The USC Trojans recorded their fourth straight win after defeating the Michigan State Spartans by 45-31. No matter how comfortable the win seems on paper, it was not perfect. The Trojans were doing great, leading the game by 31-10, by the first half of the third quarter. USC forced MI State to punt from their 28-yard line, but Ta’Mere Robinson ran into Eckley on the kick, causing a 5-yard penalty. This allowed the Spartans to convert them into a touchdown. A fumble recovery by the Spartans in the final minutes of the third quarter gave them a chance to make this a one-score game.

USC has shown plenty of positives in the opening stretch of the season, but discipline remains a glaring issue. The Trojans piled up 10 penalties against Michigan State, just a week after committing nine against Purdue. Most of those mistakes kept the games closer than they needed to be. After the game, Lincoln Riley, on the USC Athletics, acknowledged the disciplinary issues that led to self-inflicted miscues, sending a strong locker room message to their team.

“We actually had a good punt return on it, too,” Riley said. “That really gave them life, and then we compounded that by the fumble on the following series. All of a sudden, you make a couple of self-inflicted errors against a good team and a good offense. Now it’s a ball game.” The coach was not happy with the outcome, and at that point, he felt like they “were about to end it right there.” He said that the game got closer than they thought, and then got separated. He thought “that showed a lot about the team… they were able to just steady themselves, catch their breath, go back to playing dominant football, and we were able to stretch that thing out again pretty good.”

In the last quarter, a facemask penalty from Ade Willie brought the Trojans into the game. Makai Lemon made a 4-yard TD in the middle of the fourth quarter. A turnover from Spartans in the final 7 minutes favored Trojan’s QB Maiava to reach the end zone. With this, USC won the game 45-31, marking their third 40+ points and fourth win this season. This was a closer game than the Trojans thought, and this could turn worse if not fixed, moving forward into the next conference match-ups.

When asked about hands-to-face penalties, the coach said, “We absolutely have to get better with that. I mean, it’s one of those things that you have a couple of early on, like we did, and then you’re marked for it.” He then clarified, “If your hands end upon the face of another player, that’s not a penalty.” However, “if you put your hands there and then you maintain that and leave it, and don’t take them down,” it is considered a penalty.

He then gave a strong message to the locker room, “It’s definitely one of those things that we have to be a smarter team. It’s an explosive play for the offense, with them doing nothing. And most of the ones we’ve had this year have been like no gain or negative yards plays. So, it’s definitely one that has to improve, and it’s got to happen now.” Through the first month of the season, the contrast is striking. USC’s starting offense has only been tagged five times, while the defense has racked up 21 penalties on its own. That kind of disparity won’t hold up against tougher competition. With Illinois, Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Michigan looming on the schedule, the Trojans can’t afford to keep handing opponents free yards and second chances.

Lincoln Riley Credits Jayden Maiava

One of the real game changers for the Trojans this season is their QB, Jayden Maiava. In the game against Michigan State, he completed 20 of 26 passes, covering 234 yards for 3 touchdowns. He also rushed 31 yards for 2 touchdowns. In the 4 games he played this season, he covered a total of 1,223 yards passing for 9 TDs, and rushing 55 yards for 4 TDs. He is one of the few QBs to cross the 1000-yard mark this soon into the season.

Coach Riley applauded him for being patient, steady, and playing a mature game. “He’s been a good steadying force for not just our offense but our whole team,” Riley said. He gave the credits that Maiava deserves, praising him a “incredibly coachable”. He said, “his humility is a strength. Occasionally, you have quarterbacks that are so hard-headed it can go the other way, where they become a little less coachable than you want them to be.”

USC’s next match-up is against Illinois this Saturday, and it’s the fifth straight game week for them. Will they be able to fix the mistakes this soon against the Fighting Illini, who just had their first loss against Indiana? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.