The game will be televised at 2pm on the Pac-12 Network. If you have all of the Pac-12 channels you should tune into the Pac-12LA regional channel this will enable you to see the whole game from start to finish. Be sure to follow this blog post during the game to be able make comments as we all watch the game together. Please feel free to post updates here about the other games that we have included in our contest.
Respect the Opponent
San Jose State has the reputation of a doormat program, but things have changed. The Spartans are extremely well coached under Brent Brennan who led them to a 7-0 regular season last year and a Mountain West Championship. Yes, the Trojans are favored and expected to win, but they will have to work for it. The Spartans have the advantage of playing in week zero, so they already shook off the rust and will be thinking program-changing upset in the Coliseum with 19 starters returning.
*No. 15 USC opens its 2021 football season with a Labor Day weekend non-league home game against defending Mountain West Conference champion San Jose State on Pac-12 Network…and there will be fans in the Coliseum stands once again! *This will be just the fifth time that Troy has met the in-state Spartans (the last time was 2009).
*USC has lost only once in 36 encounters against MWC teams.
*The Trojans have captured their last 13 season openers in the Coliseum, dating to 1997.
*Sixteen starters (and the punter and kicker) return from a USC team that won its first 5 games in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and played in the Pac-12 Championship Game as the South Division representative. The Trojans also have a Top 10 recruiting class (with the nation’s No. 1 signee) and 10
collegiate transfers. USC’s offense (416.7 total yards per game in 2020, including 319.3 passing and 33.3 points) has its top passer and rusher from 2020 along with 8 players who caught a pass and 4 starting linemen. Two-year starting QB Kedon Slovis has completed 70% of his career passes for nearly 5,500 yards
and 50 TDs and is a Heisman nominee after an All-Pac-12 first team season in 2020 when he led the nation in completions. WR Drake London, another 2-year starter, has 72 career receptions with 8 TDs, including 33 catches last fall. TB Vavae Malepeai is a 1,000-yard career rusher. Troy’s offensive line is led by 3-year
starting guard Andrew Vorhees and 2-year starting center Brett Neilon. The Trojan defense, which last season averaged 2.7 takeaways a game, has 15 of its top 19 tacklers back from 2020. OLB Drake Jackson has 17 career tackles for loss (with 7.5 sacks). S Isaiah Pola-Mao has 121 tackles and 5 interceptions in his
career, while CB Chris Steele has 9 career deflections. Returning ILB starter Kana’i Mauga has 116 career tackles. DL Nick Figueroa topped Troy in tackles for loss (7) and sacks (3.5) last year, while DL Tuli Tuipulotu was a Freshman All-American second teamer in 2020. Aussie P Ben Griffiths’ 46.4-yard punting average
last season was the highest by a Trojan since 2003, while PK Parker Lewis was 20th nationally in field goals. SNP Damon Johnson was a 2020 Mannelly Award finalist. Head coach Clay Helton has won nearly 67% of his games at USC, including a Rose Bowl, a Pac-12 Championship Game and 2 South Division titles.
*San Jose State has a game under its belt, coming off an easy home win over Southern Utah of the FCS. Head coach Brent Brennan, the 2020 Mountain West Coach of the Year, has 19 returning starters (10 on defense). QB Nick Starkel, formerly of Texas A&M and Arkansas, threw for 2,174 yards and 17 TDs with 7 picks last year (64.2% completions). SJSU’s top 2 runners from last fall are back in Tyler Nevens (515 yards, 3 scores last fall) and Kairee Robinson (313 yards, 19 catches). TE Derrick Deese Jr., the son of the former Trojan, is the Spartans’ top returning pass catcher (20 grabs, 5 TDs last year). Four-year starting left tackle
Jack Snyder, an All-MWC first teamer in 2020, anchors the Spartan line. The defense features a trio of 2020 All-MWC first teamers: DLs Cade Hall (the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 when he was second nationally in sacks) and Viliami Fehoko along with LB Kyle Harmon (team-best 78 tackles in 2020).
*USC will unveil several game day fan enhancements at the Coliseum, including making beer and wine available to the public for the first time since 2004. However, due to the on-going pandemic, fans at the Coliseum must wear masks per a county health directive and, for the opener, there will be no on-campus
tailgating allowed.
*There will be on-field salutes for USC’s defending NCAA champion women’s water polo team and the men’s basketball team that reached the Elite 8 last season. Watch, too, for a pre-game flyover.
RANKINGS
*USC is ranked No. 15 in the current AP sports media poll and 14th in the USA Today coaches poll. San
Jose State is not ranked.
SERIES
*USC leads its brief series against San Jose State, 4-0, with all the games held in the Coliseum.
*The teams last met in 2009, when USC freshman QB Matt Barkley completed 79% of his passes for 233 yards in a historic debut and Trojan tailbacks–behind TB Joe McKnight’s 145 yards–ran for 6 touchdowns as No. 4 USC began its season by demolishing San Jose State, 56-3. Barkley became the first USC true freshman to ever start a season opener at quarterback.
*The series’ first meeting occurred in 1995 as No. 7 USC opened its season with a 45-7 home win over the Spartans. The second meeting was in 2000, as the No. 9 Trojans overcame a 12-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter by scoring 22 unanswered points to beat the Spartans, 34-24, in USC’s 500th game in the Coliseum. The third meeting came in new USC head coach Pete Carroll’s debut in 2001, as TB Sultan McCullough ran for 3 touchdowns to lead the Trojans to a 21-10 season-opening victory (McCullough) rushed for 167 yards on 25 carries, the most rushing yards by a Trojan in a season opener since Marcus Allen
had 210 yards versus Tennessee in 1981).
VERSUS MOUNTAIN WEST
*USC is 32-1-1 (.956) against current Mountain West Conference teams (not including 2 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 34-1-1, .958), last losing to a MWC squad in 1992 (to Fresno State), the same year it tied San Diego State. The Trojans have won their last 19 games against the MWC (not including
2 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; orginal record: last 21 games). USC’s most recent game against a current MWC foe was Fresno State in 2019, a 31-23 season-opening Trojan home victory. *Troy is 8-0 versus Hawaii (not including 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 9-0), 6-0 versus Utah State, 5-0 versus Nevada, 4-0 against San Jose State, 2-0 versus UNLV, 2-0-1 against San Diego State, 1-0 against Colorado State and Wyoming and 3-1 against Fresno State (not including 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 4-1). *On the other hand, San Jose State is 45-153-2 (.230) against current Pac-12 teams, with the most
recent meeting being a 54-16 loss at Utah in 2017.
OPENERS
*USC’s record in all season openers is 95-24-8 (.780), with 36 shutout victories. In season openers at home, the Trojans are 67-16-7 (.783), including wins in their last 13 dating to 1997 (does not include 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 96-24-8, .781 overall).
*USC’s record for home openers is 99-19-7 (.820) (does not include 1 home and 1 road win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 100-19-7, .821 at home).
USC-SAN JOSE STATE CONNECTIONS
*USC has 7 players who previously attended a Bay Area school: DL De’jon Benton (Pittsburg HS), OL
Andres Dewerk (Los Gatos HS), TE Grant Jones (De La Salle HS), TE Erik Krommenhoek (Monte Vista HS),
TE Sean Mahoney (Archbishop Mitty HS), OL Jalen McKenzie (Clayton Valley HS) and WR Danny Ryan (St. Ignatius HS).
*USC TE Josh Falo’s brother, Nate, was a defensive tackle at San Jose State (2013-15).
*USC cornerbacks coach Donte Williams spent 3 seasons (2013-15) at San Jose State, coaching the cornerbacks the first season and serving as the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator the final 2 seasons.
*USC wide receivers coach Keary Colbert’s cousin, Josh Oliver, was a tight end at San Jose State from 2015 to 2018.
*USC TE Lake McRee celebrates his 19th birthday on Saturday (Sept. 4).
*San Jose State WR Trevon Sidney played at USC from 2016 to 2018.
*San Jose State TE Derrick Deese Jr. is the son of former USC offensive lineman Derrick Deese (1990- 91).
*San Jose State outside linebackers coach Rob Christoff is the son of former USC assistant coach A.J. Christoff (2000).
*San Jose State men’s basketball assistant coach David Miller is the son of former USC men’s basketball assistant Dave Miller.
Citation: USC Athletics Official Blog – https://usctrojans.com/sports/ripsit/ – Jordan Moore
Rough night for LSU.
Rough weekend for pac 12, yikes!
Whew, the “bettors” on the blog took a beating yesterday, with less than a handful breaking even or going ahead a bit. This is why I stopped betting on games in my early 20s– I didn’t see much of a future in the “business.”… Watching the SC offensive offense is always frustrating. What is it about the red zone that turns our heroes into villains?– However, there is hope because that Texas portal-guy can really cut on a dime, and he is good at finding any crease in the line… Slovis?– He did throw some razor-beams, and he successfully scrambled… Read more »
Sad to say, but coach O has numbered days at LSU. He caught lightning in a bottle with his NC run, but he’s been no where near before or since. Everyone knows Arranda and Story coached that team, and they both bolted. I am not sure he’s any better than Clay as a head coach.
The chances of Clay Helton ever coaching any team to a CFB national championship are less than zero.
Coach O already won a NC, and coached one of the greatest CFB teams of all time, and is stupendously better than The Cat as a HC could ever be.
Coach O beat ALA in Tuscaloosa 46-41, and his last three games of 2019 were 37-10 over GA, 63-28 over OU and 42-25 over CLEM. Helton, with any staff in the universe, couldn’t beat any one of those teams, any year, by even a point.
That was an incredible team, one of the best ever, but it is the outlier in his career. Like I said, lightning in bottle. Good for coach O! But I don’t want him anymore than I want Clay. LSU will lose 5 games this year, even with a terrible schedule.
I’d take an outlier NC any old day of the week were I a CFB HC. And so would every other CFB HC alive. Clay Helton can’t hold a candle to Coach O as a coach, not now, not ever. I’m sure 90-100% of the CFB coaches agree with that statement. The USC offense mostly looked like crap again yesterday (except for Drake London) and would have lost to the totally dominant Bruins by 2-3 TDs yesterday. And the fact that LSU actually came as close as they did in view of the total destruction that is sadly going on… Read more »
Totally dominant bruins. That’s funny.
I think Coach is pretty marginal, and his days in Baton Rouge are probably numbered. But he has forgotten more about running a football program than Clay will ever know. And unlike Helton, who has held onto horrible asst. coaches(Callaway, Drevno, Clancy, Tee Martin, etc) Oregeron tries to hire the best people under him, and doesn’t worry that they might be perceived as smarter than him. Don’t think for a second, that if Bohn didn’t force Helton’s hand, all of those Knucklehead assistant coaches would still be on on his staff.
“But he has forgotten more about running a football program than Clay will ever know…”
Ya, anyone who would publicly gush about Wild Snapper Toa as a “great football player” and assemble staffs that included so-called coaches like Stumble Bum Neil Callaway needs his head examined.
My Pop Warner coach was vastly more talented than Helton. Any 12 year old could figure that out. 😂. 😂
I would take Orgeron today in a NY minute. So tired of helton incompetency!
Did Drake Jackson get hurt?
What makes you say that?
did he come back after that int?
He easily could have.
If he were hurt, I would have thought there would have been a lot of chatter about such a crucial Trojan loss. I’ve heard nada after all this time.
Indeed, Jackson may have been injured, but I have heard nothing about specifics or seriousness.
From WeAreSC.com — OLB Drake Jackson was hampered throughout the game and spent much of it on the sideline. Helton said after the game he did not expect any injury to linger for any extended time.
Initial observations, are Stanford, Washington and Oregon that bad?
STAN is brutally bad from what I saw on TV. ORE will be fine. No opinion on UW, but welcome to CFB Jimmy Lake.
UCLA looks really good.
At this point I say Fucla will win this year.
Sure looks like that way. As good as UCLA is now, imagine what they’ll be like by Nov. They are really deep too, so they can outlast an injury bug. The pressure’s already on USC to deal with the school across town. Can’t you just feel it?
Helton will just say he can’t wait to see what we look like in October.
Nobody believes a thing Helton says anymore. I honestly believe what I am saying.
Chip Kelly is licking his chops thinking about matching up with Gentleman Clay this year. The last few years have been very rough on Chip. Every dog has his day.
This won’t be his day. The gutties are improved, but they certainly aren’t great. They’ve beaten two terrible teams. Yes, LSU is terrible.
Should we just give the National Championship trophy (and I am not joking) to Bama sometime in the 5-6 days ?????
John, just keep putting Bama up each week, I will pick them every time.
Just be happy USC got to skip the Tide last season. They had five first-rounders drafted off that outfit. ✌
But if we played them maybe hugs wouldn’t be here today.
I doubt Bohn would have held a massive ‘Bama blowout against Clay.
Everyone expected it and I think both Bohn and Folt have a soft spot for The Cat.
Not just for a Bama loss. But a blowout by ND as well and we probably don’t do as well in other games.
Clay was saved by The Covid in 2020. Pure and simple. What’s gonna save him this year? USC’s O still needs a lot of work.
I don’t know about this contest of John’s. SC’s last drive I’m hopin’ SC doesn’t score and SJS’s last drive I’m hopin they score a TD. But hey SC wins and covers for the first time in Helton era in game one. But the final score does not look like the game I watched.
2 teams whose fortunes in reference to the AP Poll might have changed this weekend (And going in opposite directions)………UCLA and Washington .
Is Ucla good or is LSU bad? I think my prediction holds it’s Ucla’s turn to paint the victory bell. If that happens we won’t see it again until Helton is gone.
Watching Ed O. interact with his players reminds me of another thing we lack. Helton may be a player’s coach but his players don’t seek his approval.
Not sure, time will tell, but I’d say UCLA looks better against LSU than we did against SJSt.
IMO. UCLA is stronger in the OLine than USC. Based on last week and this week I think UCLA is better.
No doubt. UCLA is a top 15-20 team for sure, maybe top 10. The pressure will be on Helton heavily to move ahead with the Bruins, which is good.
One of the real reasons Clay still has a job is because UCLA has had five straight losing seasons and their program has simply been horrible. Those days are over. No way USC beats UCLA this year unless the Trojans get a lot better. Right now I’d say UCLA beats USC by 10 points.
Coach O may be heading for the coaches hot seat. 10 wins is expected in Baton Rouge. I think his support is a mile wide and an inch deep. Being good isn’t enough. Will e interesting to see how the year unfolds.
LSU’s QB is nobody to write home about. I see them as an 8-9 win team.
I agree, Allen, based on what I’m seeing. I hate to admit this, but Chip’s offense looks way better than Harrell’s.
That is because Harrell has no creativity at all. Only a handful of plays with a couple of variations.
Without Drake London, we’d be cooked. But with London, USC has a player other teams seemingly cannot handle.
Harrell is becoming a younger Helton. Bailed out by his star players. Otherwise a mediocre coach at best.
Ya, I used to be a big Harrell guy. That didn’t work out too well. Now I’m an Orlando guy. I’ve always liked how he’s handled himself at USC. There were some wide-open spaces in USC’s secondary today, but we held them to seven points, so I’m not complaining.
I was really surprised by the D yesterday. They were really good. SJS is a legitimate team with a legitimate QB. They completely dominated them. The DBs were outstanding, particularly the safeties. Notice that we did not get one sack, yet totally contained a pass oriented O.
volunteer, I do not like Chip, but he is a far superior OC to GH and his O scheme and philosophy are far better put together. GH will be required to redo his O scheme and his O philosophy to be at Chip’s level. GH’s scheme has to be modified to allow for a run game, and his O philosophy has to be changed from its very simplistic design. We will find out if GH has it in him to make these changes. Having a GH as our OC is simply part of the cost of having Clay as the… Read more »
Remember Clay’s Gumbo O? I do. Those were the days of Tee Martin, who also couldn’t coach worth a lick, but held the keys to USC recruiting.
Chip Kelly, unfortunately, is gearing up to squash Clay The Cat Helton like a bug. Desperately hope I’m wrong.
3 observations on Heltons after game presser 1 negative …………… talked more about last 2 offensive drives (a field goal and a TD ) and not enough about the drives in the middle of the game ……But I’ll agree with him on one point (Liked only having 4 penalties for 35 yards) and HOPE that for once when he says he will work on something (Red Zone Offense ) that it will improve ……….FIGHT ON !!!!!
He has been improving on red zone offense for 5 years now. Problem is we can’t see any difference.
Yea I put very little hope to anything he attempts to fix !
Not sorry I missed it.
DTR throws a big pick. Nice.
Got to finish some chores but I know you tube and maybe some USC Beat Writers will put a video of CH’s presser which I will watch later (Lots of hugs I suspect will be involved ) .
Helton won’t call USC’s players warriors because we won.
What he should say: Happy to get the win. Saw some good things but there is a lot to clean up & improve. We will get back to work tomorrow. What he will say: Something over the top and totally divorced from reality.
“We will watch the film and make corrections”
He probably actually thinks he’s still watching “tape” and “film”.
LAT – “USC coach Clay Helton’s offense stalled for much of the second and third quarters, but the formidable defense helped power the Trojans to a win over San Jose State.
“USC quarterback Kedon Slovis struggled to find open targets in the second and third quarters, while the Trojans’ tailbacks could find few rushing lanes.
“The Trojans’ defense rallied, delivering a game-changing pick-six that gave USC life until the offense could put away the win…”
Keaontay Ingram led USC in rushing with 86 yds on 15 carries.
Kedon Slovis was 25 of 36 for 263 yds and two TDs.
The hatred of CH makes it very difficult for many TDB members to admit any good by the Trojans. They won by 23 and limited SJSC to 7 points. The defense under Orlando & Donte is definitely more physical than in the past. There weren’t any brain dead penalties. I didn’t see any God awful blown assignments and tackling was noticeably better than previous years. The RB’s look like they have promise and maybe just maybe Harrell will run the ball more.The offensive line is more physical, but they have a ways to go.I am a concerned about the offense… Read more »
Both Drake’s looked the part today. Drake London is just a 100% baller every play. He’s simply a gnarly competitor.
DLine caused constant pressure but no sacks. Of course the San Jose QB got rid of the ball in 2 seconds or less.
In every way and everyday we’re getting better and better, gosh darn it! Thanks Stuart Smiley.
😂 You are a funny man.
If SJS turns out to be the best team in the MWC, then it is a really solid win. If not, it is just another notch in the Clay Helton belt. Could and should have been better. My expectations are still the same. Saw nothing today that made me change my mind.
I wouldn’t call it a typical USC ugly win against a mediocre team. But I would call it a semi-ugly win. USC was lucky to beat the spread. SJS ended up on the 1-yd line.
I’m praying for a big UCLA loss to LSU today! Go Coach O! Pay the Bruins back for when they beat you to knock you officially out of the running for the Trojan job.
Driving all day and listened to the game on XM. Announcers did not have a lot of good to say about our Trojans play. My take from what I heard:
uninspired play again
offense is not good overall
defense is above average
play calling is questionable
second half poor use of time outs
not sure our S&C has made a real difference this year.
improvement on penalties.
Hugs ass was bailed out by SJSU mistakes at the end of the game.
I’d say USC played inspired, though I missed a lot of the 3rd Q. At least USC clearly WANTS to be able to run the ball. I think that much is clear.
Keaontay is a good back. Definitely better than Stepp. Big improvement there.
If the USC Fans on this blog gave this effort a rating which rating would be higher ours ……………Or our Head Coach ?????
Good news, we covered! 500 units in the bank.
It has been fun on here today gang. Ya’all enjoy the rest of the games. Time for a scotch
Make mine a double.
Heavy sigh…how do we compare to Ucla’s first game?
Ucla knocked the poi out of Hawaii. USC is still scrapping to keep above the spread.
I do have to say SJ is a much better team than Hawaii or the teams AZ St and Utah played.
Or did we make them look better overall than they really are? Sounds like they somewhat had their way with our O-line.
everyone does that
USC in my opinion should have put up 40 points on SJ.
238 passing 157 rushing Helton will claim it was a total victory and well balanced offense. Slovis 68% completions.
another underwhelming win against a sub-par opponent. The Helton era described to a tee. go tigers, eat UGA
A tight-end touchdown? Miracle!
Another year another Helton unprepared team. But he has a Covid excuse. Not covering the spread got Kiffin fired.
Correction we finally covered the spread.
Kiffen has covid today….
It looks like USC might FINALLY beat the opening day spread under Helton! 30-7 with 2 min to go.
That’s why Vegas makes a profit….
Extend his contract.
I haven’t paid attention, have they rotated the O linemen at all?
Although I doubt it matters much.
When the ball needs to be run why not being some tight ends? Beefy blocking is needed, not finesse. And who is calling the plays? I think Helton is trying to run up the middle as a surprise, which would work if there was any blocking.
Now that SJS is gassed, the running game works. Clay will say everything is just where it should be–no worries.
Someone needs to light the offense up and get them fired up like the D
Won’t happen with Huggs Helton.
I’ll never hear it. I even close my eyes when the camera shows him on the sidelines.
Ingram is big improvement over last year’s RB’s.
Huge improvement. The two backs have run very hard today.
We will not ride this o-line to the p12 championship. So far, our D has outscored our O. Go figure.
Rhetorical question: is Clay Helton an offensive genius? Answer: he’s no genius, but he is certainly offensive. Can’t wait for the post
game gibberish.
LIke a Biden press Conference (even you dems gotta admit the similarities).😎
Our defense will determine this Trojan Squad’s fortunes for at least the first half of the year…. missing too many PLAYERS with football heart on offense this year…
There is a phrase baseball writers use called “Shutdown Inning” ….For shutting down an opposing team right after your team scores …..It also applies to football(to me any way )
playing soft, trying not to lose.
looked like an interception.
WTF!!!! Why didn’t Helton call a timeout for a review??? Idiot.
Hugs has no clue how to properly use TO’s.
My prediction was SC would cover with D turnovers. So far, they have two and each produced points. Our O has one TD so far. Wow.
Not impressive by the offense. But that is the side run by Coaches Jar2 Cat and the Kid…. It figures.
Still not covering the spread. And I know how to cut the hair around a cowlick.
Greg Johnson !!!!! ,,,,,,,,,FIGHT ON !!!!!
Wow!
Defense to the rescue once again.
Slovis gets sacked while the offensive tackle is yelling, ” hey come back here! ”
wow Mike Bohn, this is the best coaching staff you can hire?
Hopefully the Clemson/Georgia game will be fun to watch. This one isn’t.
Go Tigers!
Do not think there are any defensive cord’s in Pac-12 gonna be scared of this offense at this point .
Redzone=fieldgoal
just saw a commie ad for BLM on the PAC 12 feed? Is this kind of thing standard?
Yep. On the west coast.
Oy vey! Thought I had mistakenly started watching a NFL broadcast.
once in a while we get lucky on a running play…..