USC Trojans start the 2023 Football season as they take on the San Jose State Spartans tonight at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With Trojans beginning the season ranked in the top 10, this game will be one of the two contests in Week 0 featuring a ranked team.
USC is 5-0 against SJSU in the all-time series, giving the latter another reason to win tonight.
Where to Watch USC Trojans vs San Jose State football today
- Venue: United Airlines Field at L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California.
- Date: Saturday, August 26
- Start Time: 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET
- TV: Pac-12 Networks
- Live Stream: FuboTV/ PremiumTV
You can watch this game live on PremiumTV (promotional offers) if you are out of Fubo trials, or simply prefer that platform and their pricing plans. You can also watch this match live on Pac-12 Live with your cable or satellite provider login information.
No.6 USC Football:
USC finished the 2022 season with 11-3 and is being taken as a legit playoff threat this season. A roster much improved than last year would be under sky-high expectations to perform.
Going to the game, USC is on 15 15-strong season-openers win streak at home and would like to extend that when they take on SJSU tonight.
Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams has joined the roster. Riley’s third Heisman-winning quarterback is the first to return for an encore campaign, and although he broke multiple individual records, Riley believes he still has much left to get to his full potential.
This season, new faces will be seen as part of USC’s rebuilt defensive front; Yogi Roth is the one to look for. Dominique Byrd showed glimpses of his potential last season, totaling four tackles against Stanford and Fresno State. However, the redshirt senior from Wyoming could only manage 3.5 during the rest of the season.
The loss of Pac-12 defensive player of the year Tuli Tuipulotu puts some pressure on transfers Anthony Lucas, Jamil Muhammad, and Bear Alexander to contain the Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State quarterback.
The former Rainbow Warriors star led the Mountain West in passing last year with 3,251 yards and 23 touchdowns while running for nine touchdowns, the most for a San Jose State quarterback in the modern era.
Going to the season-opener, two of the team’s three leading tacklers last year, Lee and Gentry, will be featuring tonight. Moreover, Curtis, a freshman who earned a Marvel-inspired nickname for his aggressive style of play, is set to start the proceedings tonight with senior captain Cobb, at inside linebacker, set to become the first true freshman to start season-opener in his position since Cameroon Smith in 2015.
With 12 games of 30+ points and ten rounds of 40 points, USC broke a school record last season. USC finished the previous season with 106th ranked defense, allowing 423.9 yards per game.
It was better on offense, where they ranked third-best with 506.6 yards per game and 335.4 passing yards. However, ranked 22nd-worst on defense (264.1 passing yards allowed per game).
Offensively, the Trojans were a top-25 unit last season, third-best in the FBSC, putting up 41.4 points per game, and were 93rd on defence (29.2 points allowed per game).
Last season, the Trojans ranked 53rd in run offense (171.1 rushing yards per game) and 80th in run defense (159.8 rushing yards allowed per game).
In terms of third-down efficiency, USC had the second-best offense last season. However, it ranked 22nd worst on defence (43.5% third-down percentage).
The Trojans had the best turnover margin in College football last season (+22), forcing 28 turnovers (fifth in the FBS) while turning it over six times (first in the FBS).
San Jose State
SJSU finished last season with 7-5 and had a solid defence throughout. However, only four starters are part of the roster from that unit. Below is a brief look at the Spartan’s 2022 stats:
In the 2022 season, SJSU finished 83rd in the FBS as they put up 367.9 yards per game on offense and allowed 339.9 yards per game (33rd) on the other side. They had 39 sacks as well, making them first in MWC and 7th nationwide.
Moreover, in terms of passing, they owned the 52nd-ranked defense this season (217.2 allowed per game), more effectively on offense, ranking 25th-best (271.8 passing yards per game).
In points scoring, the Spartans finished 72nd last season (27.4 points per game) and 30th in scoring defence (22 points allowed per game).
While the Spartans were ranked 29th in tun defence (122.8 rushing yards allowed per game), they were worse offensively, ranking 11th-worst (96.2 rushing yards per game).
Spartans were the 12th best in College Football last season with +10 turnover margins and 19 forced turnovers (51st in the FBS) against nine committed turnovers (3rd in the FBS).
Players to Watch:
San José State:
RB Kairee Robinson: The fifth-year tailback paced the Spartans for 752 yards and ten touchdowns last season. In the same season, Robinson had two 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 148 yards on 24 carries in the regular season finale against Hawaii.
USC:
WR Dorian Singer: The Trojans have added Singer from Arizona to give Williams a reliable option in the receiving corps. Last season, Singer had 66 receptions for 1105 yards and six touchdowns, with three against USC.
Injuries
USC:
Out: DL Solomon Tuliaupupu (knee injury)
San Jose State:
Doubtful: TE Jackson Canaan (undisclosed)
RB Jakob Galloway (undisclosed)
WR Justin Lockhart (arm)
