Lincoln Riley’s 340-pound defensive beast broke the internet last weekend. A 70-yard pick-six led the Trojans’ faithful to thump their fists in the air. The defense absolutely dominated the turf against the Purdue Boilermakers. With the recent win, 33-17, the Trojans have now climbed up to No. 25 in the AP poll, and the star of the weekend, DL Jamaal Jarrett, has a message for Lincoln Riley.

Jamaal’s spotlight came in the second half at the Ross-Ade Stadium. In the third quarter, with 2:27 on the clock, the defense went for a blitz against Purdue QB Ryan Browne. Safety Kamari Ramsey and DT Devan Thompson got to the quarterback. Instead of a sack, Browne threw a deflected pass that landed in Jamaal Jarrett’s arms. He raced down the turf, going 19 mph (per Reel analytics) for a 70-yard touchdown, and the Trojans erupted in cheers in the stands as he scored his first touchdown.

In an interview with USC Athletics, Keely Eure and Jamaal Jarrett sent across a clear message. “Pretty much, we just had to let the world know that we’re here and we have a lot to improve on. We’re not even close to being as great as we can be, and it’s just back to the lab from there.” It’s a great start for Riley, who is shouldering a $90 million red seat. Victories against MO State, GA Southern, and Purdue have kept both the momentum and confidence rolling, and Jarrett’s iconic pick-six has the Trojans entering the national conversation.

Jamaal Jarrett is a former Georgia player, recruited in the Class of 2023. However, Athens didn’t see much action from him during the last campaign. After recording nine tackles and no sacks over two seasons, he entered USC’s roster during the winter portal with Kentucky transfer Keeshawn Silver.

“I saw the ball in the air, I gotta at least attempt to catch it.” The roster descended, trying to scoop him into the air. “Keeshaun (silver) almost picked me up and threw me on the sidelines,” said a merry Jamaal, trying to contain his laugh. A ‘THICC SIX’ is what the roster’s calling it. “I’m pretty fast, us big boys be moving,” Jarrett said after the iconic feat that has the Trojans’ faithful drooling over. “It was just a blessing to really, you know, see the football and touch the football. Taking that all the way back was a pretty cool experience for me and the team, you know.” Following the feat, a joyous D’Anton Lynn did a chest bump with Jarrett, and the overwhelmed DL admitted that “(it) hurt my chest slightly.”

And Lynn’s response? “I’ve never seen anything like that in person before, so it was fun. He was moving,” Lynn said. Undoubtedly, he stole the spotlight last weekend. His stock has surged in Los Angeles, with celebs and designers approaching him. Over the last three matchups, he has tallied two tackles and one interception.

Jamaal Jarrett’s message to the Michigan Spartans

On the weekend, the Trojans will square off against Michigan State, and Jamaal Jarrett is looking forward to the showdown at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Jamaal Jarrett’s message is pretty clear. “We just got to execute. We got to show them that we’re good, show them that we’re here. This is our career. This is the Coliseum. So we just got to do our best and execute on our end.”

In addition to Jamaal, safety Bishop Fitzgerald made some noise as well. He recorded two interceptions; the first one capped off on Purdue’s offensive drive, with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter, when Fitzgerald intercepted Ryan Browne’s pass on 3rd and Goal. Fitzgerald recorded his second interception in the fourth quarter at 2nd & 10, to Browne’s 33-yard TD pass.

Although the Trojans’ secondary defensive unit faced some hiccups. They gave up 347 total yards against the Boilermakers. Although a victory, Lincoln Riley wasn’t satisfied. “It certainly wasn’t our best performance,” he said. Jarrett and the roster are going strong, but is USC ready to take on the Spartans?