No. 15 USC starts season with win against San José State

No. 15 USC scraped out a win in its season opener, defeating San José State University 30-7 Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Timely defensive stops defined the win for USC. Junior linebacker Drake Jackson intercepted a pass off of a third-down screen pass in the first quarter, setting up the Trojan’s first touchdown of the season: Junior quarterback Kedon Slovis hit a 29-yard fade route to redshirt sophomore Tahj Washington to make it 10-0 just a few minutes later. 

The most timely defensive effort came early in the fourth quarter; redshirt senior Greg Johnson jumped on a throw from Spartans’ graduate senior Nick Starkel, intercepting the ball and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown, putting the Trojans up 23-7 with 11:42 left in the game.

“Coach called a great [play],” Johnson said. “I was just dropping in my zone, and I read the quarterback’s eyes … It felt like a dream. Being from L.A., playing in the Coliseum in front of all these amazing fans, for me to do that was just great.”

Slovis and junior wide receiver Drake London got their connection up and running, combining three times for a total of 36 yards during the first Trojan offensive drive. After catching just one more pass for the rest of the half, USC looked to get London more involved after halftime. He delivered in the second half by recording 137 yards on a career-high 12 receptions. 

“Overall we just tried to go out there and win,” London said. “The ball ended up in my hands a couple times. I just had to make the best of my opportunities, and I did.”

Redshirt senior safety Isaiah Pola-Mao missed the game due to coronavirus safety protocols. Freshman safety Calen Bullock started in his place, becoming the first true freshman to start a game for USC since former Trojan Su’a Cravens in 2014. Bullock held his own, finishing with a team-high eight tackles. 

“I thought he did a great job,” Johnson said. “For that to be his first game, he looked like he was very comfortable out there. It was exciting to see him fly around and do the things that he did.” 

The Trojan defense was suffocating against the run, allowing just 68 yards on the ground to the Spartan offense. Even when SJSU was able to string together successful drives, they lacked the final touch. Junior kicker Matt Mercucio missed a 28-yard field goal midway through the second quarter in what was San José State’s best chance to put points on the board in the first half.

“We came into this ball game defensively to try to make San José State one dimensional,” head coach Clay Helton said. “To hold them to 67 yards rushing on the day and really force a lot of third-and-longs — it’s the reason you look up and they were three of 14 on third downs, and we were able to get off the field.”

Coming out of the halftime break, the Spartans scored on their first drive to bring the game to 13-7. Senior running back Tyler Nevens punched in a 2-yard goal-line run with 7:25 to go in the third quarter. 

USC did its fair share of settling on offense, with three drives reaching the red zone but ending without a touchdown. The team’s 13-0 halftime lead could have been larger had the Trojans fully converted on their chances. 

“I’d like to see better red-zone efficiency,” Helton said. “Instead of those two field goals, I’d like eight more points on the board.” 

It was the passing game that set the tempo for USC’s offense early on. Short out routes mixed in with longer plays over the middle of the field, as the aerial attack was difficult for San José State to contain. Slovis was sharp on short throws, but wasn’t able to connect on many deep shots throughout the game. He finished with 256 yards on 24 for 36 passing and two touchdown passes. 

In the first game of the season, Helton was looking for disciplined play from his team. 

“The thing that I was hoping [for] was just clean football, and that’s what we got today,” Helton said. “There [weren’t] a ton of turnovers, our quarterback made good decisions and got rid of the ball when he needed … to be in the Coliseum with these fans, I don’t think I could be more happy right now.” 

USC will take on Stanford at the Coliseum in the first Pac-12 matchup of the season next week. The game will kickoff Saturday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m.