VIDEO: Late Kick: Can USC win the national championship this season?

USC beat San Jose State, 56-28, in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

FOURTH QUARTER

USC ran nine plays, getting only two first downs. Game over.

San Jose State ran six plays and ended the drive with a turnover on downs, getting only one first down. The Trojans takes over with 3:43 left. 

Special teams continues to be questionable for USC, giving up an onside kick to San Jose State. The Spartans have another drive starting at the 46-yard line. 

The first-team offense might be done for the night, but much of the first-team defense remains on the field for USC – and it looks to be much needed. San Jose State continues the fight, going 85 yards on four plays that included a 57-yard run by Spartans' running back Quali Conley and a 13-yard pass interference penalty in the red zone. USC remains in the lead 56-28 with 5:08 left in the game.

Moss' first drive of the 2023 season was a little bumpy, but he capped it off by taking it into the end zone himself on a 4-yard run. USC takes the 55-21 lead with 6:53 left in the game. He went 3-for-5 for 42 yards that included two completions to true freshman receiver Duce Robinson – a two-yard pass then a 35-yard pass a few plays later.

Once again, USC's defense limits the Spartans' offense and force a three-and-out. The Trojans' offense takes the field for a 10th time. Caleb Williams' night is officially over with backup quarterback Miller Moss in the game with 11:04 left in the game.

USC starts the final 15 minutes of the game at their own 45-yard line and after six plays for 55 yards, Caleb Williams found Brenden Rice for a 12-yard touchdown to go up 49-21 with 12:28 left in the game. It was Rice's first catch of the game and first TD of the season.

THIRD QUARTER

It's become a one-sided affair here at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. USC forced a three-and-out and Zachariah Branch returned the punt 19 yards to finish off the quarter. USC leads 42-21.

Zachariah Branch continues to show college football that No. 7 overall in the 2023 recruiting class was too low. He took the kickoff return to the house, scoring a 96-yard touchdown to increase his all-purpose yardage to 213. He is the first true freshman to run a kickoff return for a TD since Adoree' Jackson's in the 2014 Holiday Bowl.

Back-to-back incomplete passes looked promising for the Trojans defense to force a fourth down, but they gave up an 11-yard catch and the Spartans moved the sticks. San Jose State kept chugging along and capped the nine-play drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass. USC still leads the game 35-21 with 1:50 left in the third quarter.

MarShawn Lloyd played bully ball on that drive, rushing for 12 yards then 16 yards a few plays later. He set the Trojans up for a 25-yard pass touchdown to Zachariah Branch for his first TD in the cardinal and gold uniform. He has 117 all-purpose yards so far – 58 receiving yards, 47 punt return yards, and 12 rushing yards. USC extends their lead 35-14 with 5:59 left in the third quarter.

USC's defense knocked on the door on back-to-back second downs but allowed a first down. On the third attempt, they kept San Jose State from getting a first down. But this time, on third down, the defense was able to get into the backfield and sack quarterback Chevan Cordeiro for a 22-yard loss. The Spartans punt it to USC, and following a 35-yard return by Zachariah Branch, the Trojans take over on their own 48-yard line with 7:35 left in the third quarter. Branch has 47 yards on punt returns so far.

We're sure there's still hope for improvements on special teams moving forward. USC kicks the ball out of bounds and gives San Jose State the ball on the 20-yard line.

It took 10 plays and almost four minutes, but USC got in the end zone again. Austin Jones scored his second touchdown of the game (and season) on a three-yard run. USC leads 28-14 with 10:45 left in the third quarter. Jones now has 54 yards on the ground, quickly headed towards a 100-yard game.

USC looks to overcome their poor play at the end of the first half. They get the ball to start the second half at the 25-yard line.

HALFTIME

Caleb Williams finished the first half having completed 8 of 9 passes. He's 8-for-11 with 134 passing yards and two touchdowns, finding Tahj Washington, Zachariah Branch, and Dorian Singer two times each. Washington has 85 yards and a touchdown, Branch has 21 yards, and Singer has 17 yards and a touchdown. Kyron Hudson has one catch for eight yards and Mario Williams has one catch for three yards.

The Trojans' ground game has been good with 92 yards as a group. Austin Jones leads the rushers with four carries for 46 yards and a touchdown, MarShawn Lloyd has seven carries for 17 yards, Caleb Williams has five carries for 14 yards, Zachariah Branch has one carry for nine yards, and Quinten Joyner has two carries for seven yards.

The Trojans have had the ball for 12 minutes and 44 seconds and are 6-for-8 on third downs. They have been called for five penalties in the first half, costing them 31 yards.

SECOND QUARTER

The Spartans finished the half off with a 28-yard touchdown with 8 seconds left on the clock, and some defensive backs were scratching their heads on that one. USC still leads 21-14.

The USC offense finished the half on different pages. After a three-yard rush by Austin Jones, the Trojans were called for another holding penalty, completed a three-yard pass, then Caleb Williams was sacked for an 11-yard loss. USC punted the ball out of their end zone and San Jose State gets the ball back on the Trojans' 46-yard line with 27 seconds left.

San Jose State came out swinging with a 16-yard completion on the first play of the drive, but the Trojans' defense forced the Spartans to punt it back to them. with 1:35 left in the half.

USC takes over four minutes to score their third touchdown of the game. Austin Jones gets in the end zone for the first time this season on a 2-yard run. USC leads 21-7 with 3:31 left in the first half.

USC's defense limited the Spartans to only one yard on the drive. Jamil Muhammad came in out of nowhere to interrupt Cordeiro's throw. The Trojans' offense takes the field again with the ball on the 48-yard line following a 12-yard return. 8:03 left in the first half.

USC leads 14-7 with 9:38 left in the first half. San Jose State takes the field with the ball at their own 25-yard line, looking to answer.

ARE YOU ENTERTAINED? Caleb Williams turned a bad snap into a 76-yard touchdown pass to Tahj Washington. The coverage on him just wasn't there.

USC's offense took the field with the ball on their own 8-yard line with 11:26 left in the first half after a holding penalty on the return, their fourth penalty of the game.

The Trojans defense made up for the offense's woes, forcing a three-and-out thanks to Eric Gentry in at linebacker.

Back-to-back broken plays on offense forces USC to punt the ball away. Eddie Czaplicki gets the ball to the San Jose State 43-yard line. Caleb Williams is 1-for-3 with 13 passing yards and a touchdown and negative-1 rushing yards after losing 12 yards on the intentional grounding penalty.

The Spartans had the ball on the Trojans' one-yard line to start the second quarter. They score a rushing touchdown on their third try. It's a tie game in the Coliseum. 7-7 with 14:12 left in the first half. USC had a chance to get a stop pushed up against their end zone, but a costly holding penalty gave SJSU more chances.

FIRST QUARTER

The Trojans’ second defensive play doesn’t start off well. San Jose State started their second drive of the game at the 28-yard line. After forcing an incomplete pass, they allowed Spartans’ running back Kairee Robinson to get 20 yards on a rushing play. SJSU started to gain momentum and got into Trojans’ territory. Cordeiro is beating USC on the ground so far, rushing for 39 yards on five attempts.

Dorian Singer scores his first touchdown in a cardinal and gold uniform. It was 13-yard pass from Caleb Williams. The Trojans take the 7-0 lead with 6:32 left in the first quarter.

The Trojans' offense comes out in a two-back set with Austin Jones and Zachariah Branch, and Branch runs the ball. He was just short of the first-down marker. The starters on the offensive line: Jonah Monheim at left tackle, Alani Noa at left guard, Justin Dedich at center, Gino Quinones at right guard, and Michael Tarquin at right tackle.

USC faced their first adversity — a 10-yard holding penalty on top of a 12-yard rush by QB Chevan Cordeiro. Despite allowing one first down, the Trojans' defense forced the Spartans to punt it away. USC allowed the ball to go into the end zone, and the offense takes the field with the ball on their own 20-yard line.

San Jose State has won the toss and will receive the kickoff. USC's defense takes the field first. Starters for the Trojans' defense: Solomon Byrd at defensive end, Kyon Barrs at nose tackle, Bear Alexander at defensive tackle, and Anthony Lucas at RUSH end; Mason Cobb at middle linebacker and Tackett Curtis at weakside linebacker; Calen Bullock at strong safety and Max Williams at free safety; Jaylin Smith at nickelback; and Ceyair Wright and Domani Jackson at cornerback.

PREGAME

The 2023 season has arrived. Quarterback Caleb Williams begins his junior season and his campaign to a back-to-back Heisman Trophy win.

The Trojans will be without veteran defensive lineman Tyrone Taleni, true freshman defensive lineman Deijon Laffitte, and true freshman cornerback Maliki Crawford. Wide receiver Michael Jackson III was a game-time decision coming into the game after getting banged up in practice, but there's been no sign of him yet. True freshman RUSH end D.J. Peevy is also not dressed.

Brothers Zion Branch, a second-year freshman safety, and Zachariah Branch, a true freshman wide receiver, are expected to make their collegiate debuts today for USC. Branch missed all of 2022 after suffering a knee injury.

The Trojans will have two true freshmen starting in the season opener: left guard Alani Noa and inside linebacker Tackett Curtis.

With USC's first game comes answers to a few looming questions that need answering, including any changes to defensive coordinator Alex Grinch's defense, who will stand out on the offensive line, and how will the true freshmen across the team be used in their first collegiate game.

The Trojans will also be rocking a No. 12 sticker on their helmet to honor one of the jerseys hanging inside the Coliseum.

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PREVIEW

The consensus No. 6 USC Trojans open their 2023 season Saturday, Aug. 26, against the San Jose State Spartans at 5 p.m. PDT in the 100-year-old Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and in front of a national Pac-12 Network television audience. The Trojans are a 30.5-point favorite over their Mountain West Conference foe as of Thursday evening. USC has won the previous five meetings, all since 1995 and all in the Coliseum, including a 30-7 victory in 2021. USC is 98-24-8 in season openers (winning 24 of the past 25) and 102-19-7 in home openers. 

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