Instant Reaction:

The USC Trojans came out the gate very aggressively in the run game. Running back Woody Marks piled up 49 yards on three attempts on the first drive alone.The mentality to come out and impose their will was clear, and the zone and power run schemes have always been integral elements of Lincoln Riley’s offense. However, the Trojans appear to be making those running concepts an emphasis this season. 

The Trojans ran for 142 yards in the first quarter, their most in the first quarter since 2018. Marks’ 103 first-half yards were the most by a Trojan player since Ronald Jones in 2017. With the switch to the Big Ten and the amount of National Football League coaches added to the staff, the identity of the Trojans is beginning to take shape. They want to be physically dominant on both sides.

Tight End Truthers:

Tight ends can be the ultimate Swiss Army knife in a balance offense. The Trojans have made a concerted effort to get their tight ends involved. Lake McRee, coming off a five-reception 56-yard performance against LSU, looked like he was a major part of the game plan. In the first three drives, McRee had two catches for 43 yards.

The Trojans also featured him on the perimeter in the passing game as a lead blocker. Having a big body out there that’s athletic enough to move his feet and get into position without being susceptible to holding calls is a huge advantage for any offense.

McRee did have a fumble in the second quarter. A Utah State defender punched the ball out from behind while he was running for a huge gain and he never saw it. He’ll want that one back, but it’s a tough play. Taking care of the ball is always important, but the looks will force defenses in the future to game-plan for McRee which will open up other opportunities.

D’Anton’s Defense:

The Trojans’ defense led by defense coordinator D’Anton Lynn is doing a fantastic job of showing multiple looks, especially on obvious passing downs. On a third and nine early in the first quarter, he showed a simulated pressure where he blitzed linebacker Eric Gentry and dropped an interior defensive lineman. 

It’s those type of looks that can influence offensive coordinators to reduce the play sheet. Quarterbacks and offensive linemen are on high alert for the rest of the game, and it can cause problems long past the initial call. 

Tackling in space continues to be a strong point for the defense and the defensive backs in particular. Only two games in, but one of the biggest weaknesses from the last two Trojans’ teams looks like it will be one of the biggest strengths this season. 

The Trojan defense earned a shutout for the first time since 2011 for their efforts and held the Utah State offense to only 190 total yards and 87 rushing yards.

“I’m excited about the defensive performance,” said Lincoln Riley in the on-field post-game interview. How could he not be after the first two games?

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MORE: How Will USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley Defend Utah State QB Bryson Barnes?

Note: With EA Sports’ College Football 25 bringing college football back to the video game world, the Deseret News is simulating every Utah State game against an FBS opponent this season.

Utah State started its 2024 season with a solid warm-up game against Robert Morris last week.

This week? Bring on the No. 13 USC Trojans.

The Aggies head to LA Memorial Coliseum for a matchup where USU will be heavy underdogs.

Can Utah State show well in California?

The Deseret News ran a simulation of the game on EA Sports College Football 25, and it had positives — and expected struggles — for the Aggies.

How the simulation was set up

There were a couple ground rules in place: The simulation used 12-minute quarters — with the option to adjust that if necessary in future simulations — and I let the computer simulate the game with no user interference.

Injuries and depth chart changes were also implemented, and it changed a couple things for Utah State.

After starting quarterback Spencer Petras was injured in the Aggies’ opener and his status for the USC game was questionable, I went ahead and moved Bryson Barnes into the starting QB spot for the game.

Running back Roberts Briggs was also slide down the depth chart — he suffered a season-ending injury last week — but on the CFB 25 lineup, Briggs still could theoretically get a few carries because I could only move him to third on the depth chart.

For USC, there was one roster move: pushing linebacker Mason Cobb, a former Provo High star, down the depth chart after his injury in Week 1. He is questionable for the game, but in this case, better safe than sorry (though he still ended up playing some in the game).

How did the simulation between Utah State and USC play out?

Final score: USC 45, Utah State 23

Key sequence: The Barnes-to-Jalen Royals connection was humming in the first half, and Royals caught his second touchdown pass of the day on a 28-yarder with 1:14 left until halftime to push Utah State ahead 17-14.

USC, after a slow start, jump-started its offense on the ensuing drive, though.

Woody Marks broke off a 31-yard run on third down three plays into the drive, then Miller Moss connected with the Trojans’ top wide receiver, Zachariah Branch, for a 39-yard touchdown with 26 seconds on the clock to put USC up for good.

Moss threw a beautiful ball that Branch caught in the back of the end zone for the momentum-swinging score.

How the game transpired: Things looked good early for Utah State, even after a Barnes interception on the game’s first possession.

The Aggies rebounded by taking their second drive into USC territory and converting a third down to advance inside the Trojans 30 before the possession stalled. Elliott Nimrod scored the game’s first points on a 39-yard field goal.

Following USC’s second straight three-and-out to start the game, Royals got behind the USC defense and scored on a 64-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-0 Aggies.

That score seemed to wake up the Trojans.

USC’s offense finally got on track and scored two touchdowns — a pair of Marks short scoring runs — to go ahead 14-10, which set up the wild final two minutes of the first half where each team scored a touchdown.

Utah State briefly kept it competitive in the third quarter.

After Branch snagged another touchdown grab to push the USC lead to 28-17, Royals caught a 75-yard touchdown pass — his third of the day — on Utah State’s first play of the ensuing possession to cut the lead to 28-23. Utah State went for two to try and make it a three-point game, but the run was stuffed well short of the end zone.

From there, USC enforced its will.

The Trojans methodically moved the ball and scored touchdowns on two of their next three possessions while Utah State punted twice in a row. A Barnes interception deep in Aggie territory led to the game’s final score, a 37-yard USC field goal late in the fourth quarter.

Star players: Even in a loss, Royals was a star. He finished with six catches for 261 yards and three touchdowns, scoring on touchdowns of 64, 28 and 75 yards.

Barnes threw for 338 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

On the USC side, Moss threw for 312 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, Marks ran for 246 yards and three touchdowns and Branch caught 11 passes for 138 yards and two scores. He also had a couple nice punt returns to set up the USC offense.

Final stats: The Trojans ended the game with 553 yards, while Utah State had 417.

The Aggies’ run game was contained, putting up 79 yards, while USC was able to control the clock by rushing for 241 yards.

The Trojans also held a 2-1 advantage in turnovers.

How realistic was the simulation?

My analysis: Other than the high passing numbers for Barnes and a painfully slow start for USC, this one seemed to be right on track with what could happen in the game.

Then again, the final result — a 22-point USC victory — seems right in line with what is expected to happen, so some of the details to get to that final really aren’t that big of a deal.

If a game like this happens, it would provide some positives for Utah State to take back to Logan.

USC football opened the 2024 college football season with a massive victory over No. 13 LSU in Week 1.

The Trojans were led by redshirt junior Miller Moss, who was starting his second career game and taking over for former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, who completed 27-for-36 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown in the 27-20 victory over the SEC foe. Woody Marks scored the go-ahead touchdown with 13 seconds left following a targeting call against LSU.

Following the victory, USC jumped nine spots in the weekly US LBM Coaches Poll from No. 23 to No. 14. The Trojans will host Utah State in their home opener on Saturday. The Aggies are coming off a 36-14 victory over Robert Morris behind a 198-yard, three-touchdown passing performance from quarterback Bryson Barnes. Barnes also added 88 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Watch USC football vs. Utah State live (free trial)

The Trojans lead the all-time series with the Aggies 6-0. The last matchup between the programs was a 45-7 Trojans victory on Sept. 10, 2016, at the L.A. Coliseum. The closest matchup in the series occurred on Sept. 21, 2013, a 17-4 win for USC.

Here’s how to watch USC football take on Utah State, including kickoff time, TV channel, streaming options and more:

What channel is USC vs Utah State on today?

The Trojans and Aggies will face off in a nationally televised matchup on the Big Ten Network. Guy Haberman (play-by-play) and Yogi Roth (analyst) will be on the call, while Rhett Lewis will be the sideline reporter. The game can also be streamed on Fubo, which offers potential subscribers a free trial.

USC vs Utah State time today

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 7

• Start time: 11 p.m. ET

The USC vs. Utah State game starts at 11 p.m. ET Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

USC vs Utah State predictions, picks, odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Sept. 5.

Utah State football schedule 2024

Here’s a full look at the Aggies’ 2024 schedule, including available start times and TV channel information:

All times Eastern.

• Saturday, Aug. 31: vs. Robert Morris (W, 36-14)

• Saturday, Sept. 7: at No. 14 USC | 11 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)

• Saturday, Sept. 14: vs. No. 11 Utah | 4 p.m. | CBS Sports (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Saturday, Sept. 21: at Temple

• Saturday, Sept. 28: BYE

• Saturday, Oct. 5: at Boise State* | FOX | (Fubo)

• Friday, Oct. 11: vs. UNLV* | 9 p.m. | CBS Sports (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. New Mexico* | truTV (Fubo)

• Saturday, Oct. 26: at Wyoming* | 7 p.m. | CBS Sports (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Saturday, Nov. 2: BYE

• Saturday, Nov. 9: at Washington State* | The CW Network (Fubo)

• Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Hawaii* | 3 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. San Diego State* | 3:30 p.m. | CBS Sports (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Friday, Nov. 29: at Colorado State | FS1 (Fubo)

• Record: 1-0

* denotes Mountain West game

USC football schedule 2024

Here’s a full look at the Trojans’ 2024 schedule, including available start times and TV channel information:

All times Eastern.

• Sunday, Sept. 1: vs. No. 12 LSU (Las Vegas) (W, 27-20)

• Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Utah State | 11 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)

• Saturday, Sept. 14: BYE

• Saturday, Sept. 21: at No. 10 Michigan* | 3:30 p.m. | CBS (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. Wisconsin*

• Saturday, Oct. 5: at Minnesota*

• Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. No. 8 Penn State*

• Saturday, Oct. 19: at Maryland*

• Saturday, Oct. 25: vs. Rutgers* | 11 p.m. | Fox (Fubo)

• Saturday, Nov. 2: at Washington*

• Saturday, Nov. 9: BYE

• Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Nebraska*

• Saturday, Nov. 23: at UCLA*

• Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. No. 5 Notre Dame

* denotes Big Ten game

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC vs Utah State channel today, time, TV schedule, streaming info