The USC football program published a letter on social media earlier this week addressed to its fans. It was signed by head coach Lincoln Riley and general manager Chad Bowden.
“On Saturday, we need you to bring the juice – for four quarters. We will do the same,” the letter said. “It will be late. It will be dark. It will be a battle. But if we work together, it will be unforgettable.”
No. 25 USC is facing its latest kickoff of the season with an 8 p.m. start time against Big Ten foe Michigan State on Saturday. It’s the first 8 p.m. kickoff since last season’s Sept. 7 home game against Utah State.
The Trojans will be ready, especially after last weekend when a weather delay pushed their game against Purdue back three hours.
“Both teams have got to deal with it,” Riley told reporters on a Friday morning Zoom call. “We’ve got to handle it well, our crowd needs to handle it well. At the end of the day, it’s a game, it’s being played in the Coliseum and we expect to win and we expect to have a really good crowd behind us. We’re not going to make excuses about it.”
The Spartans (3-0) will likely be missing multiple key players for Saturday due to injury, allowing the Trojans (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) an opportunity to shore up any concerns ahead of next week’s matchup against No. 9 Illinois.
When Michigan State has the ball
The Spartans’ best asset on offense is dual-threat quarterback Aidan Chiles. He has been working in head coach Jonathan Smith’s pro-style offensive system since the coach was hired in 2023 and, so far, has been an excellent fit.
Chiles, who prepped at Downey High, has rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown in three games while also passing for 656 yards and six touchdowns.
“You can tell he looks certainly more comfortable as he’s progressed, which we would all expect,” Riley said. “It’s the biggest challenge that we faced up to this point in terms of the quarterback and the offense and how all those complementary pieces fit.”
Leading receiver Nick Marsh (leg) and running back Makhi Frazier (lower body injury) were questionable earlier in the week but are reportedly expected to play.
Marsh (16 catches, 194 yards, three TDs) is joined by receiver Omari Kelly (15 catches, 184 yards) and tight end Michael Masunas (six catches, 81 yards) as top targets for Chiles. In the running game, Frazier has 43 carries for 206 yards and two TDs, while sophomore Brandon Tullis has 18 carries for 112 yards.
They’ll battle against a USC defense that leads the conference with 14 sacks and is second in tackles for loss with 31.
When USC has the ball
The Trojans’ offense is rolling, and quarterback Jayden Maiava is at the forefront of it all. He’s averaging a conference-best 329.7 passing yards per game and has yet to throw an interception.
The receiving corps is only getting stronger with the development of freshman Tanook Hines and the tight end room’s growing role. Lake McRee, Walker Lyons and Carson Tabaracci have combined for 238 yards and three touchdowns, allowing for more confidence in 12-personnel.
“It’s awesome,” McRee said. “It keeps defenses on their toes. You don’t really know what we’re going to do – run, pass, do all the above out of it.”
Michigan State’s linebacking group is one of the strongest parts of its defense. The Spartans’ 195 total tackles rank them fourth in the Big Ten and linebacker Jordan Hall is the team’s best tackler with 27 total tackles. Wayne Matthews III is right behind him with 24.
Good tackling is helping Michigan State contain running backs as the Spartans are giving up only 64.3 rushing yards per game. However, they’re allowing roughly 273 passing yards per game.
MICHIGAN STATE (3-0 overall) at No. 25 USC (3-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten)
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Where: Coliseum
TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/710 AM
Originally Published:
