Four Big Reasons to Believe in USC Football This Season

The USC Trojans football team shut out the Fresno State Bulldogs 39–0 on Friday night, giving fans four big reasons to feel good about this season. The defense was in control for almost the entire game, allowing Fresno State to gain just 56 yards before the final drive. New defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, seems to be making a huge difference already.

The biggest story of the night was USC's defense finishing the shutout. Late in the game, Fresno State drove to the nine-yard line and had a first down, giving them a real chance to score. Patterson called a nickel blitz — a play where extra defenders rush the quarterback — and it worked perfectly. Freshman Tomuhini Topui forced an incomplete pass on third down, and Jadyn Ramos got the sack on fourth down to end the threat. The defense made it clear they cared deeply about keeping the shutout for their new coach.

One of the most unusual things that happened was USC recording two safeties in the same game — and with the same blitz call. A safety is when the defense tackles the ball carrier in their own end zone, scoring two points for the other team. That kind of double-safety performance has only happened 16 times in the entire history of college football. Kennedy Urlacher made the first one in the second quarter, and Alex Graham made the second one a quarter later. Both times, Patterson called the same unexpected nickel blitz, catching Fresno State completely off guard.

A big reason both safeties worked was defensive tackle Jide Abasiri. He was nearly impossible to block all night, bursting through the middle of the Fresno State line on play after play. On both safety plays, Abasiri's pressure forced the quarterback out of the pocket and straight into the blitz. In just 11 pass-rush snaps, Abasiri recorded six pressures, which is a very high rate for any player. If he keeps playing this way, USC's defensive line could become one of the best in the Big Ten conference.

USC's offense also gave fans something to cheer about, especially from two freshman wide receivers. Early in the game, coach Lincoln Riley went for it on fourth down, and quarterback Jayden Maiava threw a calm pass to freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who made a great catch while falling backward. Dixon-Wyatt finished the game with 102 receiving yards. Having two true freshmen playing this well at the same time is very rare in college football. It is a great sign for USC's offense going forward.

Freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley also had a standout moment, catching a 68-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. He got wide open in front of the Fresno State safety, and even though the throw was a little short, Mosley raced back to make the catch and turn it into a huge play. Teammate Corey Simms said, 'Trent does Trent stuff,' which is not something you often hear about a first-year player. Soon, opposing defenses will focus more attention on Mosley, which should open up space for USC's other pass catchers.

Not everything was perfect, though. USC's offensive line struggled to create space in the running game, and the Trojans averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. Most of those yards came after the ball carrier was already hit by a defender, which means the blockers were not winning their battles at the line of scrimmage. Against tougher defenses like Oregon or Ohio State, that level of run blocking will not be good enough. USC's best chance to reach the College Football Playoff likely depends on getting the run game working much better.

In other USC sports news, the women's soccer team came very close to a big upset on Thursday night. They led No. 1 Stanford 2–1 with just minutes left, but Stanford tied the game with a goal in the 87th minute. Freshman goalkeeper Josie Biehl had an outstanding game with seven saves before that final goal. The draw was still a positive result for USC, since it was the first time Stanford had dropped points all season. The Trojans will look to build on that effort when they host No. 4 Michigan State at home on Thursday.