Maiava passes for 349 yards, hits frosh Mosley for 2 TDs in No. 14 USC's 39-0 rout of Fresno State
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jayden Maiava passed for 349 yards and threw two of his three touchdown passes to freshman Trent Mosley, and No. 14 Southern California rolled to a 39-0 victory over Fresno State on Friday night.
Tanook Hines also had a TD reception, and freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt had six catches for 102 yards as the Trojans (2-0) followed up their Week 0 win over San Jose State by comprehensively dominating the Bulldogs (0-1).
“Pretty complete game from the team,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “Very excited about how we finished it off.”
USC’s defense gave an impressive effort under new coordinator Gary Patterson, allowing just 116 yards — a paltry 49 through three quarters — while recording two safeties and forcing two turnovers. Fresno State managed 2.6 yards per play.
“We did some great things,” Riley said. “(Patterson) makes things challenging on the other side, and I think what you saw was our belief in it was even higher than (last week).”
Maiava went 23 of 25 while playing just one series after halftime. Mosley, his new favorite target after a 118-yard debut last week, caught a 68-yard TD pass early and added a 10-yard scoring catch shortly before halftime, finishing with four catches for 104 yards.
“We're all on the same page and playing at a really high level, but obviously there are some things to clean up,” Maiava said.
Jayden Mandal passed for 77 yards and committed two turnovers for the Bulldogs, who last beat USC in 1992. Fresno State couldn't compete in its first game against a ranked opponent under head coach Matt Entz, the former USC assistant who took over the Bulldogs last season.
“I know we’re a better football team than this, and this is unacceptable," Entz said. "And we’re going to get back to work.”
Hines' TD catch capped USC's opening drive, and Mosley romped to his long TD after getting wide open down the middle. USC’s defense added its first safety when Kennedy Urlacher got to Mandal.
After Mosley's second TD catch, Urlacher forced a fumble by Mandal. Waymond Jordan rushed for a TD and a 30-0 halftime lead.
USC's veteran starting quarterback has thrown just six incompletions along with five touchdown passes through the first two games. He is also making plays with his feet, escaping trouble and throwing on the run with accuracy. Maiava now has to prove he is elite against the Trojans' best opponents this fall.
Mandal missed all of last season due to injury, and this was only his second career start in his fourth season at Fresno State. He went 7 of 15 and twice got dropped in the end zone, but Entz remained behind him.
“There was times I felt like he he looked really good in there, and then there was times I think he dropped his eyes and started watching the rush a little bit, and didn’t trust the protection," Entz said. "That’s probably a little bit of inexperience, whatever you might want to call it. Just hasn’t played a lot of football, and so that’s why we want to keep him out there all night long.”
Prophet Brown got his first career interception in the first half, and it was an unforgettable moment for the sixth-year defensive back who missed all of 2025 due to injury.
“It meant everything,” Brown said. “I did a lot of stuff behind the scenes, just worked and worked and stayed (focused).”
The son of famed Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher had a huge game, making two sacks among his three tackles and recording his safety on a blitz. The Notre Dame transfer got the honor of leading the USC band after the game.
The Trojans were largely excellent on both sides of the ball, with Maiava carving up the Bulldogs' secondary and the USC defense showing more capability after a vanilla opener. This matchup looks like USC's biggest test before No. 2 Oregon visits Sept. 26, and the Trojans aced it — two fumbles and a turnover on downs notwithstanding.
Fresno State: Hosts Sacramento State on Sept. 12.
USC: Hosts Louisiana on Sept. 12.
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