After blanking Fresno State University in a rout Sept. 4 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it’s going to be hard for No. 14 USC to top its dominant Week 1 performance.

On Saturday night, in the Trojans’ (2-0) nonconference finale, USC will try to put last week’s demolition of the Bulldogs (0-1) in the rearview mirror and put another 60 minutes of championship-caliber football on tape.

The Trojans return to action to take on the visiting University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1-0) in a battle of teams riding high off lopsided victories in front of their home crowds.

USC controlled every aspect of its 39-0 triumph against Fresno State. The Bulldogs never threatened the Trojans, as a second-quarter flurry helped USC take an insurmountable halftime lead. 

The Ragin’ Cajuns, meanwhile, opened their season last week with a 38-7, wire-to-wire beatdown of their own against Lamar University (1-1). Like USC, they too scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter to quickly pull away. 

The matchup gives the Trojans one final chance to fine-tune before embarking on their third season of Big Ten play on Sept. 19 on the road versus Rutgers (0-1). 

Louisiana travels to Coliseum for first-ever date with USC

Saturday’s contest will be the first meeting between the two programs. The teams are not only unfamiliar with each other, but they also have limited experience playing their respective conference counterparts. 

The Trojans are 2-0 all-time versus Sun Belt Conference opponents, including a blowout win over Georgia Southern University last year, while the Ragin’ Cajuns last played — and lost — to a Big Ten team in 2023. 

Louisiana has found its footing in the conference in recent years, going 7-1 in 2024 to finish tied for first in the Sun Belt standings before losing to Marshall University in the conference championship game. 

Last year, Louisiana’s season was marred by struggles outside the Sun Belt. However, it started the 2026 campaign strong in Week 1, cruising to an easy victory over Lamar, a top-20-ranked Football Championship Subdivision school. 

The Ragin’ Cajuns found traction on the ground, racking up five rushing touchdowns and nearly 250 yards. Their defense shut out the Cardinals and completely stifled their rushing attack. 

Redshirt freshman running back Darrell Smith, redshirt junior wide receiver KeDarius Wade and redshirt junior tight end Caden Jensen are Louisiana’s primary weapons, all playing with confidence after combining for 225 total yards last week. 

The Trojans will look to feast on redshirt junior quarterback Lunch Winfield, who can make defenses pay with his legs but is also mistake-prone, throwing two interceptions versus Lamar. The USC secondary should have plenty of opportunities to make plays on the ball and buy its offense extra possessions. 

Riley looking for more out of run game

Even after comfortably defeating San Jose State University (1-1) in Week 0, Head Coach Lincoln Riley outlined multiple areas for significant improvement he wanted to address before the team took the field again. 

So perhaps it comes as no surprise that despite a near-40-point Week 1 win, Riley, while praising the defense for forcing two safeties and redshirt senior quarterback Jayden Maiava for manning the offense at an elite level, made sure to note where he wants his squad to progress. 

“We’ve done the majority of things pretty well, but we’ve seemed to have had some small breakdowns here and there, whether it’s not leveraging a block correctly [or] missing a cut,” Riley said Tuesday at a post-practice news conference. “I put us in bad situations at least twice [Sept. 4].” 

Although they rushed for 140 yards, Riley said he believes the team can unlock the ground game further, urging the Trojans to “be sharper on the details” to turn moderate runs into explosive plays. 

“One little breakdown can be the difference between an 8-yard run and a 40-yard run,” Riley said. “Seven [yards] is not bad, but when we’ve got the opportunity to hit a home run, we wouldn’t mind putting it over the fence.”

Protecting the ball key against Louisiana

Ball security will undoubtedly be something to keep an eye on Saturday after USC fumbled three times and lost two of them against the Bulldogs. It must be more careful this week lining up across a Ragin’ Cajun defense that forced four takeaways in their season opener. 

Habitual fumbles are especially concerning for this iteration of USC’s offense — a group that moves the ball at will and rarely punts. The Trojans didn’t punt until the fourth quarter on Sept. 4 and have punted only twice this season. 

Limiting turnovers moving forward will be paramount if the team wants to avoid leaving points on the board and instead get the most out of its drives.

Maiava, Mosley rolling ahead of Week 2 tilt

USC’s success starts and ends with Maiava, the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, who has been nothing short of sensational for the Trojans thus far. After last season’s big leap, Maiava entered this year even more poised, confident and comfortable in the system. 

Maiava’s efficiency has been the hallmark of his game. For USC quarterbacks with at least 500 passing attempts, Maiava is second in yards per attempt at 8.9, trailing only Caleb Williams and ahead of fellow program legends Matt Leinart and Sam Darnold. 

One reason for Maiava’s elevated play this season: the immediate ascendance of freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley. 

Mosley has over 220 yards and three receiving touchdowns in two collegiate games, excelling at making defenders miss in space. Mosley also holds a prominent role on special teams, as he added a 41-yard punt return in his debut. 

Mosley attributes his development to learning how to process defensive schemes. 

“[The mental evolution] has to do with defenses, how coverages are played or how certain corners or nickels are playing me and how that affects my route and timing with the quarterback,” Mosley said. “I’ve learned the creative side of plays; [Riley] really shows what he sees when we install it, which helps us learn the defense and learn what we’re looking for when we run the route.”

Imminent return of significant defensive piece

The Trojans’ defense could get a shot in the arm to close out the three-game homestand. According to Riley, sophomore defensive tackle Jakheem Stewart is “very close” to returning, an encouraging sign given the fluctuating nature of his nagging foot injury. While USC remains cautious, getting him in-game reps before conference play would prove invaluable. 

The Trojans will try to extend their home winning streak to double digits on Saturday at 8 p.m. versus Louisiana at the Coliseum.