new head coach Matt Campbell’s staff after two seasons with the Trojans.

Campbell’s longtime defensive coordinator at Iowa State, Jon Heacock, recently announced his retirement.

Lynn coached in the NFL for nearly a decade before moving to the college ranks as the UCLA defensive coordinator in 2023. The Bruins improved from 90th in scoring defense to 14th under his watch.

At USC, he took over a defense that finished 121st in scoring defense and finished 56th in 2024 and 48th in 2025.

He coached the safeties for the Baltimore Ravens from 2021-22 and coached the secondary of the Houston Texans from 2018-20. He was a defensive assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers (2017) and Buffalo Bills (2015-16).

Former Penn State head coach James Franklin made overtures to hire Lynn last offseason but he opted to sign an extension with Southern Cal.

–Field Level Media

No. 16 USC to test depth vs. TCU in Alamo Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

No. 16 Southern California fell short of the College Football Playoff and had a handful of key players opt out of its Alamo Bowl matchup against TCU on Tuesday in San Antonio.

But to coach Lincoln Riley, much of the benefit of bowl season is derived from getting in work for younger players in advance of next season.

“I think in some instances there’ll be some guys that get some burn in this game that maybe haven’t played at all or very, very little,” Riley told reporters earlier this month.

“I mean, honestly, the games, the bowl game is great, and they’re great experiences. If you said, though, what’s the most valuable part of all of this, it’s days like this where we’re just pouring reps into all of these guys. The energy’s just different because all these guys kind of feel like it’s their time.”

The greatest example of that for the Trojans (9-3) could be their pass catchers. Wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane are opting out to focus on NFL draft preparation, and tight end Lake McRee is not expected to play in the Alamo Bowl either. They comprise USC’s top three receivers, who combined for more than 2,300 yards and 19 touchdowns.

That opens a door for freshman receiver Tanook Hines, who’ll be playing in his home state and who caught 28 passes for 398 yards and two TDs this year.

Hines and his teammates will have quarterback Jayden Maiava (3,431 yards, 23 TDs, eight interceptions) still running the show.

“Remarkable player,” Maiava said of Hines, per 247Sports. “Sky’s the limit for him. Super excited, and he knows I trust him out there.”

USC was in the CFP mix late into the season and won four of its last five games, but a 42-27 loss at Oregon on Nov. 22 essentially eliminated the Trojans from contention.

This will be USC’s first-ever trip to the Alamo Bowl, where TCU (8-4) will have a home-state advantage. The Horned Frogs won the Alamo Bowl in the 2015 and 2017 seasons under then-coach Gary Patterson.

Now Sonny Dykes is in charge and has coached TCU to its third eight-win season in four years. He spoke at length about wanting his players to value every game in front of them, whether it’s the national championship game, a regular-season affair or the Alamo Bowl.

“We have a tremendous culture, and again, I think it revealed itself at the end of the year, in the fact that our guys played so hard down the stretch and it meant something to them,” Dykes said of a team that finished the regular season with wins over then-No. 23 Houston and Cincinnati.

That didn’t keep starting quarterback Josh Hoover from entering the transfer portal and skipping the Alamo Bowl. Former Vanderbilt starter Ken Seals, who’s been TCU’s backup the past two seasons, is getting the nod.

“Ken started 22 games in the SEC,” Dykes said. “He’s been a great teammate, a great practice player. Now he’s going to get a chance to go perform on the big stage. He’s excited about it, our team believes in him, and we’ve moving on quickly.”

TCU’s other opt-outs and transfers are minimal. Safety Jamel Johnson (89 tackles, four interceptions), echoing USC’s coach, spoke about how bowls can help a program.

“It feeds into next year. We want to leave this place better than how we found it,” Johnson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It was us coming together one more time. It’s just a blessing and something we wanted to do.”

–Field Level Media

Southern California RB Eli Sanders entering NFL draft

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Southern California running back Eli Sanders declared for the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday.

“This is just the beginning of the next chapter, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here,” he posted on X.

He rushed for 264 yards and two touchdowns in six games for the Trojans this season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in a 31-13 win against Michigan on Oct. 11.

It was the redshirt senior’s first season at USC following one season at New Mexico (2024) and three at Iowa State (2021-23).

Sanders rushed for 2,030 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 38 passes for 395 yards and two scores in 39 career games.

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame, BYU to meet next two seasons; USC off Irish slate

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Notre Dame and BYU were the first two teams on the outside of the College Football Playoff this season, and the programs are beefing up their nonconference schedules for the next two seasons by playing one another.

Both schools announced the series Monday that will see the first game played in Provo, Utah next season and the latter in South Bend, Ind., in 2027.

Notre Dame finished 11th in the CFP rankings this season and BYU was No. 12. Miami, at No. 10, was the last at-large team to make the 12-team field.

“We are excited to announce this home-and-home series between BYU and Notre Dame for the 2026 and 2027 seasons,” BYU athletic director Brian Santiago said in a news release. “We have tremendous respect for Notre Dame. … These will be competitive football games, and will highlight coaches Kalani Sitake (BYU) and Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), two of the best leaders and coaches in college football.”

The game in Provo completes Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule, and knocks longtime rival Southern California off the schedule. Notre Dame and USC have played every season since 1946, except when the 2020 game was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The two teams were slated to play in 2026 in Los Angeles but that contest is now off and the series is indefinitely halted.

“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” Notre Dame and USC said in a joint statement. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sports, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

According to reports, USC has expressed it no longer wants to host Notre Dame in late November and would prefer the game be played earlier in the season. Games in the series at Notre Dame typically are played in October.

Also, USC now plays in the Big Ten and makes multiple trips to the Midwest or East and is concerned about having another long trip every other season.

Notre Dame and BYU have played nine times with the Fighting Irish prevailing seven times. The most recent contest came in 2022 when Notre Dame beat the Cougars 28-20 in Las Vegas.

The teams have split two meetings in Provo, while the Irish are 5-1 against the Cougars in South Bend.

The addition of Notre Dame completes BYU’s schedules for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Notre Dame (10-2) opted not to play in a bowl game after being passed over for the postseason. BYU (11-2) will face Georgia Tech (9-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on Dec. 27.

–Field Level Media

USC QB Jayden Maiava returning to Trojans in 2026

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After leading the Big Ten Conference with 3,431 passing yards through the regular-season schedule, Southern California quarterback Jayden Maiava committed Tuesday to returning to the Trojans program in 2026.

Maiava completed 66.2% of his passes with 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions while leading USC to a 9-3 record. The Trojans are set to face TCU in the Dec. 30 Alamo Bowl at San Antonio, Texas.

In two seasons at USC, Maiava has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 4,632 yards and 34 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. The Hawaii native, who started his college career at UNLV in 2023, took over as USC’s starting quarterback late last season.

While the Trojans are set to lose a pair of the nation’s top wide receivers in Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane to the NFL draft, the program will return wideouts Tanook Hines and Zacharyus Williams, along with running back Waymond Jordan.

–Field Level Media

USC TE Lake McRee to bypass final year of eligibility

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Southern California tight end Lake McRee elected to bypass his final season of college eligibility and declared Thursday for the 2026 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound native of Austin, Texas, was the third leading receiver for the Trojans this season, behind wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’kobi Lane. A redshirt senior, McRee had 30 receptions for 450 yards and four touchdowns.

“… Every moment — good and bad — has shaped who I am today,” McRee said in his announcement to declare for the draft that was posted on X. “The brotherhood in this program, the standard of excellence, and the belief we have in one another have pushed me to grow as both a player and a person.”

In 51 career games for the Trojans, he had 97 receptions for 1,154 yards and seven TDs.

Earlier this month, ESPN draft prognosticator Mel Kiper Jr. rated McRee the fifth best tight end potentially available.

USC (9-3) is scheduled to face TCU (8-4) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30. It is not known if McRee will play in the game.

–Field Level Media

No. 17 USC rallies in second half, upends rival UCLA

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Jayden Maiava threw both of his touchdown passes in the second half to spearhead No. 17 Southern California’s 29-10 comeback win over visiting rival UCLA on Saturday in Los Angeles.

With two stalled drives ending in missed field goals, USC (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten Conference) went to halftime trailing 10-7 against its crosstown counterpart UCLA (3-9, 3-6).

After four straight possessions without scoring, following an initial possession in which King Miller carried for a 5-yard score, the Trojans finally broke through just before the end of the third quarter. Maiava found Makai Lemon for the only time in the contest, but on their 11th touchdown connection of the season, on a 32-yard bomb for a 14-10 USC lead.

USC, which has won four of its last five, struck again on its next possession when Maiava hit Lake McRee on a goal-line touchdown that pushed its lead to 21-10.

UCLA, which scored on a pair of lengthy time-consuming drives in the second quarter, saw its second-half possessions end in three consecutive punts and a turnover on downs before another turnover on downs effectively sealed the USC win.

The Bruins’ scoring drives went 7:50 in 13 plays and 79 yards, culminating in Nicol Iamaleava’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Kwazi Gilmer, and 60 yards in 13 plays over 5:24 before Mateen Baghani’s 38-yard field goal just before intermission.

UCLA had a pair of drives in the second half that ate up more than seven minutes of clock, including its last-gasp effort to rally after USC pulled ahead by two scores, but Braylan Shelby’s late sack of Iamaleava put the Bruins in a hole they could not escape.

Miller added the exclamation point on USC’s ensuing possession, breaking off a 41-yard scoring rush to cap his 17-carry, 124-yard game. Maiava finished the night 21-of-29 passing for 257 yards.

Iamaleava completed 27 of 38 passes for 200 yards, with Gilmer catching 11 targets for 94 yards. Jalen Berger rushed seven times for 57 yards in the loss, UCLA’s fifth straight. The Bruin bookended a three-game winning streak with a pair of long skids, including an 0-4 start.

–Field Level Media