Ryan Kartje (LA Times)  —  We’re still sweating from the Week Zero heat wave at the Coliseum. USC dominated San José State for most of its season opener Saturday, only to come unglued a bit in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t the most reassuring debut for the Trojans. But there were also glimpses of a team with plenty of potential.

There’s a lot to unpack from our first look at USC this season. So let’s empty the notebook with some of our first impressions from the Trojans’ opening week win.

—On paper, Jayden Maiava’s statline coming out of Saturday looks pretty stellar: 25 of 29, 286 yards and three touchdowns (one rushing). But while he was working with an especially conservative play script, Maiava didn’t always look sharp on the short and intermediate passes he had to make. He made one big-time throw, per PFF, and some questionable mistakes, too, such as in the second quarter, when he intentionally grounded a ball out of bounds while under pressure. This was just one game, and a vanilla one without his best receivers at that. But I’d still like to see more from Maiava before I’m convinced he’s taken a major leap in Year 3 with Riley.

—The main question looming over USC at the start of this season: Is this defense really any better under Gary Patterson? Well, through one week, I’d say it’s … inconclusive. My colleague, Mirjam Swanson, was not impressed, writing Saturday that the Trojans “looked like anything but a team with serious playoff plans” because of the defense. I do think it’s important to acknowledge, as Mirjam does, that USC was working with third-stringers when it fell apart in the fourth quarter. But I do find myself wondering now about whether the Trojans’ secondary will be more of a weakness than previously expected. Three of USC’s four lowest-graded starters Saturday, according to PFF, were its two starting corners, Chasen Johnson and Jontez Williams, and its starting strong safety, Christian Pierce. And two other safeties in the two-deep, Kennedy Urlacher and Madden Riordan, graded out even lower.

—The defensive line, on the other hand, gave a much better first glimpse. And that starts with Luke Wafle, the five-star freshman defensive end, who earned a starting job out of camp and right away looked the part. Let’s set aside the third-down rush when Wafle nearly notched a safety and talk about his run defense, which I thought was stellar for a freshman in his first game. Jide Abasiri also jumped off the tape, and the thought of pairing the two of them with a healthy Jahkeem Stewart is pretty tantalizing.

—When I asked tight ends coach Chad Savage in the spring what it would take for Mark Bowman to make an immediate impact as a freshman this fall, he said that it started with him being a better and more willing blocker. Well, Bowman certainly looked better — and willing — when it came to blocking Saturday. The five-star freshman had just 15 yards in three catches, all three of which came at or behind the line of scrimmage. But when it came to clearing the way in the run game, I noticed Bowman’s effort on multiple occasions. I wouldn’t fret about his minimally downfield role against San José State, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more plays for him in the coming weeks.

—USC never really got loose in the ground game, but I’d venture to say that was more about San José State stacking the box throughout than anything to do with USC’s backfield. To counter USC’s conservative approach, the Spartans appropriately put as many bodies around the front as possible. USC had 82 rushing yards in the first quarter … and 82 more combined in the three quarters after that. Don’t be surprised if we see Deshonne Redeaux enter the rushing rotation at some point this season. He’s got a fun skill set.

—Jonas Williams is USC’s quarterback of the future. He also looked very much like a freshman in his first collegiate game. Williams went four for five and marched USC down the field on his first possession. Then he threw a bad interception on the next one. None of that actually mattered to the result of the game, which made it a perfect chance for Williams to get some low-stakes experience. Especially if he has to be thrust into action at any point this season.

2026 predictions

National championship: Oregon over Miami
Heisman Trophy winner: C.J. Carr
Big Ten champion: Indiana

Extra points

Rodney Rice shoots as Illinois State guard Landon Wolf defends in a game last season. (Mark J. Terrill / AP)

—There was a lot made of the poor attendance at USC’s season opener. But anyone who was surprised by the lack of people at the Coliseum probably hasn’t lived in Los Angeles. With a 110-degree heat index, there was no world in which this game was going to be well attended. Even if it was Notre Dame playing USC, someone would’ve complained about the stadium only being 90% full. USC announced a crowd of just over 51,144, which — no getting around it — is quite bad for a season opener. But the takes that have come out of Saturday are even worse. No, fans weren’t punishing USC for canceling the Notre Dame series. They didn’t go because it felt like the surface of the sun in the stadium. Maybe it’s the L.A. in me after 15 years, but if your retort is, ‘Well, my school’s fans go to games in 100-degree heat all the time!’ Then I’d respond, “Well, why? Don’t they have a 4K TV? Because that sounds like an absolutely miserable time.”

—Point guard Rodney Rice has been cleared to return to full practice. A rare bit of positive injury news for coach Eric Musselman, who hasn’t had his point guard at full strength since November of last year. Rice could be a force multiplier for the rest of this roster.

Olympic sports spotlight

USC’s women’s volleyball was picked to finish in the middle of the Big Ten pack after a 25-7 season in 2025. Then, the 20th-ranked Trojans came bursting out of the gate with a statement sweep of No. 12 Arizona State over the weekend.

USC fell back to earth a bit when it lost the final three sets against Creighton on Sunday. But this week, a marquee matchup with No. 2 Texas looms Wednesday as part of the Big Ten/SEC Challenge. Win that game, and suddenly we’re talking about a team with some serious potential.

latimes.com

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