After closing out a successful 3-0 nonconference slate with a 49-30 win over Louisiana, No. 12 USC football will head to New Jersey to open conference play against a winless Rutgers squad Saturday. The matchup will mark the second ever meeting between the two programs, with the Trojans earning a 42-20 victory against Rutgers in their inaugural 2024 Big Ten season.

USC (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) flexed a dominant offensive attack Saturday, totaling seven touchdowns and surpassing 200 yards both rushing and passing against the porous University of Louisiana-Lafayette (1-1) defense. 

USC’s Big Ten opener provides a crucial opportunity to pick up a respite win in the midst of an otherwise gauntlet schedule. After Saturday’s game against Rutgers (0-2), the Trojans will begin a brutal six-game stretch that includes No. 21 Oregon (1-1), No. 14 Penn State (2-0), No. 6 Ohio State (1-1) and No. 4 Indiana (2-0).

On the other side, Rutgers enters Saturday’s showdown having suffered back-to-back losses to the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2-0) and Boston College (1-1). The Scarlet Knights have shown major volatility in the turnover game, having thrown seven interceptions and handing over a lost fumble through the first two games.

Dominate with run

If USC is going to dominate in Piscataway on Saturday, a major point of emphasis will be showcasing the team’s impressive run game. Rutgers’ struggling defensive line through two games makes an elite ground game that much more of a formula for victory.

Rutgers has been lackluster at the line of scrimmage through its two games, surrendering 175.0 rush yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry on the defensive end. On the other side, the Trojans have managed 172.7 rush yards per game on offense, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten.

Redshirt sophomore running back King Miller has continued to pace the Trojans’ backfield: Miller rushed for a season-high 128 yards on 18 carries and added a 12-yard score in the fourth quarter against Louisiana, with his 48 carries on the season tied for fifth in all of college football. Redshirt senior running back Waymond Jordan also added 52 yards from scrimmage as part of USC’s 214-yard total rush attack.

Miller was quick to put last week’s impressive performance behind him regardless of his success so far this season as the team prepares to face a new-look Rutgers defensive front.

“It’s a new game plan, new week, so a different scheme,” Miller said in a press conference Tuesday. “Just going back to the drawing board, back to practice, going to see what they do, their tendencies, so [we have] another week to get better.” 

Rising star freshman injured

While USC has received incredible production from its young wideouts to begin the season, the team received disappointing news that its star freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley will be unavailable against Rutgers, according to Head Coach Lincoln Riley. Mosley exited the game Saturday with an apparent knee injury after recording another two-touchdown game. 

“[Mosley] won’t be available this week, and we’ll just continue monitoring forward,” Riley said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “We don’t expect it to be extremely long term, but still a little inconclusive on this time depending on how he responds.”

The Trojans likely hope Mosley’s absence from the unit will be a short one, as his presence as both a weapon out wide for redshirt senior quarterback Jayden Maiava, as well as in the punt return game has been a major factor in the team’s 3-0 start. 

With under two minutes left in the first half, Mosley electrified the Trojans’ crowd with an 86-yard punt return touchdown, the longest punt return touchdown by a USC player since 2013. He followed that up with an impressive 21-yard touchdown reception to get USC’s second half scoring started.

The Trojans, however, have no shortage of depth at wide receiver to replace the superstar freshman’s production. Both fellow freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and redshirt sophomore Zacharyus Williams have flashed explosive downfield abilities, and the team just reinstated junior NC State transfer receiver Terrell Anderson after injury kept him off the field for the first two weeks.

Defense stepping up

While USC’s offense has flourished with red zone opportunities through the three games in the 2026 season, its defensive front has been dominant in preventing opposing offenses from cashing in on rare opportunities.

USC has not allowed a single team to convert a fourth down in 2026, and a major reason for its success has been the disruptive freshman defensive end Luke Wafle. Against Louisiana, the true freshman led the Trojans with seven total tackles and six solo stops. 

Rutgers has allowed eight sacks through two games, providing an excellent opportunity for Wafle as well as fellow front-line forces junior defensive tackle Jide Abasiri and redshirt senior defensive end Zuriah Fisher to apply pressure. Fisher recorded USC’s only sack against Louisiana and added a forced fumble. 

For Riley’s defense, his goals are to prevent rushing and end zone opportunities as well as allowing the secondary to flourish and create big plays on the back end.

“Great red zone defense starts with stopping the run,” Riley said. “Once a great defense can eliminate that, then it allows you to focus in on some of the other areas. I think that’s always the first key, and that’ll be important for us as we start to get into Big Ten play, [just] making sure we are doing a great job against the run.”

USC will head to Piscataway, New Jersey, to face Rutgers Saturday at 12:30 p.m.