No. 6 USC breezes past Nevada 66-14 as defense steps up

USC Trojans #13 Caleb Williams throwing a pass to an open receiver. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

LOS ANGELES, CA - For the past two seasons, No. 6 USC has been a tale of two teams: an elite offense and a subpar defense that costs its team games. The Trojan defense entered today’s matchup with something to prove. And they did exactly that. USC beat Nevada 66-14 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum today.

The Trojans opened the first quarter with a swift four-play, 84-yard drive that ended with junior quarterback Caleb Williams finding freshman wide receiver Zachariah Branch for a 22-yard touchdown, giving USC an early 7-0 lead.

Nevada came back swinging, completing a 73-yard bomb through the air and following that with a 3-yard touchdown run. The Wolf Pack tied it at 7-7.

A fire was suddenly lit under the Trojan defense, as they shut the Wolf Pack out for the remainder of the half.

“I think overall, the difference was motivating,” junior safety Jaylin Smith said. “‘Oh it’s okay, I know you can make that play, it was right there, just make that next time.’ So having that mindset, we just push our guys to make plays.”

The momentum shifted after redshirt senior defensive end Jamil Muhammad sacked Nevada on the Wolf Pack’s 7-yard line, forcing a three-and-out.

The Trojan offense went back on the field and marched down for another four-play scoring drive, which ended in a 24-yard touchdown run by redshirt junior running back MarShawn Lloyd. USC took a 14-7 lead.

“He’s very explosive. Fast. He’s got home run speed,” junior wide receiver Mario Williams said of Lloyd. “If you let him get to the second level, it’s over.”

The Trojan defense took the field and forced another three-and-out, giving USC’s offense great field position.

USC Trojans #16 Tahj Washington (WR) 22-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Caleb Williams shredded the Wolf Pack’s defense and found redshirt senior wide receiver Tahj Washington open for a 22-yard touchdown, giving USC a 21-7 lead as the first quarter came to a close.

Nevada couldn’t find any offensive momentum, as USC’s defense forced a third straight three-and-out.

“As a defense, you go out and that mindset: you got a good offense, they're gonna go out and score,” Smith said. “So for us, we gotta hold that to our standard and know that that’s an advantage for us. What we have to do is go out there and get the ball back to them.”

Caleb Williams showed off his elusiveness with a 46-yard run and capped off the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Michael Jackson III. The Trojans took a 28-7 lead.

USC’s defense fended off Nevada again, and Caleb Williams led his team downfield and riffled the ball to senior wide receiver Brenden Rice for a 13-yard touchdown, giving the Trojans a 35-7 lead before halftime.

USC’s defense opened up the second half with a three-and-out.

Caleb Williams diced up Nevada’s defense with a seven-play drive that ended in a 45-yard touchdown pass to Washington. The Trojans led 42-7.

Caleb Williams completed 18 of 24 passes and threw for 319 yards and five touchdowns. But USC head coach Lincoln Riley expects more out of Caleb Williams.

“He’s got to get better,” Riley said. “There’s some things he’s done really well, especially the situational ball and some understandings defensively have improved. But we’ve had a handful of plays in both games that we both want back that we got to go get and not leave on the table here going forward.”

After the Trojan defense held off the Wolf Pack again, redshirt sophomore quarterback Miller Moss came in to take over at quarterback for the rest of the game. He couldn’t find the endzone in his first drive, but he put the Trojans in field goal range. Redshirt sophomore kicker Dennis Lynch nailed a 37-yard field goal to put USC ahead 45-7.

USC Trojans #47 Stanley Ta’ufo’ou (DL) caught the fumble football in the air and ran into the endzone for a 23-yard touchdown. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Freshman defensive end Braylan Shelby forced a fumble, and redshirt senior defensive lineman Stanley Ta'ufo'ou recovered the ball and returned it for six, scoring USC’s first defensive touchdown of the season. The score gave the Trojans a 52-7 lead.

“We work so hard for those moments, man,” Smith said. “Working for turnovers and getting the ball back to the offense or even scoring.”

Riley was amused at the 275-pound lineman scoring.

“When big people score, football’s more fun,” Riley said.

But the Wolf Pack retaliated with a 77-yard touchdown pass to quiet USC’s sideline and cut the lead to 52-14.

USC’s offense took the field, and freshman running back Quinten Joyner ran for a 47-yard touchdown. The Trojans took a 59-14 lead.

USC forced a turnover on downs and then sent its offense back on the field. Moss found freshman wide receiver and tight end Duce Robinson for a 71-yard touchdown, expanding the Trojans’ lead to 66-14 right before the game ended.

“He had the whole sideline turn. Everybody was up, man,” Mario Williams said of Robinson. “First touchdown, first big one. We really ain’t get to see Duce pick up his knees, but we finally did.”

Key freshmen, including Robinson and Shelby, impressed Riley.

“I thought our young players, you could tell this wasn’t their first game,” Riley said.

USC’s defense improved significantly this week.

“You saw the run defense was really stout all night, and we only gave up two fade balls,” Riley said.

Redshirt senior cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, who transferred to USC from Arizona this year, was suspended by the Pac-12 for the first half of today’s game for his participation in a fight during his final game with Arizona last year. Lincoln said the suspension was unnecessary.

“In my months here with Christian, I’ve seen the kind of person that he is, the kind of teammate that he is,” Riley said. “And I don’t want this to put him in any bad light, because it shouldn’t, and it’s wrong.”

USC begins conference play next week.

“Next Saturday at 7:30, we need this place rocking,” Riley said. “Potentially the last time these schools match up for a long time, and there's a lot of significance to that, and having that one here at home with a great home crowd is very important.”

USC plays Stanford next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.