Utah State’s matchup in Week 2 will be a far greater test than in its season opener. The Aggies will play the first of two consecutive games against Power 4 teams, this one being on the road against the storied program that is the USC Trojans who are coming off an 8-5 season, which to them is a “down year.”
This is the second installment in a series of 12 opponent previews that will go in-depth on each of the Aggies foes for the 2024 football season and includes input from Marc Kulkin, writer for WeAreSC.com and host of the Locked On USC podcast, who helped provide key background information and insight into USC’s upcoming season.
Game Info
- Game Day: Sept. 7
- Location: La Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA)
- Kickoff Time: 9 p.m.
- TV Broadcast: Big Ten Network
Quick-Hit Info on USC
- Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (3rd season at USC, 19-8 record)
- 2023 Record: 8-5
- 2023 Offense Rank: 3rd (41.8 points per game)
- 2023 Defense Rank: 121st (34.4 points allowed per game)
- Returning Production Rank — 76th
- 2024 Preseason Consensus Ranking — 19th
History of Utah State vs USC
- All-Time Series: USC leads 6-0
- First-Ever Meeting: Sept. 29, 1928 (USC won 40-12)
- Most Recent Meeting: Sept. 10, 2016 (USC won 45-7)
The Aggies have not exactly had success facing the Trojans, with six losses and zero wins dating all the way back to the first-ever meeting in 1928. Five of the games have been blowouts. The closest USU has ever come was a 17-14 defeat at USC in 2013.
USC Players to Watch
- Miller Moss (QB)
- Zachariah Branch (WR, KR/PR)
- Woody Marks (RB)
- Mason Cobb (LB)
- Jamil Muhammad (DL)
- Jaylin Smith (CB)
The Trojans in 2023
USC didn’t live up to its preseason rank of sixth in the AP Poll and aspirations of a playoff berth despite having the 2022 Heisman winner, Caleb Williams, back for one more year and despite starting the year with a 6-0 record.
Even with that undefeated record in mid-October, the Trojans had slipped from sixth to 10th in the polls, likely in part due to a fairly weak schedule. The lack of confidence seemed to be justified when USC lost five of six games to end the regular season, four of those losses coming against ranked opponents (No. 21 Notre Dame, No. 14 Utah, No. 5 Washington, No. 6 Oregon). That losing run quickly crushed any hopes of a postseason and resulted in an 8-5 finish to the season.
Williams and the offense certainly did their part all year, ranking third nationally in scoring 41.8 points per game. The main culprit wound up being defense as USC ranked 121st in points allowed (34.4 per game). During USC’s first four games it allowed 20.0 points on average. For the rest of the season the Trojans never held a team to less than 28 points and gave up more than 40 on five different occasions.
The defensive incompetence led to the firing of the team’s defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch, mid-season. The decision came after USC lost 52-42 to Washington. The Trojans’ defense got slightly better after that firing, but it didn’t halt what became a three-game losing streak that was only snapped by a 42-28 victory over Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.
2024 Season Prospects
USC is entering the third year of the Lincoln Riley era and the trajectory seems to be going in the wrong direction based on the hype Riley brought to Southern California. The 8-5 season in 2023 and a drop in preseason rankings in 2024 aren’t what was anticipated. Those facts aside, there will still be major expectations, with some hoping the Trojans will become a dark horse candidate for an at-large bid into the expanded CFB Playoff, even with the move into the Big 10.
Key to those successes would be a vast improvement in defense, which would aid in cushioning the expected step down in offensive prowess. Without such upgrades on that side of the ball, life in the more physical and defense-oriented conference like the Big 10.
“If USC shows they can defend they’ll be at the top of the conference all year long,” Kulkin said. “Offensively they are going to be at the top as long as Riley is calling an offense.”
The task of rehabbing the defense is the job of new DC D’Anton Lynn, who took UCLA’s below-average defense and pulled off a one-year turnaround to transform it into a top 15 unit in 2023. Kulkin said he anticipates a “massive” impact on the USC defense from the hiring of Lynn.
“It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as the turnaround UCLA witnessed, but the Trojans were so bad schematically and fundamentally, that any improvement with USC’s roster is going to show itself immediately,” said Kulkin.
To aid in the turnaround, USC has four returning defenders to pair with a host of newcomers/up-and-comers. The top two leading tacklers, linebacker Mason Cobb and defensive back Jaylin Smith return along with two defensive linemen, Jamil Muhammad and Bear Alexander. Muhammad led the team in both TFLs (10.5) and sacks (6.5) last year and also had a pair of forced fumbles, so any more improvement would give the Trojans a high-level pass-rusher. USC would certainly prefer more than one player producing as a pass-rusher which is where Anthony Lucas and Braylan Shelby could come in. Both saw time and had limited production last year, that will have to go up for USC to see success on its D-line.
Linebacker is an area of the defense Kulkin said USC has had issues. Cobb’s returning experience will help shore up some of that but newcomers also need to step up. The most anticipated addition to help at LB is Oregon State transfer Easton Mascarenas, who tallied 107 tackles last year for the Beavers.
While a dip in offense is perhaps expected due to Williams leaving to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft certainly hurts, it’s not necessarily inevitable. As Kulkin mentioned, any offense with Riley as its head is capable of being top-shelf. And if there’s any college coach capable of replacing Heisman-level talent, it’s Lincoln Riley. And the man that appears tabbed to replace Williams is junior QB Miller Moss.
“Miller and Caleb are different players but Lincoln Riley has shown that he can develop QBs and curtail the play-calling to an individual’s strength,” Kulkin said. “I would bet against Riley keeping his foot on the gas with the passing game but also incorporate the running game more with Miller.”
Moss is entering his fourth season and has just one start to his name. However, that one start was a heck of a performance. In the 2023 Holiday Bowl, Moss got the nod to start since Williams had already begun his trek to the NFL. Moss stepped in and threw for 372 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception in a victory over 16th-ranked Louisville.
Surrounding Moss will be an almost entirely new crew of playmakers as Williams wasn’t the only dynamic loss on offense. USC’s top wide receivers from 2023, Tahj Washington (1,062 receiving yards, eight TDs) and Brenden Rice (791 receiving yards, 12 TDs) are gone. So too are last year’s top two running backs, Marshawn Lloyd and Austin Jones (1,632 combined yards from scrimmage and 17 total touchdowns).
So who is the new cast? Leading the way are wide receiver/returner Zachariah Branch and running back Jo’quavious “Woody” Marks. Branch made his name last year USC’s first-ever freshman to be named a First Team All-American, doing so as a returner. He handled both kick and punt return duties, scoring two touchdowns, one kick return and one punt return. Branch saw some action as a receiver, with 31 catches for 320 yards and two TDs, also carrying the ball nine times for 70 yards and one more touchdown. Kulkin referred to Branch as a “a human joystick” and noting his versatility having scored touchdowns in four different ways (punt return, kick return, receiving and rushing) as a true freshman.
Marks is a transfer from Mississippi State. He spent three years in the ultra pass-happy offense of the late Mike Leach, rushing for a total of 1,883 yards on 4.6 yards per carry plus 22 rushing scores and also accumulating 1,225 receiving yards. Marks has a lot of all-around potential with his ability to run and catch passes out of the backfield.
“His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield makes him a very good fit for Riley’s system,” Kulkin said of Marks.
Alongside Marks and Branch, USC will look to its next generation of potentially elite pass-catchers, many of which have an insane combination of size and athleticism. Tight End Duce Robinson stands 6-foot-6 (and had 351 receiving yards plus two TDs as a freshman last year) with Ja’Kobi Lane at 6-foot-4 and Makai Lemon — who Kulkin compared to Detroit Lions and former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Preseason Game Prediction: Fairly Decisive Loss
The Trojans may have lost Caleb Williams to the NFL, but that’s not going to eliminate the many reasons they should still have a better team than the Aggies. Even assuming USC doesn’t fully address its defensive issues the Trojans are capable of taking advantage of USU’s defense with an electric offense unlikely to dip too much from last year.
Utah State’s primary hope is to win in a shootout. If the Aggies are able to bring to bear its entire offensive prowess and force several turnovers it could be enough to down the Trojans. But even if those two things happen, it would still be a tall order to defeat a very good USC squad.
