No. 7 USC Football Resumes Pac-12 Play, Visits Undefeated Oregon State
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
*No. 7 USC travels for its first out-of-state road trip this season to face the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, Ore. The game will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network at 6:30 p.m. PT.
*The Trojans remain ranked 7th in the latest AP Poll.
FRESNO STATE GAME RECAP
*QB Caleb Williams went 25-of-37 for 284 yards and 2 TDs with 0 INTs in USC's 45-17 victory over Fresno State. He also scored 2 rushing TDs against the Bulldogs.
*His 2 rushing TDs are the most in a game by a Trojan QB since Sam Darnold scored twice on the ground on Sept. 29, 2017 at Washington State.
*Williams is now ranked 4th nationally in completion percentage (0.744), 7th in passing efficiency (190.5), and 10th in points responsible for per game (20.0). He also leads the Pac-12 Conference in each of those categories.
*USC has totaled 152 points in the first 3 games of the 2022 season. The last USC team to score more points through the first 3 games was the 2005 team which scored 178 points. That was also the last time USC scored 40 or more points in each of its first 3 games of a season (63-17 at Hawai'i on Sept. 3, 70-17 vs. Arkansas on Sept. 17 and 45-13 at Oregon on Sept. 24).
*It's the first time USC scored 40 or more points in any 3 consecutive games since doing it the final 2 games of the 2016 season and the first 2 of the 2017 season.
*USC has won each of its first 3 games by 10 or more points. The last time USC began a season with 3 wins each by 10 or more points was the 2007 season.
*WR Jordan Addison scored a TD on USC's first possession of the game, catching a 2-yard pass for his team-leading fifth TD reception this season. Addison finished with 6 catches for 69 yards. He leads USC through 3 games with 18 receptions and 295 yards.
*WR Mario Williams led the team with 77 receiving yards on 6 catches.
*RBs Travis Dye (102 rushing yards) and Austin Jones (110 rushing yards) became the first pair of USC running backs to both have 100 or more rushing yards in the same game since Nov. 3, 2018 vs. Oregon State when Aca'Cedric Ware had 205 rushing yards and Vavae Malepeai had 101 rushing yards.
*RB Travis Dye had 11 carries for 102 yards for his second consecutive 100-yard game. Dye had 105 yards rushing on Sept. 10 at Stanford. The last Trojan with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games was Keaontay Ingram who did it on Oct. 23, 2021 at Notre Dame (138) and on October 30, 2021 vs. Arizona (204). Dye now has 9 career 100-yard receiving games.
*RB Austin Jones had 12 carries for 110 yards and a TD. Jones scored on a 3-yard TD run in the third quarter.
*USC had 517 yards in total offense. The Trojans have registered over 500 yards of offense in each game this season. The last time USC had 500+ yards in 3 consecutive games was during the 2017 season: Oct. 28 at ASU (607 yards), Nov. 4 vs. Arizona (642 yards) and Nov. 11 at Colorado (522).
*USC has scored a TD on its first three drives of all three games and has scored a TD on all 7 of its first quart er drives this season.
*TE Michael Epps intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the first half. He also caught a 10-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter. He is one of just two Pac-12 players in the last 25 years to have an INT and a receiving TD in the same game. The other was Marcus Williams from Washington State against Cal on Sept. 30, 2000.
*Defensively, USC held Fresno State to 17 points. It was Fresno State's lowest point total since losing 40-14 vs. Boise State on Nov. 6, 2021.
*DL Solomon Byrd had a massive impact on the game. After playing just 5 snaps in USC's season opener against Rice, he earned a starting position in week 3. Byrd collected 4 tackles (2.0 for loss with 1 sack), 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. His fumble recovery on the Fresno State 46 yard line early in the third quarter set up RB Austin Jones to score a TD in USC's next offensive series.
*ILB Eric Gentry used his 6'6" frame and 7'1.25" wingspan to collect 5 tackles to lead the Trojan defense. He also tallied a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
*DBs Mekhi Blackmon and Jaylin Smith also had pass breakups. • DL Tuli Tuipulotu recorded 4 tackles (2 for loss with 2 sacks) while helping to limit the Bulldogs to only 17 points.
*USC's 10 total takeaways on the season are the most its recorded through the first three games of a season since it had 12 in 2004. • PK Denis Lynch was 1-for-1 in field goals as he nailed a 41-yarder in the fourth quarter. He also was perfect in his 6 PATs and has not missed a PAT this season. Lynch leads the Pac-12 Conference in total points scored with 32.
*This game marked the first time in USC football history that both of the sports information directors for football were female. USC's Director of Football Communications is Katie Ryan and Fresno State's Director of Athletic Communications is Savannah Stoeckle.
OREGON STATE SCOUTING REPORT
*After a defeating Fresno State on the last play of the game a week ago, head coach Jonathan Smith and his Oregon State Beavers dominated Montana State 68-28.
*The Beavers are 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2014.
*Fifth-year QB Chance Nolan went 19-of-25 for 276 yards and 4 TDs and rushed for another.
*RB Deshaun Fenwick led the Beaver backfield with 63 yards on nine carries and a TD. Four others – RB Damien Martinez, QB Nolan, RB Jam Griffin and RB Kanoa Shannon – also ran for TDs. WR Tre'Shaun Harrison's 133 yards led the receiving corps. WR Anthony Gould's pair of TDs led Oregon State.
*The Beaver defense forced 3 turnovers and special teams scored 3 times.
*QB Nolan is 45-for-75 on the season (62.7%) for 746 yards and 7 TDs with 2 INTs.
*RB Fenwick leads the rushing attack with 204 yards on the season on 28 attempts and 3 TDs.
*WR Gould leads the team with 188 receiving yards and 2 TDs. TE Luke Musgrave has 169 receiving yards through just 2 games. He didn't play in the Montana State game due to injury. • WR Harrison is tied with Musgrave with a team-high 11 receptions.
*The Beavers' starting offensive line averages 305 pounds per player
*Oregon State likes to strike early, having outscored opponents by a 72-27 margin in the first half.
*Defensively, ILB Kyrei Fisher-Morris and DB Kitan Oladapo lead the team with 22 tackles on the season. Oladapo has 1.5 TFLs with 1 sack and Fisher-Morris has 2.5 TFLs.
*The Beavers, have 8 takeaways through 3 games: 5 in the season opener against Boise State and 3 against Montana State.
RANKINGS
*USC is ranked No. 7 in the latest AP Poll and 7th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Oregon State is not ranked.
SERIES
*USC leads its series with Oregon State, 63-12-4, dating back to 1914. The Trojans have won 36 of the last 41 meetings with the Beavers (a loss in 2000 snapped Troy's Pac-10 record of 26 consecutive victories over the Beavers). USC has posted 17 shutouts in the series (including 2 scoreless ties).
*In games against the Beavers in the state of Oregon, USC is 20-7-1 (14-5 in Corvallis and 6-2-1 in Portland), with 11 straight victories before losing in 2000. Before USC's two most recent victories in Corvallis (2018 and 2013), Troy had lost 3 straight games at Oregon State (2006, 2008 and 2010).
*The teams last met in 2021 in Los Angeles, as the Trojans fell 27-45 to the Beavers for the first time in the Coliseum since 1960 (it was just their fourth win there in 49 tries versus USC).
*It was the most points ever scored by Oregon State in the 79-game series and its largest margin of victory versus USC in L.A.
*USC QB Kedon Slovis was 31-of-49 for 355 yards, with three INTs and one TD. WR Drake London led the team with 10 receptions for 165 yards. The Beavers won the turnover battle tallying four (three INTs and a fumble recovery) and upset the Trojans at home. See page 4 for a complete recap of that most recent matchup.
VERSUS PAC-12 CONFERENCE
*USC has won 69.7% (483-202-29) of its games against current Pac-12 opponents (does not include 9 wins later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 492-202-29, 70.1%).
IN SEPTEMBER
*USC has a 191-55-8 (.768) all-time record while playing in the month of September (does not include 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 194-55-8, .770).
AT NIGHT
*USC is 184-75-4 (.707) at night, including 109-35-4 in the Coliseum, 60-32 on the road and 15-8 at neutral sites. (Does not include 5 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 189-76-4, .709 overall, 112-35-4 in the Coliseum, 17-9 at neutral sites, USC had a school-record 32-game win streak at home at night from 1997 to 2010).
USC-OREGON STATE CONNECTIONS
*USC has 0 players on its roster from Oregon, while the Beavers have 46 Californians.
*Although he is originally from Alaska, USC DL Brandon Pili attended high school in Oregon (Westview HS).
*USC WR Ty Shamblin was high school teammates with Oregon State OLB Mathias Malaki-Donaldson at Oaks Christian High School.
*USC OL Brett Neilon was high school teammates with Oregon State OLB John McCartan at Santa Margarita Catholic School.