An opening kickoff temperature of 94 degrees coincided with a hot Trojan offense that earned its 10th straight season-opening victory on Saturday afternoon.

A rare Week 0 game for No. 14 USC (1-0) proved to be no trouble even with the heat, as the Trojans dismantled San Jose State (0-1) and the Spartans’ defense, 42-26.

As 51,144 of USC’s most loyal fans filed into Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Trojans put on a show, scoring a touchdown in each quarter and outscoring the Spartans by 16, though they led by as much as 32 late in the third quarter.

The offense and defense were in sync for USC in an efficient first half, helping the Trojans take a four-touchdown lead. Head Coach Lincoln Riley relied on the rushing game, headlined by redshirt senior running back Waymond Jordan and redshirt sophomore running back King Miller, who combined for 106 of the 111 yards on the ground, with Miller adding a touchdown.

After a slower start, redshirt senior quarterback Jayden Maiava found his rhythm quickly after the second drive, which continued throughout the game. He finished with 286 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a strong season-opening performance.

Despite losing two of his star wideouts in Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, Maiava found success in nearly all of his newest receivers, including freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley. The true freshman caught the second passing touchdown of the game for his first in college, along with a game-high 118 yards. The other passing touchdown was caught by true freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who added 36 yards in the effort.

The impact of newly hired defensive coordinator Gary Patterson was immediate in the first half, with his defense allowing just 102 yards and no points in a near-perfect first two quarters.

That would change significantly in the second half, where the defense gave up 26 points and 232 yards.

Although San Jose State scored all 26 of its points in its final four drives, the previous six were a good sign for Patterson and company. Additionally, with just two defensive penalties, Saturday’s game remains one of the cleanest the Trojans have seen on defense in recent memory.

Junior defensive tackle Jide Abasiri spearheaded the positive effort, totaling four tackles with 2.5 for loss in his third year with USC. Redshirt freshman defensive end Jadyn Ramos recorded the only Trojan sack, taking down Spartan redshirt senior quarterback Luke Weaver in the middle of the fourth quarter.

After successfully earning a win in Week 0, the tone appears to already be set on offense, while the defense looks to fix a few of the miscues they saw late in the second half. 

USC will next play Fresno State on Friday at 6 p.m. at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.