USC runs over the Utah State defense on opening drive
The USC run game is firing on all cylinders.
The Trojans started their first drive on their 17-yard line.
Wood Marks rushed for eight yards and then gained another eight yards.
Marks was called for false start and it set up first down at the USC 28.
Marks ran the ball again, brushing off tackles while gaining 33 yards and offsetting his penalty. Miller Moss then completed his first pass, hitting Ja’Kobi Lane for a 12-yard gain that moved moved the ball to the Utah State 27.
Quinten Joyner took a handoff and ran up the middle for an 18-yard gain, bouncing off a few Aggies. He then ran for three more yards.
On second-and-goal at the Utah State, Moss’ pass to Lane said high and out of the back of the end zone. On third-and-goal, Moss passed to Lane in the end zone and it hit his hands, but Lane dropped it.
On fourth-and-goal at the six, USC coach Lincoln Riley opted for a field-goal attempt.
Michael Lantz hit the 23-yard field goal to give USC an early lead.
No. 13 USC 3, Utah State 0, 11:13 left in the first quarter
And we’re off ...
Utah State won the opening coin toss and deferred.
Zachariah Branch returned the kickoff 17 yards to the USC 17-yard line.
No. 13 USC 0, Utah State 0, 14:56 left in the first quarter
Eric Gentry expected to play bigger role for USC
Ryan Kartje, The Times’ USC beat reporter, notes Eric Gentry is in line for a bigger role with Mason Cobb out due to injury. Gentry is coming off a strong performance against LSU in the season opener.
Utah State’s quarterback will be a familiar face for USC
‘He’s a baller.’ Revamped USC defense showcases versatile linebacker Eric Gentry
Ever since spring, when the foundation of USC’s new defense first was built, Eric Gentry hadn’t made much effort to hide how happy he was with the overhaul. He was thrilled with the new scheme, which seemed to fit his unusual skillset as a 6-foot-6 linebacker, and thrilled with the new coaches, who actually seemed to understand him.
It didn’t take long during Sunday’s 27-20 win over Louisiana State to see exactly why the gangly senior linebacker has been in such a good mood.
Few defenders had a bigger impact on a play-by-play basis in USC’s season-opener than Gentry, who played just 29 of 64 snaps on defense, but still wrangled seven tackles, including one in the fourth quarter that saw him sprint off the edge on third-and-one and stop a critical LSU drive dead in its tracks.
D’Anton Lynn unlocking USC’s defensive potential where others failed
LAS VEGAS — D’Anton Lynn walked along the perimeter of Allegiant Stadium hours before his anticipated USC debut, headphones on, shutting out the noise around him for one lap, then another … then another. In a loud stadium, on a crowded sideline, Lynn walked as if totally alone, talking to no one, entranced in a silent, steely focus.
The Trojans’ new defensive coordinator had earned a few moments of calm before the chaos of a new college football season, his most critical yet as a coach. He’d carried on the last nine months amid constant noise and persistent questions about how quickly he’d turn around a dismal defense after doing the same in a single year at UCLA. All along he’d kept an even keel, making no promises other than to assure everyone that his team would come prepared Sunday.
“He’s actually a lot more relaxed” of a coach, safety Akili Arnold said. “Because he knows we’re going to play good ball. He trusts in us.”
USC receiver Kyron Hudson spent years preparing to make college football’s best catch
As USC receiver Kyron Hudson lifted into the air in Las Vegas on Sunday, his right arm reaching for a reception that seemingly would defy the laws of gravity, Bruce Rollinson leaped up from the couch in awe.
The retired Mater Dei coach knew better than most what led to that moment. He’d watched Hudson work and work and work during their time together at Mater Dei, arriving early, leaving late, spending hours grinding film or drilling the same details over and over again until it was muscle memory. Never once did he drag or pout or complain.
“Just continue to trust the process,” he said. The refrain has become a mantra for Hudson, one that’s finally starting to yield results as a redshirt junior.
“Once you believe, once you trust that, anything is possible,” Hudson said.
Want to attend a Big Ten football game? Here’s a guide to all 18 stadiums
Hey there, fans of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington football.
Welcome to the Big Ten Conference.
Sure, conference road games may be a bit farther away (much more than 2,000 miles in many cases) than they were in the Pac-12 days.
But just think of all the fun, exciting and often historic venues — each with its own quirks and unique traditions — you’ll have the opportunity to visit.
Why USC sold Coliseum field space to DirecTV: It’s ‘an adapt-or-die scenario’
When USC fans get their first, long-awaited glimpse inside the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night, they’ll be greeted by an unfamiliar sight at the back of both of the century-old stadium’s end zones.
An on-field sponsor ad, painted in black over the field’s white apron, urging them to “STREAM TROJAN FOOTBALL” on DirecTV.
That message might not have landed so well last weekend, after Disney pulled access to DirecTV amid a contract dispute, leaving more than 10 million in Southern California unable to watch USC’s season-opening win over Louisiana State on ESPN. But by Saturday, DirecTV will be front and center for all to see in the Coliseum end zone — assuming, of course, you have the Big Ten Network.
How to watch USC vs. Utah State and betting odds
USC on the way to the playoffs? UCLA in trouble already? Let’s overreact to one game of the college football season.
USC will play its first game at the Coliseum this season when it takes on Utah State at 8 p.m. PDT. The game will air on the Big Ten Network and on 710 AM in the Los Angeles Area.
Here’s a look at the betting odds heading into the game:
USC finally has a defense under Lincoln Riley. Let the playoff dreaming begin
LAS VEGAS — Who were these players, and what did they do with USC’s defense?
They were physical.
They made open-field tackles.
They kept their team in the game when the offense was stalled.
Finally, in Lincoln Riley’s third year as coach, the Trojans have a defense. Finally, under first-year defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, they have a defense that can strike fear into their opponents.
New starting quarterback Miller Moss passed for 378 yards and transfer running back Woody Marks scored a pair of touchdowns, but the most important revelations in the Trojans’ season-opening 27-20 victory over No. 13 Louisiana State were on the other side of the football.