What USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Said About Big Ten Play After Dominant Win

After a Waymond Jordan fumble on the Trojans opening possession, followed by a Camden Brown 32-yard touchdown catch that put Georgia Southern up 6-0 early, USC began to explode on offense.

Lane got things started when he reeled in a sensational one-hand catch for a 12-yard touchdown, that will assuredly be played on repeat during his draft night.

Lemon said during Big Ten Media Days in July that he expected the offense to be more explosive in 2025 and he proved himself right with a big-time performance in the opening quarter. The Trojans junior receiver showed what he could with the ball in hands with touchdown receptions of 62 and 74 yards that made it 21-6 at the end of the first quarter.

Southern Cal's two superstar receivers both garnered first-round attention in the spring and made statements to boost their draft stock. Lemon reeled in four receptions for 158 yards, 113 of which came after the catch. Lane caught three passes for 91 yards.

Georgia Southern would respond with Brown's second touchdown reception from a busted coverage in the USC secondary. And then late in the half Maiava hit Lyons for his first career touchdown and the Trojans went into the break leading 31-13.

Jordan kicked things off in the second half with an impressive 36-yard rushing touchdown, thanks to a big-time block from redshirt senior receiver Jaden Richardson down the field. The junior tailback finished the night with 167 yards on the ground. Redshirt senior running back Eli Sanders' two rushing touchdowns on the next two possessions made it 52-20 early in the fourth quarter.

Redshirt freshman King Miller kept things rolling in the fourth with a 41-yard touchdown. That comes after a week after the Trojans walk-on running back ripped off a 75-yard touchdown against Missouri State.

"It's good to see the contributions from different places," Riley said. "We're showing our depth some of the depth that we've worked hard to establish here."

Defense

Cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed put an emphasis on creating more turnovers and for the second week in a row, a member of the Trojans secondary came up with an interception, this time it was redshirt senior cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson.

The Trojans pass rush has been more alive this season, registering four sacks, all in the first half. Senior defensive end Anthony Lucas led the way with the two as he continues to find his stride after missing the second half of 2024 with a lower body injury.

Freshman defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart made his Trojans debut after missing week one with an injury.

"I saw some active plays. A little bit of rust," Riley said. "First game in a long time. But he's a really talented guy that can impact our defense very positively here this year and in the future."

There is still plenty to clean up with Big Ten play beginning next week. "We have to eliminate the penalty. That's the number one thing that showed up," Riley said.

Looking Ahead

USC will be on the road next Saturday, Sept. 13, as they kickoff Big Ten play against the Purdue Boilermakers. The Trojans have not won a game in the central time zone since 2012, a streak that the Trojans would definitely like to snap.