Final: USC 56 - San Jose State 28

The No. 6 USC Trojans get their season started with a Week 0 matchup against the San Jose State Spartans. Head coach Lincoln Riley is back for his second season with the Trojans and he has a team that should be dynamic on offense and hopefully improved on defense.

Quarterback Caleb Williams returns with a Heisman Trophy in tow and his sights set firmly on the drive to a national championship. Big-time transfer portal additions to the defense should help, in linebacker Mason Cobb and defensive linemen Kyon Barrs, Bear Alexander and Anthony Lucas.

USC – SJSU Pregame

Injury report – Defensive lineman Tyrone Taleni and wide receiver Michael Jackson III are expected contributors this year not in full uniform today.

Defensive lineman Deijon Laffitte, kicker Garth White, wide receiver Josiah Zamora, rush end DJ Peevy, cornerback Maliki Crawford and tight end CJ Woods are not in uniform for the Trojans.

Starters – A couple of offensive line decisions look like they’ve been made as the group warms up. True freshman Alani Noa is at left guard and Gino Quinones is at right guard. Head coach Lincoln Riley talked about some specific rotations they want to look at along the offensive line. But Noa and Quinones will get the nod as starters. Emmanuel Pregnon at left guard, Jarrett Kingston at right guard and Mason Murphy at right tackle will undoubtedly rotate in throughout this one.

Lucas, Alexander, Barrs and Solomon Byrd warmed up as the starting defensive line for the Trojans. True freshman linebacker Tackett Curtis is going to start next to Cobb. Domani Jackson and Ceyair Wright will start at cornerback, with Jaylin Smith at nickel and Max Williams and Calen Bullock at safety.

* Former USC cornerback Terrell Thomas leads the team out of the tunnel and onto the field to get the 2023 season underway.

* SJSU wins the toss and elects to receive the opening kick.

First Quarter

* Eddie Czaplicki sends the opening kickoff downfield for a touchback and the USC defense will take the field first.

* True freshman defensive lineman Elijah Hughes is involved in USC’s first tackle for loss of the season, combining with Max Williams. San Jose State is forced to punt on its opening drive and USC will take over at its own 20-yard line.

* Austin Jones rips off a 37-yard run and Caleb Williams connects with Dorian Singer for a 13-yard touchdown for the Trojans’ first points of the 2023 season. That was the first completion of the game for Williams. USC leads 7-0 with 6:32 remaining in the first quarter.

* SJSU quarterback Chevan Cordeiro gets loose for a 28-yard scramble on 3rd-and-22 to keep the Spartans’ drive alive. San Jose State has the ball at the USC one-yard line as the first quarter ends.

Second Quarter

* SJSU holds the ball for 7:12 and punches in a one-yard score to tie the game 7-7.

* USC with an ugly offensive possession. Trojans go three-and-out, punctuated by an intentional grounding penalty. San Jose State absolutely dominating time of possession right now. Still 7-7, now with 12:45 left in the first half.

* Eric Gentry records a tackle on Cordeiro, who was trying to scramble. Trojans force a much-needed three-and-out. USC takes over at its own eight-yard line after a holding penalty on the punt. Trojans’ ball with 11:26 left in the first half, still tied 7-7.

* Caleb Williams picks up a fumbled snap and hits Tahj Washington deep downfield for a 76-yard touchdown pass. It’s 14-7 USC with 9:38 left in the first half.

* USC rush end Jamil Muhammad levels Cordeiro as he’s throwing on third-down. Trojans force another three-and-out and true freshman receiver Zachariah Branch shows some agility on a 12-yard punt return.

* Austin Jones goes into the endzone from two yards out to give the Trojans another score. It’s 21-7 USC with 3:31 remaining in the first half.

* Lackluster end to the first half for USC. The offense goes three-and-out losing 15 yards to set SJSU up with good field position. The Spartans take advantage with a four-play, 46-yard drive that takes just 19 seconds and results in a touchdown. It’s 21-14 USC with eight seconds left in the first half.

Halftime Statistics

Total Yards
USC – 208
SJSU 176
Pass Yards
USC – 134
SJSU – 95
Rush Yards
USC – 74
SJSU – 81
Penalties
USC – 5-31
SJSU – 3-21
Time of Possession
USC – 12:44
SJSU – 17:16

Third Quarter

* USC takes the second-half kickoff and goes 75 yards in 10 plays. Jones caps the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. That’s his second on the day and USC leads 28-14 with 10:45 left in the third quarter.

* USC defensive end Solomon Byrd with a huge play, coming up with a sack for a 22-yard loss and forcing a San Jose State punt. Zachariah Branch takes the punt back 35 yards and USC has the ball at its own 48-yard line, up 28-14 with 7:35 left in the third quarter.

* Williams finds Zachariah Branch on a short pass and Branch does the rest as he goes 25 yards for the first touchdown of his USC career. Branch now has four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. It’s 35-14 USC with 6:00 remaining in the third quarter.

* San Jose State comes right back down the field against the USC defense with a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It’s 35-21 USC with 1:50 left in the third quarter.

* LIGHTNING STRIKE. Zachariah Branch takes the kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown. The true freshman is electric. It’s 42-21 USC with 1:34 remaining in the third.

Fourth Quarter

* Williams throws his fourth touchdown pass of the game, hitting Brenden Rice for a 12-yard score. It’s 49-21 USC with 12:28 left in the game.

* Miller Moss comes in at quarterback for the Trojans and leads USC to a touchdown. The Trojans go 78 yards in nine plays with Moss keeping it for a four-yard touchdown run. It’s 56-21 USC with 6:53 left in the game.

* San Jose State gets a 57-yard run as part of an 85-yard touchdown drive. A 2-yard touchdown throw makes the score 56-28 with the Trojans ahead, with 5:08 remaining in the game.