Not many would call No. 25 USC football boring after its high-scoring start to the season — highlighted by a red-hot offense leading the Division I with 604 yards per game and a 360-pound defensive lineman’s unreal 70-yard pick-six. But, on Tuesday, Head Coach Lincoln Riley did just that, saying that sometimes, “football is kind of boring” when discussing the Trojans’ preparation for Saturday’s matchup with Michigan State.

“I love it. I don’t get bored. But sometimes it’s the same thing over and over and over,” Riley said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “The people that can come out here every single day and be intentional about what they’re doing … That’s what championship teams and programs and players do.”

After a 33-17 win over Purdue (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten) last weekend, the Trojans (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) have finally cracked The Associated Press’ Top 25 poll. They will return home to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the hope of winning a modern Trojan War against the Spartans (3-0). 

USC’s first home Big Ten game of the season will also be the first matchup between the teams since the Trojans joined the conference last season. College football’s iteration of the Trojan War is currently tied at four wins apiece after the Spartans won their most recent meeting 17-16 in a 1990 bowl game.

While Michigan State is also undefeated, it has faced more adversity than the Trojans and has yet to play a Big Ten opponent.

On Sept. 6, the Spartans narrowly escaped Boston College (1-2, 0-1 ACC) in overtime at home, 42-40, and haven’t put up more than that many points in a single game. Meanwhile, the Trojans have put up 59 or more twice, including a 73-point effort — USC’s most points scored in a game since 1930 — in a season-opening rout of Missouri State University (1-2) on Aug. 30.

ESPN gave USC a 95.2% chance to win the upcoming game based on its analytics.

Maiava looking like a Heisman candidate

Redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava has shown little but poise in his first full season as USC’s starting quarterback. Maiava, who won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Missouri State, comfortably leads the Big Ten with 989 passing yards with 6 touchdowns on 48-of-70 passing, despite only playing portions of the first two games. He also has yet to throw an interception.

Despite his success, Maiava, who is shaping up to be a contender for the Heisman Trophy should he maintain his performance, said he isn’t comfortable.

“There’s a lot to learn from,” Maiava said of his performances thus far in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “You don’t want to get complacent when you get a little success. You don’t want to fall back. You just want to work harder, sharpen that edge.”

Maiava has already established multiple top targets, including the dynamic junior wide receiver duo of Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane. Lemon leads Trojan receivers with 311 receiving yards, but both of Maiava’s top options have shown the ability to make explosive plays for big gains or, in Lane’s case, one-handed touchdown grabs.

One change from last year’s offense is the use of tight ends in the passing game: No tight ends reached the end zone in 2024, while three have already scored this season, led by redshirt senior tight end Lake McRee, who has the team’s third-most receiving yards with 173.

An overlooked aspect of Maiava’s game this season is his mobility. While he is one of five USC rushers to have scored on the ground twice, his carries have dropped compared to last season. The reason why is simple, he said.

“We’ve got better guys to run the ball, like [junior running back] Waymond Jordan,” Maiava said.

While Jordan has proven himself as the leader of the dynamic group, rushing for 286 yards and 3 touchdowns on a stellar 7.4 yards per carry, redshirt senior running back Eli Sanders and redshirt freshman running back King Miller have both scored twice and run for more than 7 yards per carry.

Defense looks to halt formidable Spartan attack

On the other side, Michigan State junior quarterback Aidan Chiles has also performed well this season, completing 71.6% of his passes for 656 yards and 6 touchdowns while throwing only one interception. 

Chiles has spread the ball between three main targets: sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh, who leads the team with 194 receiving yards to go along with 3 touchdowns; senior receiver Omari Kelly, who is close behind with 184 receiving yards; and redshirt junior tight end Michael Masunas, who has hauled in 2 touchdown passes. Notably, Marsh caught five passes for 68 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Spartans’ win over Boston College.

“They have an outstanding run game,” Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “The best thing they do is just their play action and boot game they have off of that. They have the ability to really generate explosive plays downfield, because you have to stop the run.”

However, Chiles has also been sacked eight times to Maiava’s two, a gap USC’s shining pass rush will hope to expand on Saturday.

The Trojan pass rush, fronted by redshirt senior linebacker Eric Gentry, leads the nation in sacks by two with 14. Gentry leads the team with three, while eight other players have contributed at least half a sack.

Gentry, who also has a team-high 21 tackles, received the Chuck Bednarik Player of the Week award after his stellar eight-tackle, two-sack, two-forced-fumble performance against Purdue. His three tackles for loss, as well as the two forced fumbles, were career highs.

“Eric’s our leader there, and he’s been just all over the place,” Riley said on Trojans Live on Monday. “Just a maniac out there.”

In the secondary, redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald has started the season strong, picking up three interceptions — two of which came against Purdue — and having USC’s second-most tackles with 15.

“He’s been on point,” Lynn said. “He’s been doing his job. He’s been where he’s supposed to be.”

While the Trojans will be without sophomore cornerback Chasen Johnson, a University of Central Florida transfer, who Riley said will miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee, Lynn is still confident in his unit. During fall camp, redshirt senior cornerback Prophet Brown also suffered an injury, though Riley told The Los Angeles Times he may be able to return later in the season.

‘We need you to bring the juice’

Though the stage seems set for a big-time homecoming, decreased attendance at USC’s first two home games of the year has seemingly worried Riley and General Manager Chad Bowden, who released a letter to the USC community on social media encouraging increased attendance and spirit at Saturday’s game.

“The earlier you arrive, the longer you stay, and the louder you scream, the greater our chances at victory. On Saturday, we need you to bring the juice – for four quarters. We will do the same,” the letter reads.

The letter comes after the Coliseum averaged about 64,700 fans over the Trojans’ first two home contests, nearly a 9% reduction compared to last season’s average of roughly 71,000. Saturday’s game against the Spartans also has an irregular 8 p.m. start time, meaning it will likely end near midnight.

“It happens faster than you think. The game may be at 8 p.m., but there [are] a lot of things, in terms of getting the guys ready, to get done,” Riley said when asked about preparing for the late start time. “You get an extra hour or two to sleep and then business as usual.”

Kickoff is at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the Trojans hope to take the lead in the Trojan War series against the visiting Spartans. Should USC win, it will head into its first major test of its young season against No. 9 Illinois (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten), with a chance to make waves with an upset and catapult into playoff contention.