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Jayden Maiava and the Southern California offense appeared to be rolling to another comfortable victory when a scary injury for Michigan State and a series of big mistakes by the Trojans tightened up their late-night meeting once again. The No. 25 Trojans shook it all off and comfortably finished off the biggest challenge yet to their unbeaten start. Maiava threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores, and Makai Lemon made a 40-yard TD catch and ran for another score in USC's 45-31 victory on Saturday night. Maiava passed for 236 yards, Waymond Jordan rushed for 157 yards and Lemon had 127 yards receiving in a fourth straight comfortable victory for USC (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten), which is off to its best start since coach Lincoln Riley's first season in 2022.

Tanook Hines and Walker Lyons also caught TD passes as the Trojans surged away near halftime and capably handled a late rally by the Spartans (3-1, 0-1) to win the new conference rivals' first meeting since 1990. "That was a game that had some unique twists and turns," Riley said. "I thought we were controlling the game, (and then) obviously we had a couple of errors there in the third quarter with the penalties...and the turnover that allowed them to come back and capture some momentum. But I thought our team responded and separated back in a really good way. A lot to learn from. A lot that's got to continue to get better, but if you're learning lessons as you win, it's hard not to be excited." Long Beach native Aidan Chiles threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score for the Spartans, who fell short of only their second 4-0 start in the past decade. Chiles accounted for 243 of the Spartans' 333 total yards. While USC's offense marched up and down the field and didn't punt until the final minute, the defense made repeated mistakes in coverage and in discipline, accounting for most of the Trojans' 10 penalties. - USC/AP College Football

(DS#9 QB) rJr/2027

QB Jayden Maiava, Southern California
News Source: USC/AP College Football
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09/13/25 - Jayden Maiava, rJr/2027, Southern California, 6-4, 230 (DS#9 QB) + More +

Jayden Maiava and Waymond Jordan each had touchdown runs Saturday, and 360-pound defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett rambled 70 yards on an interception return for a socre to to lead Southern California past Purdue 33-17 after kickoff was delayed for 3 hours, 5 minutes because of weather. The Trojans (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) got their first win in the Eastern time zone since September 2012 at Syracuse, ending a nine-game skid - albeit with an unexpected 6:45 p.m. EDT start that coach Lincoln Riley joked at halftime was more like West Coast time. "I think this year we have a little chip on our shoulder when it comes to road games,” said receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, who had three catches for 115 yards. "We know what kind of mindset we have to have in the fourth quarter and it's not to settle.” Maiava finished 17 of 28 with 282 yards on a day the highest-scoring team in the Football Bowl Subdivision was held to a season-low point total. Jordan ran 18 times for 77 yards. Eli Sanders had 10 carries for 75 yards.

Purdue (2-1, 0-1) lost for the first time under new coach Barry Odom, who coached Maiava two years ago at UNLV. Ryan Browne was 24 of 39 with 305 yards, one TD and three interceptions while scoring the first rushing TD against the Trojans this season on a 34-yard run when he scooped up an errant, bouncing lateral and scooted down the sideline. USC took at 10-0 lead on Maiava's 3-yard TD run to open the second quarter and extended the margin to 17-3 on Jordan's 6-yard run late in the first half. The Trojans started the second half with two field goals, then got Jarrett's to make it 30-10 late in the third quarter. Purdue couldn't recover. "A good team and you've got to step into the ring and into the arena and be ready for them to swing,” Odom said. "And we kept swinging, so we'll learn from today in a lot of different ways.” - USC/AP College Football

(DS#9 QB) rJr/2027 QB Jayden Maiava, Southern California
News Source: USC/AP College Football
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09/06/25 - Makai Lemon, Jr/2027, Southern California, 5-11, 195 (DS#6 WR) + More +

Makai Lemon made touchdown catches of 62 and 74 yards in the first quarter, Jayden Maiava passed for 412 yards and four scores, and Southern California trounced former coach Clay Helton's Georgia Southern 59-20 Saturday night. Waymond Jordan rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown, and Ja'Kobi Lane made an exceptional one-handed TD catch as the Trojans (2-0) racked up 755 total yards. Walker Lyons also caught a TD pass, while Eli Sanders ran for two scores. Helton spent parts of eight seasons as the head coach at USC, winning a Rose Bowl and a Pac-12 title. He also failed to achieve the national championship contention demanded of USC coaches before he was fired two games into the 2021 season. The Coliseum did the rare honor of welcoming Helton by name while he led Georgia Southern onto the famed field Saturday, although he was greeted mostly with boos.

Camden Brown caught two TD passes in the first half for the Eagles, who have begun Helton's fourth season with road losses to Fresno State and USC by a combined 101-34. In his second game at USC, juco transfer Jordan rushed for more yards than any tailback in Lincoln Riley's four-year tenure. Maiava's 412 yards passing were the 14th-most in USC history, boosted by four pass plays longer than 50 yards. But Georgia Southern led less than two minutes after the opening kickoff when Jordan fumbled and Brown caught a 32-yard TD pass from Weston Bryan on the first career throw by the freshman quarterback. USC answered with that one-handed TD catch by Lane, who hauled in Maiava's throw despite defensive pass interference. Less than two minutes later, Lemon turned a short reception into a 62-yard TD romp through the Eagles' secondary. Jordan made a 36-yard TD run early in the second half. King Miller made a 41-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. - USC/AP College Football

(DS#6 WR) Jr/2027

WR Makai Lemon, Southern California
News Source: USC/AP College Football
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09/01/25 - Jayden Maiava, rJr/2027, Southern California, 6-4, 230 (DS#9 QB) + More +

WEEK 1 BIG TEN CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jayden Maiava, USC, QB - Jr. - Palolo, Hawaii - Liberty,...Went 15-of-18 (.833) with a pair of touchdowns for 295 yards with a long of 73 yards to lead the Trojans to a 73-13 victory over Missouri State to open the 2025 season on Saturday...Rushed for nine yards and scored a touchdown on a three-yard rush into the end zone...His 295 passing yards matched his second-highest passing total last season (295 yards versus Texas A&M on Dec. 27, 2024)...Maiava's 295 passing yards in the first half versus Missouri State were the most by a Trojan in a first half since former USC QB Kedon Slovis' 347 first-half yards versus Arizona State on Nov. 9, 2019...Last USC Offensive Player of the Week: Miller Moss (Sept. 2, 2024) - Big Ten Football

(DS#9 QB) rJr/2027

QB Jayden Maiava, Southern California
News Source: Big Ten Football
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08/30/25 - Jayden Maiava, rJr/2027, Southern California, 6-4, 230 (DS#9 QB) + More +

Jayden Maiava passed for 295 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and Southern California had its highest-scoring game since 1930 in a 73-13 victory over Missouri State on Saturday night. Husan Longstreet completed all nine of his passes and rushed for two TDs in the touted freshman quarterback's second-half debut for USC, which got off to an impressive offensive start to Lincoln Riley's fourth season with 602 total yards.

Nine players scored 10 touchdowns for USC, which hadn't racked up this many points since a 74-0 victory over California 95 years ago. The game was the Trojans' highest-scoring season opener since a 76-0 win over UCLA in 1929. Lake McRee caught a 64-yard touchdown pass and Eli Sanders turned a screen pass into a 73-yard TD during USC's 42-point first half. Waymond Jordan, Bryan Jackson and King Miller rushed for touchdowns for the Trojans, who scored on 10 of their first 11 drives and didn't punt. USC hadn't scored 70 points in a game since its 2005 opener against Arkansas. Jacob Clark passed for 147 yards and hit Tristian Gardner for a 33-yard TD for Missouri State, which is joining the FBS this season in Conference USA. - USC/AP College Football

(DS#9 QB) rJr/2027

QB Jayden Maiava, Southern California
News Source: USC/AP College Football
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12/08/23 - Brenden Rice, Sr/2024, Southern California, 6-2, 208 (DS#15 WR) + More +

Southern California receiver Brenden Rice will forgo his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL draft. The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice made the announcement Friday on social media. Rice was seventh nationally with 12 receiving touchdowns. He also had 45 receptions for 791 yards and averaged 17.6 yards per catch. He was at Colorado in 2020 and '21 before spending the past two seasons at USC. Earlier this week, Rice accepted an invitation to attend the Senior Bowl in January. This is the first year the game is allowing draft-eligible underclassmen to participate. - AP College Football

(DS#15 WR) Sr/2024

WR Brenden Rice, Southern California
News Source: AP College Football
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11/30/23 - Jayden Maiava, rJr/2027, Southern California, 6-4, 230 (DS#9 QB) + More +

2023 MOUNTAIN WEST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: JAYDEN MAIAVA, QB, UNLV,...UNLV's seventh MW Freshman of the Year and the third in the last four seasons...Earned second-team All-Mountain West honors...Came off the bench against Vanderbilt in Week 3 to lead UNLV to the win and started every game thereafter, fashioning a 7-2 record as a starter...Is 186-for-290 for 2,626 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season...Leads all FBS freshmen with a .641 completion percentage, a 152.0 passing efficiency, and 9.06 yards per pass attempt...Threw for at least 200 yards in seven consecutive games to end the regular season and eight games overall, tying him for ninth in a career in UNLV history...Ran for 244 yards and three touchdowns...Earned a record five MW Freshman of the Week citations...Named the College Football Network Freshman Player of the Week for Week 7 after completing a UNLV freshman-record 80 percent of his passes (20-for-25) in a win over Nevada. - Mountain West Football

(DS#9 QB) rJr/2027

QB Jayden Maiava, Southern California
News Source: Mountain West Football
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03/10/23 - Eric Gentry, rSr/2026, Southern California, 6-5, 225 (DS#3 OLB) + More +

Linebacker Eric Gentry will miss all of spring practice following ankle surgery last month, Riley said. Gentry suffered a high ankle sprain in October and played through the injury in USC's final games. The hope was, with some rest, Gentry would be able to heal without surgery, but it became clear to USC that the procedure would be necessary. Riley said Gentry is expected to be ready for summer workouts with the team. - Orange County Register

(DS#3 OLB) rSr/2026

OLB Eric Gentry, Southern California
News Source: Orange County Register
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03/06/23 - Anthony Lucas, Sr/2026, Southern California, 6-4, 285 (DS#19 DE) + More +

USC no longer has the nation's sack leader to lean on, and for a defense that finished among the worst in the nation in spite of Tuli Tuipulotu's presence, that's a scary thought. How the Trojans rebuild that pass rush will be a pressing question this spring. Could Anthony Lucas be the answer? A former five-star prospect, Lucas definitely looks the part at 6-6, 270 pounds, but he barely got on the field as a freshman for Texas A&M. USC is hoping a change of scenery could unlock Lucas. If it doesn't, the options on the edge are awfully limited. Romello Height is returning from an injury. Korey Foreman has yet to figure it out. It gets thin in a hurry after that. - Los Angeles Times

(DS#19 DE) Sr/2026

DE Anthony Lucas, Southern California
News Source: Los Angeles Times
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01/30/23 - Sam Huard, rSr/2026, Southern California, 6-1, 210 (DS#49 QB) + More +

The combination of Sam Huard and Sheldon Cross produced 13,214 passing yards and 153 touchdowns - both state records - in four unparalleled seasons at Kennedy Catholic High School, from 2017 to 2021. They'll chase that same success in the FCS. Huard - a former five-star recruit, who announced a decision to enter the transfer portal after two seasons at Washington on Jan. 10 - will transfer to FCS Cal Poly, he announced on the "Brock and Salk" show on Seattle Sports Station 710 AM Monday.

In the Big Sky Conference, Huard will reunite with Cross - who agreed to become Cal Poly's offensive coordinator this month after seven successful seasons as head coach at Kennedy Catholic. "Obviously the relationship with coach Cross I've had throughout my high school career and just how much he pushed me to grow as a person and as a player," Huard said Monday morning. " So, less than two years after enrolling at UW early as a five-star recruit, is looking for an offense that is familiar. "That [air raid system at Cal Poly] definitely also had a big impact on my decision," Huard said. "I've had two different systems in two years. I know if I was going to go choose another place where I'd have to learn a third system in three years there's obviously a lot of challenges with that." - Seattle Times

(DS#49 QB) rSr/2026

QB Sam Huard, Southern California
News Source: Seattle Times
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01/16/23 - *Jordan Addison, Jr/2023, Southern California, 5-11, 173 (DS#2 WR) + More +

USC wide receiver Jordan Addison has made his official announcement Monday (Jan. 16) to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. He talked about entering the draft in December, but waited until today, the deadline, to make it official. Addison had a big year for USC this season, his first since leaving Pittsburgh via the transfer portal.

The 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner finished with 59 receptions for 875 yards and eight touchdowns as a key part of a high-powered offense led by quarterback Caleb Williams. Addison's journey from Pitt to USC last year was high-profile. He entered the portal just before the deadline as rumors swirled about a possible NIL deal waiting for him before he officially entered. That led to allegations of tampering by Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi toward Trojans coach Lincoln Riley. - USCFootball.com

(DS#2 WR) Jr/2023

WR *Jordan Addison, Southern California
News Source: USCFootball.com
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01/15/23 - Jack Sullivan, rSr/2024, Southern California, 6-5, 275 (DS#999 DE) + More +

Looking to improve on their 2022 season, USC is loading up. Former Purdue defensive end Jack Sullivan will be part of USC's defensive front next season. It wasn't lost on anyone, Riley least of all, how much USC relied, game in and game out, on Tuli Tuipulotu getting to the quarterback. Tuipulotu, who led the nation in sacks with 13.5, is off to the NFL, leaving the cupboard even more bare up front for USC. But Riley and his staff have already made some major headway in restocking the position.

USC added a former five-star edge defender from Texas A&M in Anthony Lucas and a productive defensive end in Jack Sullivan, who broke out last season at Purdue. Arizona transfer Kyon Barrs was "one of the more explosive interior defensive linemen in the league," according to Riley, and should offer a boost where USC desperately needed one. Oklahoma State inside linebacker Mason Cobb was an All-Big 12 selection last season and almost certainly will be a starter, while Riley has raved about the playmaking ability of Georgia State edge rusher Jamil Muhammad. - Los Angeles Times

(DS#999 DE) rSr/2024

DE Jack Sullivan, Southern California
News Source: Los Angeles Times
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01/14/23 - Caleb Williams, Jr/2024, Southern California, 6-1, 214 (DS#1 QB) + More +

Looking ahead to the loaded 2024 quarterback draft class: Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams headlines the group after his masterful season at USC. Williams threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns, adding 10 more scores on the ground. He is in line to be the next first-round pick from Lincoln Riley's offense. Joining Williams in the Pac-12 are two excellent senior quarterbacks, Bo Nix (Oregon) and Michael Penix (Washington). The former transfers broke out on the scene with their news programs in 2022 and are ready to run it back next season.

Drake Maye shot up draft boards following his fantastic redshirt freshman season. He helped lead UNC to the ACC championship game, throwing 38 touchdowns in the process. Maye looks the part of a future NFL quarterback. Texas' Quinn Ewers is a prime candidate to take a massive jump going forward. He has one of the best arms in the nation and should be more comfortable in the starting role. - USA Today

(DS#1 QB) Jr/2024

QB Caleb Williams, Southern California
News Source: USA Today
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01/13/23 - Kyon Barrs, rSr/2024, Southern California, 6-2, 301 (DS#71 DT) + More +

In USC's' 43-42 Pac-12 Championship loss to Utah in Salt Lake City, T rojan defenders missed 18 tackles, gave up 291 of the Utes' whopping 562 yards in the second half, allowed three first downs by penalty and had just one tackle for loss. Then on Jan. 2 they gave up 16 points in the final 4:07 of the season to succumb to Tulane, 46-45.

But head coach Lincoln Riley is keeping defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. But the Trojans are bulking up their defense. Via the transfer portal they will add Arizona defensive lineman Kyon Barrs, a second team All-Pac-12 honoree in 2021 and Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb, second team All Big 12 in 2022. The Trojans also recruited nine top high school defenders, including three four-star prospects who include highly touted talents such as Braylan Shelby, an edge rusher, and Tackett Curtis, a linebacker. - Orange County Register

(DS#71 DT) rSr/2024

DT Kyon Barrs, Southern California
News Source: Orange County Register
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01/12/23 - Sam Huard, rSr/2026, Southern California, 6-1, 210 (DS#49 QB) + More +

Sam Huard's story is not unique. Granted, there are certainly exclusive elements - how his father (Damon) and uncle (Brock) both starred in Seattle, cultivating a legacy of prolific quarterback play; how his last name became inextricably bound to a program as well as a position; how he set the state's prep passing record (with 13,214 yards) in his final game before enrolling early at Washington; how a ranking, a reputation and an expectation sat on the shoulders attached to his prized left arm. But Huard's transfer fits with the larger trend. Indeed, the redshirt sophomore - who announced Tuesday he'll enter the transfer portal - is one of 13 quarterbacks ranked as a five-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite between the 2018 and 2021 classes. And of those 13 celebrated slingers, eight have since searched for a second home.

That list includes Heisman Trophy winners Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young and Caleb Williams, a top draft pick in Justin Fields … and a graveyard filled with failed marriages. Which doesn't mean Huard - or Uiagalelei - are destined for perpetual disappointment. Fields, Williams, Rattler and Nix have each found a measure of success at their second stops. But it does reveal an unfortunate fact surrounding the ongoing quarterback carousel: whether via the transfer portal or the high school ranks, signal callers are constantly coming to take your job. If you're not good enough, you'll be gone. - Seattle Times

(DS#49 QB) rSr/2026

QB Sam Huard, Southern California
News Source: Seattle Times
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