By Tim Peterson
(Los Angeles) – USC piled up 668 total yards and had its way with Nevada in a 66-14 rout of the Wolfpack before 62,916 fans Saturday at United Airlines Field at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
The usual suspects did the damage for the Trojans. Caleb Williams threw for 319 yards and five touchdowns and Tahj Washington was on the receiving end of two of those scores and had 75 receiving yards.
Seven different players scored for the Trojans including one on the defensive side of the ball.
The game was basically decided by halftime with the Trojans leading 35-7. They also racked up 24 points in the fourth quarter.
USC took the opening drive and went 79 yards on four plays. Caleb Williams threw a 22- yard touchdown pass to Zachariah Branch for a 7-0 lead.
Nevada answered on the next possession. Brendon Lewis connected with Spencer Curtis on a 73-yard pass play to set up a three-yard run by Sean Dollars to tie it at 7. The Trojans then went on a 45-0 run.
After USC forced a Nevada punt it needed just four plays to score again. Marshawn Lloyd scored his first touchdown as a Trojan on a 24-yard run.
Another USC defensive stop led to another Trojan touchdown. Tahj Washington caught a pass over the middle and scooted 22 yards for a touchdown and with 2:13 left in the first quarter the Trojans were up 21-7.
A 46-yard run by Williams set up a 15-yard TD strike from Williams to Michael Jackson III to give the Trojans a 28-7 lead early in the second quarter.
A 54-yard pass from Williams to Lloyd set up 13-yard scoring strike from Wiliams to Brenden Rice with 6:17 left in the second quarter. USC extended its lead to 35-7.
The Trojans took that lead into half.
USC picked up right where it left off in the third. Williams hit Washington on a 45-yard touchdown pass on the first possession of the third quarter to finish a 7-play, 67-yard drive and increase the advantage to 42-7.
Miller Moss replaced Williams with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.
Denis Lynch booted a 37-yard field goal with 13:30 left in the game to make it 45-7.
The defense got into the scoring column on Nevada’s next possession as Stanley Ta’ufo’ou scooped up a fumble and rumbled 22 yards for the touchdown putting the Trojans over the 50 mark.
Nevada backup quarterback A.J. Bianco hit Jamaal Bell on a 77-yard bomb on the next series. Bell outran the Trojan secondary to make it 52-14.
However the Trojans weren’t finished yet. They added a little gravy with two late touchdowns. Quinten Joyner was off to the races with 47-yard touchdown sprint with 9:09 left. Five minutes later Moss connected with Duce Robinson who galloped down the Coliseum field for a 71-yard score to eclipse the 60-point plateau at 66.
For USC Williams completed 18 of 24 for the 319 yards. Moss ended up 7 of 10 for 134 yards and the TD pass to Robinson. Mario Williams had four catches for 66 yards. Lloyd led the ground game with 76 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and Joyner had 65 yards and a score on four carries.
For Nevada Lewis was 18 of 29 for 182 yards. Bell hauled in eight receptions for 121 yards and a TD.
USC improved to 2-0 with the victory and will host Stanford next Saturday night. For the Wolfpack it was the season opener as they fell to 0-1.
NV 7 0 0 7 14
SC 21 14 7 24 66
Making the student fees, which pays the athletic bills, worth it, I guess? Then again, USC research, which pays its own bills (hence the condition of the modern Academy), has apparently succumb to the mind parasites of its ugly underbelly. Secede this thing into a tier-system leading up to the NFL, then some of us could maybe start to enjoy such questionable showings against lower-level competition like Reno United, I mean “U. of Nevada.”