FRESNO STATE (0-0) at No. 14 USC (1-0), Friday, 6 p.m., Coliseum, TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/710 AM, Line: USC by 22.5 points

Notable Injuries

USC: OUT: C Kilian O’Connor (knee); QUESTIONABLE: DT Jahkeem Stewart (foot), S Marquis Gallegos (undisclosed), S Kendarius Reddick (undisclosed), WR Tanook Hines (undisclosed), DE Braylan Shelby (undisclosed)

Fresno State: OUT: G Edward Fonua (lower leg)

Haley Sawyer (OC Register)  —  Out of all of USC’s nonconference opponents, Fresno State might be the one best prepared to play in the Coliseum. Bulldogs coach Matt Entz has first-hand experience after coaching the Trojans’ linebackers in 2024.

“You talk about a historical facility,” Entz told reporters. “It’s pretty iconic to be able to play a game there. We’ve tried to talk through all these things with our team so when we get there, we understand it’s a big event. But it’s still 120 yards by 53⅓. No different from what you played on in high school.”

Entz returns for Friday’s 6 p.m. matchup between the Trojans and Bulldogs, which is filled with mutual respect.

“He’s a really good football coach and took over a proud program that’s got a lot of great history and tradition in the way that they play,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said.

“That’s one of the schools that, other than a week when we’re playing them, we all root for around here. I hope they win every other game except this one.”

Entz coached North Dakota State to two FCS national championships, then moved on to help improve the Trojans. USC’s total defense jumped from 119th in the nation to 70th from 2023 to 2024, and the scoring defense improved from 121st to 56th.

Fresno State is in its first season as a Pac-12 team as part of a major overhaul to the radically changed conference. Ten teams left the Pac-12 in 2022, led by USC and UCLA to start it all off, and the conference was unable to fully flesh itself out again until this season.

It will be another week of lopsided talent advantage for the Trojans, but the Bulldogs are still going to bring the toughness that Entz has been known for at every coaching stop.

“We’re going to trust our process and our approach. Doesn’t necessarily guarantee victory, but it’ll guarantee that we’re going to be competitive.”

When Fresno State has the ball

The Bulldogs named Jayden Mandal as their starting quarterback this week. Mandal – a hometown player from Buchanan High – missed the 2025 season due to an elbow injury and didn’t even throw a pass at practice. Nevertheless, Entz and the coaching staff were impressed with his timing, decision-making and accuracy during fall training camp.

Fresno State will likely lean on its running game as Mandal gets re-acclimated. Returning running backs Rayshon “Speedy” Luke and Bryson Donelson ran for 731 yards and 624 yards last season, respectively. They will test the Trojans’ run defense and front seven, which saw a drop off in performance after the starters left the season opener against San José State.

“It’s key details,” USC defensive tackle Floyd Boucard said. “Making sure you stay focused on knowing everything that’s going on, making sure you get your call, know your call, and then also just know who you’re playing with.”

When USC has the ball

The coaching staff sent out three freshman receivers to start the season opener: Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Trent Mosley and Tron Baker. Tight end Mark Bowman was another freshman starter.

If Tanook Hines doesn’t return from injury, the Trojans could dial up the same combination, but look for Hines to return if USC’s second depth chart release is any early reveal. The updated chart indicates that Baker, Hines and Corey Simms, who had a nice game against the Spartans, are all sure-fire targets of Jayden Maiava at outside receiver.

Tobias Raymond will get his second consecutive start at center, and Hayden Treter will start again at left guard. The offensive line performed well against San José State in spite of the changes, and helped Maiava to a 286-yard, two-touchdown performance.

Maiava surpassed 5,000 career passing yards as a Trojan against San Jose State, and now has 5,198.

Fresno State will want to make Maiava uncomfortable and test his patience by prioritizing defensive leverage, using disguises and changing its looks often.

“We’re going to have to be really sharp on defense,” Entz said. “We’ve got to be able to hold up on some of the isolation plays and we’ve got to get hats to the ball. And we’ve got to tackle well and try to find ways to get (Maiava) off schedule at different times.”

What’s at stake? Coming off a season-opening victory over San José State, USC needs to show early that it can play a complete four quarters without any drop-off in execution if it wants to make the College Football Playoff, even if it’s missing a few of its regular starters.

The coaching cliché that the biggest improvements happen from the first game to the second should work in the Trojans’ favor. Beyond the game itself, they’ll have to draw a big, excited crowd if they want to erase the widespread discourse about low attendance from Saturday afternoon’s scorching home game.

Matchup to watch: USC’s defensive line vs. Fresno State’s running game. The Trojans’ starting defensive line is imposing, but the second- and third-string players who rotated in last week didn’t match their level of play. How well they stop the run against the Bulldogs could be an important barometer for the rest of the season.

Luke Wafle was expected to be a key contributor early for the Trojans’ defense. With injuries at the defensive end position, Wafle was named starter and he impressively looked the part in Game 1. Now, with all of the defensive line presumably back for Friday’s game, Wafle still remains the starting end.

With Braylon Shelby and Jahkeem Stewart both added to this week’s depth chart, expect the Trojans to get some sacks against the Bulldogs. The Trojans’ defensive line in Game 1 struggled to get after the quarterback. With a more healthy unit, the Trojans’ defensive line should wreak havoc in the Bulldogs backfield.

Expect lots of freshmen on the field again in this game, and they’ll show major improvements if the right adjustments are made in a shortened week. First-game jitters are also out of the way. The playoff-hopeful Trojans are already heavily favored by 22 1/2 points to win this game, and seeing a bump in freshman output will be an added bonus.

Prediction: USC 36, Fresno State 14. The Trojans maintain their balanced offense and defensive coordinator Gary Patterson’s defense improves after allowing pesky San Jose State to score 26 points, including three touchdowns and two two-point conversions in the 4th quarter last Saturday.

USC’s run game could be the big story of this game. Waymond Jordan and King Miller should have big days. Last week, Mark Bowman was dominant in run blocking. Bowman caught the first pass of the game but did not contribute much else in the passing game. The freshman will show his receiving ability more against Fresno State.

ocregister.com

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