Trojans Steamrolls Fresno State 

Los Angeles, CA (News4usonline) – Fresno State had no business being out on the same football field with the USC Trojans. The Bulldogs were outclassed by the Trojans all game long. The final results of a 39-0 win by the Trojans at United Airlines Field showed as much.

“Excited about the win. Really excited about the shutout,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said after the game. “Obviously, it’s hard to do. Doesn’t happen very often in college football these days.” 

“We played at our standard for a higher level tonight, and that was really great to see on all sides. I think the excitement, energy in the Coliseum, energy with our football team was pretty consistent the whole way through. I think we played better as a football team than we did in week one,” Riley added. 

By the time halftime arrived, the Trojans had already built a 30-0 lead over the Bulldogs before they applied the brakes in the second half. USC made it a quick night of work. It was clear that the Bulldogs were overwhelmed and outmatched.  

Two Quarters of Dominance 

USC needed just two quarters to prove their superiority. The Trojans piled up 357 yards in total offense in the first half on their way to an easy win. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava kept the Trojans’ bandwagon running smoothly, throwing for three touchdowns in the first half.

Maiava finished the game completing 23 of 25 passes for 349 yards. Afterward, Maiava talked about what’s been key to how efficient he has been during the Trojans’ first two victories.     

“I think it comes from the guy sitting next to me (Lincoln Riley), and the O-Line, running backs and receivers just all being on the same page playing at a really high level,” Maiava said. “But obviously, there are some things to clean up that we want to get better at. Close out this game and onto the next.”

It’s the second week in a row that the Trojans have kicked around a visiting opponent. In their season-opening win against San Jose State, USC handily defeated the Spartans, coming away with a 42-26 win. 

USC got off to a fast start to push back San Jose State. The Trojans operated the same away against Fresno State. The difference in this game is that the Bulldogs didn’t offer any real pushback against the Trojans the way San Jose State did. 

A Dominant Defense 

The Spartans at least made their contest against the Trojans interesting until the end. USC didn’t allow Fresno State to have that opportunity. No let up. No complacency. Just plain dominance, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  

The Trojans allowed Fresno State just 77 yards in total offense in this one-way trainwreck. USC defensive back Prophet Brown, who came up with a key interception in the first quarter, said scoreboard aside, the Trojans were looking at ways to improve. 

“Nobody wants to give up points, but at the end of the day, it’s about how you grow. And as a defense, I feel like we grew very well in the finish,” Brown said. 

The Trojans proved they were a much better team than Fresno State and San Jose State. However, their true test of just how good of a ballclub they are is coming. 

After playing Louisiana, the Trojans face Rutgers on the road, come home to play Oregon (Sept. 26), before squaring off against Washington (Oct.3) and traveling to Penn State (Oct. 10). 

That’s not to mention the Ohio State (Oct. 31) and UCLA (Nov. 28) matchups that’s also looming on their schedule. While the schedule will take care of itself, the Trojans are too busy basking in their second win in a row.   

“I thought the team really prepped well and was really just ready to play this game,” Riley said. “There’s still a lot to clean up. Obviously, some of the turnovers, the most disappointing thing is we had a couple penalties that have to get a lot better.”

A Rude Welcome

For Fresno State, in order to have a competitive playing field against the Trojans required a couple of things. The first thing the Bulldogs had to do was not lose because of self-inflicted wounds. 

That didn’t work out too well. USC recorded a couple of safeties, picked off the ball for an interception, and generally made life for Fresno State’s offense miserable all night long.  

“I’m frustrated,” Fresno State head coach Matt Entz remarked. “I think we’re better than what we put on the field tonight. I’m frustrated at my inability to get them ready. Our players played hard. I know there are individuals that played really well, but individuals don’t win games, right? You win games based on the 11 on offense, 11 on defense, and special teams. We just didn’t have enough, and we needed some things to go right.”

Playing on the road against a much more superior team sort of meant that Fresno State had very little to no room for error. That philosophy got thrown out the window pretty quickly. 

The first half turned out to be a complete disaster for the Bulldogs. Brown came up with his big-play interception to circumvent Fresno State’s first series of the game. It went downhill from there for the Bulldogs as they began to self-destruct. 

A safety in the endzone. Turnover on downs. Yeah, there wasn’t much the Bulldogs could do offensively through the first two quarters. The Trojans certainly could.   

Cover Art/Lead Image: Photo credit: Sammy Saludo/News4usonline