The list of gripes didn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n
Heck, even quarterback Jayden Maiava<\/a> admitted there was room for improvement \u2014 after he nearly completed every pass.<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely could clean up some stuff,\u201d Maiava said, \u201cplay a lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n While the size of the crowd that shows up Friday evening at the Coliseum to watch No. 14 USC (1\u20130) face Fresno State (0\u20130) is largely out of the Trojans\u2019 control, they can dictate whether the show on the field is more worthwhile than what preceded it.<\/p>\n Here are five things to watch in a game that will be televised by Fox:<\/p>\n Tighten it up<\/p>\n On paper, Maiava played an almost perfect game.<\/p>\n He completed 25 of 29 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for an additional score. His 86.2 completion percentage was the highest in one game by a USC quarterback since at least 1995 (with a minimum of 25 attempts).<\/p>\n So, what\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n Well, at least a handful of those completions required the receivers to make a nice play on passes that weren\u2019t thrown well. An intentional grounding penalty resulted in a sack.<\/p>\n The mistake that seemed to stick with Maiava most was his unwillingness to throw the ball on a fourth-and-goal play in which he scanned the field in search of an open receiver. Not seeing what he liked, Maiava took off running and was stopped short of the goal line.<\/p>\n Asked about the play earlier this week, Maiava said he had a receiver open in the flat, suggesting either he didn\u2019t see him or wasn\u2019t willing to throw the ball.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t play the position hesitant,\u201d Maiava said, \u201cso coach [Lincoln] Riley does a great job of letting me know that, to play decisive and continue playing aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n Running aground<\/p>\n Consider Anthony Jones Jr. unimpressed.<\/p>\n The USC running backs coach told his players he didn\u2019t like their ball security, lack of explosive runs or inability to stay on their feet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was brutal,\u201d Waymond Jordan said of Jones Jr.\u2019s assessment.<\/p>\n Is he always this hard to please?<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Jordan said, \u201cany grade that\u2019s not a 90% or above is basically a F to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n While Jordan averaged 6 yards per carry in his first appearance since last October<\/a> and King Miller gained a team-leading 66 yards rushing, neither player managed any runs longer than 11 yards.<\/p>\n What happened?<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I think it was more overthinking and not going out there and playing,\u201d Jordan said. \u201cWe just didn\u2019t play to our standard; we didn\u2019t make the plays that we usually make.\u201d<\/p>\n Can the defense rest?<\/p>\n It will be interesting to see if Riley and defensive coordinator Gary Patterson give their reserves another extended run if the Trojans take a big lead into the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n What transpired near the end of the game last weekend did not inspire much confidence in the backups.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was good for those guys to get reps,\u201d Riley said. \u201cWe had a couple of guys that handled it well, and we had a couple of guys that honestly did not handle it as well as we could have.\u201d<\/p>\n Pump up the volume<\/p>\n Given they can\u2019t suddenly plonk Notre Dame back onto their schedule<\/a> or control the weather, there\u2019s not much the Trojans can do to boost attendance before more enticing opponents arrive at the Coliseum.<\/p>\n It should help that the temperature at kickoff Friday is forecast to dip into the mid-70s \u2014 roughly 20 degrees cooler than the sweltering conditions inside the Coliseum<\/a> last weekend. But will Friday evening traffic, combined with another relatively unexciting opponent, lead to a late-arriving crowd \u2014 or fans not showing up at all?<\/p>\n Bringing the juice<\/p>\n If you noticed those giant juice boxes being hoisted into the air on USC\u2019s sideline last weekend, you witnessed Riley\u2019s latest motivational ploy.<\/p>\n Offensive lineman Justin Tauanuu said the coach is using those boxes to generate emotional juice among players trying to pump up their teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cVery grateful for those guys,\u201d offensive tackle Elijah Page said. \u201cThose guys are just as important as the guys on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Coaches award weekly winners for bringing the juice, with Travis Leonard and Shawn Sehra among the most recent recipients, according to Jordan.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to try to get one maybe this week,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t![\"USC](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2292106856.jpg\")
\u201cYou can\u2019t play the position hesitant,\u201d quarterback Jayden Maiava (right) said, \u201cso coach [Lincoln] Riley [left] does a great job of letting me know that, to play decisive and continue playing aggressive.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Football](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP_San_Jose_St_USC_Football_74914-4af3e-0.jpg\")
University of Southern California football was panned for its flop of a fourth quarter and puny crowd at the Coliseum last weekend against San Jose State AP Photo\/William Liang<\/p>\n
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