LOS ANGELES — With expectations sky high entering for Lincoln Riley's in year five at USC, the Trojans opened the 2026 campaign with a 42-26 victory over the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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Maiava, who led the nation in QBR (91.2) last season, opened the scoring with a one-yard quarterback sneak to put USC ahead 7-0 in the first quarter.
"We put in the work all offseason," Maiava said. "We put it on display today."
The Trojans' standout freshman class made an immediate impact, accounting for four of USC's six touchdowns. Wide receivers Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt found the end zone through the air, while running backs Riley Wormley and Shaun Alston each scored on the ground.
Mosley made perhaps the biggest splash in his collegiate debut, hauling in seven passes for 118 yards and a second-quarter touchdown. Riley took notice of the freshman's performance.
"He's a consistent, explosive player," Riley said. "He attacked and didn't play hesitant."
Following the opening-drive score, the Trojans continued playing fundamental football on both sides of the ball, dominating the first half and taking a 28-0 lead into the locker room.
USC, who entered Saturday as the only top 25 team playing in Week 0, controlled nearly every major statistical category through the first two quarters, holding advantages in first downs (19-6), total yards (312-102) and time of possession (20:14-9:46). The Trojans capitalized in the red zone, converting four of five trips into touchdowns. The offense also excelled on third down, converting nine of 13 attempts (69.2%).
The lone red-zone possession that failed to result in points came on USC's second drive, when Maiava was stopped short of the goal line on fourth-and-goal while looking for his second rushing touchdown in as many drives. San Jose State linebacker Ethan Powell made a terrific open-field tackle on Maiava to keep the quarterback out of the end zone.
On a blazing hot day in Los Angeles, USC used the opportunity to get players on the field in different in-game situations. With a strong performance by the starting offensive line, Maiava's time in the pocket allowed him to spread the ball around and complete throws to 10 different Trojans receivers.
Defensively, new coordinator Gary Patterson had his unit flying around for the first three quarters, allowing just three points while forcing four punts and a turnover on downs.
Defensive tackle Jide Abasiri led the charge up front with 2.5 tackles for loss. His biggest play came on fourth-and-1 from USC's 7-yard line, when he split a double-team and stuffed San Jose State running back Isaiah Carlson in the backfield to deny the Spartans a scoring opportunity.
However, the final quarter proved to be a different story. With many USC defensive starters out of the game, San Jose State put together three touchdown drives and converted multiple two-point attempts, trimming what had been a dominant USC performance into a two-possession final score. Riley noted Patterson's frustration with how the team finished the game.
"He's pissed about the fourth quarter, his standards are high," Riley said. "There's a burning desire to be great."
The junior defensive tackle shared his perspective on the fourth-quarter struggles.
"We let our foot off the gas," Abasiri said. "That's something we have to get better at next week."
Despite the late surge from San Jose State, the Trojans opened the season with a victory, giving Riley a perfect 10-0 record in season openers in his career as a head coach, dating back to his time at Oklahoma.
The win moved USC to 7-0 all-time against San Jose State and 12-2 in the month of August.
The Trojans will stay in Los Angeles and welcome the Fresno State Bulldogs for a Week 1 matchup Friday night.
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