LIVE: Final - USC 66, Nevada 14
The No. 6 USC Trojans are set to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 3:30 pm. Trojan fans can follow the action along with WeAreSC here. We’ll take a running look at the touchdowns and key plays as the Trojans look to move to 2-0 on the 2023 college football season.
To get ready for the game, the USC football account posted the team’s hype video Friday evening.
Last Week
USC defeated San Jose State 56-28 during Zero Week last Saturday to move to 1-0 on the year. True freshman Zachariah Branch wowed all of college football with 232 all-purpose yards by way of rushing, receiver, punt returns as well as a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns. In 15 games played in cardinal and gold, Williams now has 10 games in which he’s been responsible for at least four touchdowns.
The USC defense allowed 28 points, 24 first downs, and 198 rushing yards on 7.3 yards per carry against the Spartans. And USC recorded just one sack and zero turnovers. The Trojans will want better in all categories moving forward.
Leading Into the Game
There were a couple of housekeeping notes regarding the Trojans heading into this game.
Wide receiver Michael Jackson III is active for this game after missing the season-opener.
Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace will sit out the first half of the game while serving a suspension stemming from an ejection in the second half of the final game of the 2022 season while Roland-Wallace was at Arizona.
Nevada head coach Ken Wilson spoke at length about facing the Trojans this week, especially the challenges that Caleb Williams tne the offense present.
Pregame
* It appears as though the Trojans will be very thin at inside linebacker for this one. Neither Mason Cobb nor Eric Gentry are going through early warmups with the rest of the linebackers.
* Defensive lineman Tyrone Taleni is not going through initial warmups. He missed last week’s game. Defensive linemen De’jon Benton and Sam Greene are both participating. Neither played against San Jose State.
* Wide receiver Raleek Brown is not in uniform or on the field for initial warmups. The full team has not come out in uniform, but the returners are out and Brown is not with them as he has been in the past.
* True freshman Tackett Curis and Raesjon Davis are warming up with the first-team defense during 7-on-7 warmups.
* The first-team offensive line during warmups is Jonah Monheim, Emmanuel Pregnon, Justin Dedich, Jarrett Kingston and Michael Tarquin going from left tackle to right tackle.
* It appears Jamil Muhammad will get the start at rush end for the Trojans after going through warmups with the first-team defense. He had a significant impact last week with a few quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
* Nevada won the coin flip and elected to defer. USC will receive the opening kickoff.
First Quarter
* Running back Austin Jones, wide receivers Brenden Rice, Mario Williams, Zachariah Branch and Dorian Singer are the skill-position starters for the Trojans.
* USC goes 79 yards in four plays on the opening drive of the game. Williams finds Branch for a 22-yard touchdown. It’s 7-0 Trojans with 12:45 remaining in the first quarter.
* The big play bites the Trojans again. Nevada hits a 73-yard pass play down the sideline and gets into the endzone two plays later. It’s a four-play, 85-yard drive for the Wolf Pack to tie it up at 7-7 with 11:01 left in the first quarter.
* USC gets 40 yards on its first two plays of the drive but then Williams misses two long passes and gets the ball knocked out of his hands on third down. He recovers the fumble but the Trojans are forced to punt. Nevada ball at its own 10-yard line with 9:01 left in the first quarter.
* Jamil Muhammad records the first sack of the day for the Trojans. It forces a Nevada punt and the Trojans have the ball at their own 46-yard line with 7:27 left in the first quarter.
* Running back MarShawn Lloyd goes 24 yards for his first touchdown as a Trojan. It’s 14-7 USC with 5:18 left in the first quarter.
* Williams finds Tahj Washington on a short crossing route and Washington makes the most of some downfield blocking to find the endzone on a 22-yard catch and run. Gino Quinones is down on the play but gets up and is moving to the sideline with the help of the trainers. It’s 21-7 Trojans with 2:13 left in the first quarter.
Second Quarter
* USC is on the board again as Williams finds Michael Jackson III for a 15-yard touchdown. That’s Jackson’s first catch and touchdown of the season after missing last week’s game. It’s 28-7 USC with 14:08 left in the first half.
* Tackett Curtis is ejected from the game for targeting. The inside linebacker position gets even thinner for the Trojans for the rest of this one.
* Williams finds Brenden Rice for a 13-yard touchdown. He’s thrown touchdowns to four different receivers for the second week in a row. It’s 35-7 Trojans with 6:17 remaining in the first half.
Third Quarter
* Williams throws his fifth touchdown pass of the game and Washington catches his second. This one is a 45-yard toss. It’s 42-7 Trojans with 10:08 left in the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
* A Miller Moss-led drive ends in a Denis Lynch field goal from 37 yards out. It’s 45-7 USC with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter.
* True freshman rush end Braylan Shelby knocks the ball into the air on a sack and Stanley Ta’ufo’ou grabs it and rumbles into the endzone. It’s a 23-yard return and USC pushes its lead to 52-7. That’s Shelby’s first sack and forced fumble of his career.
* Nevada hits a 77-yard touchdown for a one-play drive to make it 52-14 USC.
* True freshman running back Quinten Joyner scores the first touchdown of his USC career. He takes off up the middle for a 47-yard run, making a safety miss and outrunning everybody to the endzone. It’s 59-14 Trojans with 9:09 left in the game.
* THE DUCE IS LOOSE!! Moss hits true freshman receiver Duce Robinson over the middle and he takes off for a 71-yard touchdown to push the USC lead to 66-14 with 4:02 remaining in the game.
