Three Major Takeaways From USC Trojans' Season Opening Victory Over Missouri State

The Trojans were headlined by injury last season, and were missing a few key players from tonight's starting lineup.

Through the first three quarters, USC looked healthy with plenty of rotation at each position.

The first time the medical tent went up was late in the second half, when Prince Strachan took a hard hit and was seen limping to the sidelines.

The good news was that the injury appeared to be nothing serious, when Strachan returned to the sidelines with a taped-up ankle, waiting to get back in the mix.

Out of tonight's game included defensive end Jakheem Stewart, linebacker Anthony Beavers Jr., and cornerbacks Prophet Brown, Chasen Johnson, Alex Graham and kicker Caden Chittenden.

The Future is Bright in South Central

While the first quarter of play was a little bit slower, coach Lincoln Riley and the coaching staff were able to allow majority of the roster to get field time against the Bears.

The most notable from tonight was backup quarterback Husan Longstreet, who made his first career appearance with USC and rushed for two touchdowns.

Riley is hopeful for the development of Longstreet, and is pleased with where Longstreet is headed.

"I thought Jayden kind of played the blueprint with how well he played in the first half, and then Husan was pretty steady," Riley said after the Trojans win. "He was obviously won the fumble back, but he was pretty steady. Ran with the ball. You see some of his athleticism, so a good start for him."

Alongside Longstreet was tight end Carson Tabaracci, the Park City, Utah native who secured his first career touchdown with USC.

Tabaracci followed tight end Lake McRee, who took it to the house for a 63-yard receiving touchdown.

The number of big plays was another large factor in the Trojans victory tonight. Linebacker Matai Tagoa'i came up with a fumble recovery to gain possesion for the Trojans, linebacker Garrett Pomerantz also recorded an interception, his first big career play with USC.

Defensive end Braylan Shelby led the way with two sacks and 3.5 tackles-for-loss.

Safety Bishop Fitzgerald also took his first career start with USC, and recorded his, and the program's, first defensive touchdown of the season with a pick-six. The NC State transfer was a highly regarded defensive back entering the Trojans roster, and proved he can compete.

The Running Back Room is Revived and Restocked

One of the most anticipated and deepest position rooms on the Trojans roster are the running backs, featuring a plethora of old and fresh skillsets.

The talent was revealed when running back Waymond Jordan found the end zone for the first score of the night, and his first career touchdown as a Trojan.

The Hutchinson Community College product was the No. 1 JUCO running back from the portal and received 2024 NJCAA Player of the Year honors.

When asked if tonight's Trojan crowd was the biggest he's ever played in front of, he answered with no hesistation.

"Of course," Jordan said after the USC victory.

Running back Eli Sanders also showed his receiving strength, speed and rushing ability tonight when his screen pass reception turned into 73 yards to the end zone.

The duo of Jordan and Sanders has been long awaited, and it's safe to say they will fit right in with Riley's offense.

The rest of the running back room also got to have a share of success, when running backs King Miller and Bryan Jackson scored their first career touchdowns for the Trojans.

USC will host Georgia Southern at the Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 6.