Tag: usc athletics

Woody Marks continues to show that he is USC’s best offensive player

Woody Marks continues to deliver for USC. In a lost season with so many frustrations and failures, Marks has been a clear shining light for the Trojans.

For the past week, the majority of the attention surrounding USC football has been dedicated to the quarterback position. With head coach Lincoln Riley opting to replace Miller Moss with Jayden Maiava prior to Saturday’s game against Nebraska, Maiava’s play was under a microscope the entire afternoon. On Saturday, however, we were treated to a reminder that the Trojans’ best offensive player is neither Moss, nor Maiava, nor any quarterback. Rather, it is star running back Woody Marks.

Against Nebraska, Marks delivered yet another impressive performance, carrying the ball 19 times for 146 yards. In addition, he caught six passes for 36 yards.

Marks has now gone over 100 yards rushing in six of USC’s ten games this season. On Saturday, he became the first Trojan to record 1,000 rushing yards in a season since Ronald Jones in 2017. (We should point out that Travis Dye was well on his way to surpassing the mark in 2022 prior to suffering a season-ending injury against Colorado with multiple games left in the season.)

Marks’s best play of the day came in the biggest moment. With under six minutes remaining in the game and USC leading 21-20, the Trojans faced a 4th and 1 from the Nebraska 47 yard line.

Marks decided to put the team on his back and take matters into his own hands. He cut through the defense and burst down the sideline for a 34-yard gain, giving the Trojans a first down at the Nebraksa 13 yard-line. Four plays later, USC was in the end zone with a much-needed insurance touchdown that ultimately put the game out of reach.

On paper, that drive will go down as having ended with Maiava touchdown run. But don’t get things twisted: By far the most important play on that drive (and arguably of the game) belonged to Marks.

With the game in the balance, Lincoln Riley put the ball in the hands of his best offensive player. And boy, did he deliver.

Obviously, quarterback is the most important position in not just football, but in all of sports. It is pretty much impossible to win in today’s day and age without a good signal-caller.

But even in today’s era of pass-happy attacks and spread offenses, running backs still matter. As we were reminded on Saturday, the Trojans have a pretty darn good one.

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USC and Ceyair Wright both won on Saturday

Ceyair Wright didn’t beat his former team, but he made a few very big plays to show USC that he can play ball. It was an authoritative return to the Coliseum.

The Nebraska-USC game offered one powerful plot twist, among others. When Ceyair Wright committed to USC in January of 2021, he was supposed to be the next great Trojan defensive back. Unfortunately, things never quite worked out for Wright at USC. Although he saw decent playing time and became a solid role player, he was never really able to lock down a spot as a full-time starter, and was away from the team for significant portion of time in 2023.

Last offseason, Wright decided to transfer to Nebraska. On Saturday, he returned to the Coliseum as a visitor for the first time.

Facing his former team, Wright made two huge plays that significantly affected the outcome. On the Trojans’ second possession, Wright picked off new USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiava and ran it back 45 yards for a touchdown. It was the first score of Wright’s college career, and just his third interception.

Then in the fourth quarter, with USC leading 21-20, the Trojans lined up for a 27-yard field goal attempt to stretch their lead to four. What should have been a chip shot for kicker Michael Lantz, however, never even made it to the uprights, as Wright blocked the kick, keeping the lead at one.

Wright’s two huge plays had a massive impact on the direction of the game. His pick six gave Nebraska seven points, while his blocked field goal prevented USC from recording three. Essentially, then, one Nebraska player—who just so happened to have started his college career at USC—was responsible for a 10-point swing.

Ultimately, though, the Trojans got the last laugh over Wright, as USC survived with a 28-20 victory.

Wright had his moments against his former team.

His former team still won. Nebraska didn’t win, but Wright made his statement.

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USC lands commitment from three-star defensive lineman

USC grabbed a three-star defensive lineman on Sunday, providing much-needed depth for a group which needs a lot of bodies in 2025.

It was a very busy day for USC football recruiting. On Sunday, USC landed a commitment from class of 2025 three-star defensive lineman Cash Jacobsen.

“Dedication & hard work make dreams come true. I am 100% committed to the University of Southern California,” Jacobsen said in a post on social media.

Jacobsen comes to USC from Jenks, Oklahoma. Per 247Sports, he is the number 1358 overall player in the class of 2025, the number 149 defensive lineman, and the number 25 player in the state of Oklahoma.

The Jacobsen commitment followed two huge recruiting stories for USC football on Sunday. The Trojans lost the commitment of quarterback Julian Lewis but were able to quickly regroup by gaining the commitment of quarterback Husan Longstreet, who flipped from Texas A&M. The Trojans and Lincoln Riley managed to have a plan in place for a Julian Lewis change of heart, and it’s very important that they did.

USC currently holds the No. 13 recruiting class in the country for the 2024-2025 cycle, per 247’s rankings. Three Big Ten teams currently sit ahead of the Trojans: Ohio State at No. 1, Oregon at No. 6, and Michigan at No. 11.

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Jayden Maiava played well enough to win, but turnovers are cause for concern

There was a lot of good and a lot of bad for Jayden Maiava. The main thing to remember is that this was only his first start. Improvement should occur.

On Saturday, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava made his first start in Cardinal and Gold when the Trojans took on Nebraska. As expected with any new starting QB, Maiava’s performance was a mixed bag. There were some very high highs, but also some very low lows.

Overall, Maiava played a solid game. He completed 25 of 35 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding another score on the ground.

However, he also had two horrible turnovers, both of which, to put it bluntly, were simply inexcusable plays. The two turnovers essentially handed 10 points to a Nebraska team that was struggling offensively, keeping the Cornhuskers in the game.

On USC’s second possession of the game, Maiava threw a brutal interception to old friend Ceyair Wright in which there were no receivers anywhere near the ball. Wright returned the pick 45 yards for a touchdown, giving Nebraska its first points of the game.

Later on, with the Trojans leading 21-17 in the third quarter, Maiava had a bad fumble on a rushing attempt deep inside USC territory. Nebraska got a field goal off the turnover, cutting the deficit to one point.

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, however, Maiava came through when it mattered most. With the Trojans leading 21-20 with a little over 10 minutes left, Maiava led USC on a 13-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that ate up 7:39 of clock. Ultimately, that insurance proved to be enough, as the Trojans held on for a 28-20 victory.

Overall, outside of the two turnovers, Maiava played fairly well. While there is certainly a lot that needs to be cleaned up, Maiava and the Trojans will look to build off the performance heading into next week’s rivalry matchup against UCLA.

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USC QB coach Luke Huard visits notable recruit Friday night

If Julian Lewis bolts for Indiana or Colorado, getting Husan Longstreet to flip from Texas A&M could prove to be very crucial for USC.

On Friday evening, Jarrett Perez of 247Sports reported that USC football quarterbacks coach Luke Huard was in attendance at Corona Centennial High School, checking out five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet.

Per On3 Consensus’s rankings, Longstreet is the number 23 overall player in the Class of 2025. He is also the number four quarterback and the number two player in the state of California.

Longstreet is currently committed to Texas A&M. Over the past few weeks, however, rumors have begun to fly that he could potentially flip his commitment to USC.

The Trojans have had five-star 2025 quarterback Julian Lewis committed since last year. However, Lewis has taken numerous visits to other schools even after committing to USC, and the general vibe is that there is a good chance he winds up elsewhere.

USC’s quarterback situation for next year is still very much up in the air. The Trojans have just two quarterbacks on their 2024 roster who have thrown a pass at the FBS level: Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava. However, there is a good chance that at least one of the two will transfer this offseason, if not both.

While it will depend on how the last three games go with Maiava replacing Moss as the starter, it is likely that USC will be looking for at least one quarterback in the transfer portal this offseason. While the odds of a true freshman coming in and winning the starting job right away are slim, it is certainly not an impossible scenario given USC’s current status at the position.

College football’s early signing period for high school recruits begins on December 4, less than three weeks away.

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USC celebrates proud football history while trying to restore on-field success

The irony is lost on no one: USC is celebrating its 1972 team and its 1970s-era heritage, including John Robinson, at a time when on-field results aren’t good.

Traditionally, USC football does not wear alternate uniforms. However, the Trojans announced that they will be making an exception this week—and for a very good reason. For USC’s homecoming game against Nebraska Saturday, the Trojans will wear 1970s-themed throwback uniforms. You can take a closer look at them here.

The uniforms will be a fighting tribute to legendary USC head coach John Robinson, who passed away on Monday. Robinson coached the Trojans from 1976-1982 and again from 1993-1997. He led USC to four Rose Bowl victories and the 1978 national championship.

In addition to the uniforms, Connor Morrissette of 247Sports reported on Friday that the Trojans will also have throwback field painting for Saturday’s game. Per Morrissette, “the endzones will be marked with gold paint, cardinal lettering and a cardinal and white diamond pattern, as well as a gold interlock painted at the 50-yard line.”

The irony cannot be ignored or missed: USC football is celebrating its rich history and the era which delivered so many of its best teams and greatest moments, all while the 2024 team is struggling to live up to that standard. The greatest tribute USC can create is to thump Nebraska and reawaken the echoes of glories past.

Kickoff between USC and Nebraska is set for 1 p.m. local time in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.

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USC announces tunnel captain for homecoming game

Adoree Jackson will be USC’s tunnel captain for the Nebraska game. USC hopes the game’s outcome matches all the festivities surrounding the event.

On Friday, USC announced its tunnel captain for Saturday’s homecoming game against Nebraska. Serving in the role will be none other than former USC All-America cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. He played at USC from 2014-2016. As a junior in 2016, he became the second Trojan to win the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.

Jackson also saw action on offense and special teams during his time in Cardinal and Gold. In fact, he is the Trojans’ all-time leader in both kickoff return yards and punt return touchdowns.

One of Jackson’s most memorable moments at USC came during the 2014 Holiday Bowl against Nebraska, when he returned a kickoff 98 yards for the game’s first touchdown. The Trojans would go on to win the game 45-42.

Jackson was selected 18th in the 2017 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans. He spent the first four seasons of his professional career there, before signing with the New York Giants in 2021, where he has been since.

Kickoff between USC and Nebraska is set for 1 p.m. local time in Los Angeles on Saturday.

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Cornhuskers Wire offers insight on Nebraska’s new offensive play-caller

A Nebraska analyst explains why the Huskers and Matt Rhule had to change offensive play-callers before playing USC. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes.

Earlier this week, Nebraska football announced that it will make a major offensive change ahead of the matchup with USC on Saturday. Former Houston and West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen, who recently joined the Cornhuskers as an offensive consultant, will take over the team’s offensive play calling for the remainder of the season.

Holgorsen replaces Marcus Satterfield, who had served as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator since the start of the 2023 season. Satterfield will now solely serve as the team’s tight ends coach.

Following the announcement, Evan Bredeson of Cornhuskers Wire offered some perspective on the move.

“Matt Rhule had to make a change. I don’t know that any of us thought he would do something this drastic, especially considering how loyal he is to the guys on his staff. The fact that he made the change though is welcomed news. The offense had been regressing the last two years under Marcus Satterfield. Quarterback Dylan Raiola is playing worse now than he did at the start of the season, and if a staff change wasn’t made at the top of the offense, the chances of him hitting the portal was possible.

“With Holgorsen, I expect to see shorter passes designed to get the quarterback into rhythm early. Nebraska’s passing game had evolved to screen pass or deep shot. Nothing really in between. I also think we’ll see a lot more of the tight ends being involved in the passing game. Dana is known to have an affinity for using tight ends and the huskers actually have some depth at that position group and have not been utilizing it in any effective way this season.

“And they will run the football. Even though DH is an Air Raid guy, all of his top offenses always had a very good running game. Matt Rhule has said over and over again since arriving in Lincoln that he wants to be able to run the football consistently with power. The offense has simply not delivered on that front.”

USC takes on Nebraska at 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time this Saturday.

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With Carol Folt’s retirement, Lincoln Riley is the last man standing at USC

The athletic director, the chief of staff, a key board figure, and now the president. The people on stage with Lincoln Riley in 2021 will all be gone next year.

Three years ago, when Lincoln Riley made the stunning decision to leave Oklahoma for USC, he mentioned the Trojans’ strong administrative alignment as one of the biggest factors that motivated him to do so. Three years later, he might be starting to question that decision a little.

One of the biggest X-factors in USC’s wooing of Riley was chief of staff Brandon Sosna. However, Sosna left for a front office job in the NFL before Riley even coached his first game in Cardinal and Gold.

USC certainly does not hire Riley without athletic director Mike Bohn. Under Bohn’s leadership, USC’s athletic department went from being a scandal-driven laughingstock to one of the premier operations in the country. However, Bohn resigned after Riley’s first season amidst reports of inappropriate conduct.

One of the speakers at Riley’s introductory press conference was USC Board of Trustees President Rick Caruso. However, Caruso resigned just a few months later to pursue a campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles.

And of course, spearheading the entire operation was USC President Carol Folt. While Bohn and Sosna may have done most of the dirty work, ultimately it was Folt who had to sign off on Riley’s nine-figure contract. Just last week, Folt announced her plans to retire at the end of the academic year.

At Riley’s introductory press conference in November of 2021, the head coach posed for a photo with Folt, Bohn, Sosna, and Caruso. Now, Riley will be the only one of the five still at USC next year.

Is this the end of the world? Not at all. Ultimately, Riley’s job is to coach the football team. It is not as though he is spending multiple hours with the president and athletic director on a daily basis.

But given that Riley was promised strong administrative alignment when he signed on, the fact that the four biggest people responsible for hiring him will be gone less than four years later is not exactly a great sign.

It is too soon to know what this will mean for Riley’s long-term future, but if he does not feel he has the support of the new administration, he could potentially decide to jump ship for the NFL sooner rather than later.

After all, there is a very good chance Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears will need a new head coach this offseason. Just saying . . .

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USC men’s basketball needs to quit playing with its food

USC is going to get burned one of these days if it keeps playing with fire. The Trojans have to set the bar higher and not let inferior teams hang around.

For the second consecutive game, USC men’s basketball narrowly scraped by an inferior opponent. On Wednesday night, the Trojans held off UT Arlington 98-95 to improve to 3-0 on the 2024-2025 season. This comes less than a week after the USC struggled against Idaho State, prevailing by a score of 75-69 in a game which was neck and neck with two minutes left.

The good news for the Trojans is that they continue to win games. But given the level of competition, their play is not exactly inspiring a lot of confidence right now.

Plain and simple, Idaho State and UT Arlington are teams the Trojans should be blowing out. (Maybe not by the same margin that the women’s team destroyed Cal State Northridge, but they should still be winning handily.) The fact that these games have been as close as they have is definitely a cause for concern.

Right now, the Trojans are playing with their food. If they continue to do so, they will eventually choke.

USC still has five more games against mid-major opponents. If the Trojans continue to play like they have in the past two, losing at least one of them feels inevitable, and that will put a dent in their March Madness aspirations.

Given the difficulty of playing a Big Ten schedule, it is crucial that the Trojans beat the teams they are supposed to in these early-season buy games if they want to be a serious NCAA Tournament contender. If USC continues to mess around as it ha the past two games, that will not happen.

We saw this under Andy Enfield. The Trojans could get by on sheer talent at times, but that was not sustainable. Eric Musselman has to get his players to defend a lot better than they have. Winning can’t lead to overconfidence; these close shaves must translate into more urgency and greater attention to detail.

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