LOS ANGELES — San Jose State knew it would have to play a perfect game to have a chance against No. 14 USC on Saturday.

A 28-0 halftime deficit took care of that.

The Trojans totaled 312 yards in the first half to San Jose State’s 108 and won 42-26 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Spartans (0-1) entered the game as 38.5-point underdogs and struggled to slow down the Trojans’ offense early and were unable to mount a serious comeback after falling into a four-touchdown hole.

“We struggled all day trying to find a way to stop them,” coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “When you run the ball, like they were doing, you know, early on in the game, getting six yards of pop, it makes it tough to play defense.”

To the Spartans’ credit, they did make the score respectable in the final minutes.

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava finished with 286 passing yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-29 passing. He extended the Trojans’ lead to 35-3 when he connected with wide receiver Trent Mosley for a touchdown, coming shortly before San Jose State finally found the end zone.

But there were positives for the Spartans to take from their first game of the season.

San Jose State played a turnover-free game, and quarterback Luke Weaver, a Modesto native, made his first career start for the Spartans.

Weaver led San Jose State on its first touchdown drive of the season to begin the fourth quarter, finding San Diego State transfer Jerry McClure for a 28-yard scoring connection down the middle of the field.

“When we were down, you didn’t see guys start going away from each other,” Weaver said. “If anything, we got tighter together, and I think that shows a lot about a team, and I think it’s going to show a lot about our team this season.” 

Weaver finished with 221 yards on 21-of-32 passing and two touchdown passes, impressing his new coach along the way because of his ability to extend plays with his legs.

”The things he did today is what I saw all of camp. That’s what had me excited,” Niumatalolo said.

The Spartans added another touchdown later in the fourth quarter when Weaver connected with Sacramento State transfer Jordan Anderson for a 3-yard touchdown pass.

USC (1-0) dominated possession through the first three quarters. On their first drive, the Trojans marched 77 yards, with Maiava capping the drive with a 1-yard quarterback keeper to give USC an early lead.

San Jose State’s defense responded with one of its best moments of the first half, forcing a turnover on downs on USC’s next scoring opportunity.

Facing fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Maiava kept the ball but was stopped after a 3-yard gain. Linebacker Ethan Powell made the tackle to keep the Trojans out of the end zone.

But the Spartans’ defense spent much of the first half on the field, and USC never punted before halftime.

“At halftime, there’s a lot of time left, 30 minutes on the clock.” linebacker Dylan Lee said. “You never know how the game could go. I feel like we fought, but yeah, overall, mindset was just keep fighting.”

USC continued to add to its lead, with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt catching a 9-yard touchdown pass before King Miller scored on a 4-yard run with 30 seconds remaining in the first half to make it 28-0.

Despite temperatures reaching 94 degrees, 51,144 fans attended the seventh all-time meeting between the schools, all at the Coliseum. USC has won all seven games against the Spartans.

The latest game between the teams was a debut to remember for San Jose State true freshman Carson Clark, who led the Spartans in receiving yards (six catches, 74 yards).

The Spartans will remain on the road next week, traveling to Eastern Michigan for a 3:30 p.m. game Friday.