The eyes of Los Angeles were elsewhere, the city’s focus trained five miles up the 110 Freeway. The rest of the country, meanwhile, presumably had drifted off to sleep, unenthused by late-night football between two bottom-half Big Ten teams.
But after three weeks spent unraveling for all the world to see, USC returned to a sparsely-filled Coliseum Friday night with its confidence shaken and egos bruised amid a three-game slump, only to do some of its best work of the season during a 42-20 win over Rutgers.
Whether anyone actually was watching as USC stopped the bleeding from its brutal month spent crisscrossing the country was of little concern. Because for the first time since USC beat Wisconsin here a month ago, the Trojans looked the part of a team capable of competing in the Big Ten.
That ship almost certainly has sailed for the season following USC’s nightmare October, leaving the Trojans with few postseason options beyond a second-rate bowl game. But the version of the Trojans that showed up well after midnight Eastern time on Friday offered a glimpse of what so many expected from USC before the season.
The offense was electric, averaging more than 9.2 yards per play. Miller Moss hit several big plays in the passing game, with six completions of 18 yards or more. Woody Marks tallied three first-half touchdowns on the ground. A No. 1 receiver even seemed to emerge, as Makai Lemon continued his recent surge by putting together a career-best night with 134 yards and a touchdown.
USC’s defense even clamped down at a critical time, slamming the door on Rutgers in the second half. It still gave up more than 400 yards for the third week in a row, allowing the Scarlet Knights to keep it close into the third quarter.
But the Trojans proved too powerful in the second half. With Rutgers still hanging within a score, Moss hit Lemon for a 70-yard gain down the field. The quarterback ran it in himself for a touchdown two plays later.
The pair put it away shortly after that, as Moss found Lemon sprinting free downfield and hit him for a 40-yard touchdown.
USC’s offense hummed from the start. Four consecutive plays went for first downs on the Trojans’ first drive before Marks capped it with a one-yard touchdown run.
Rutgers got its own rushing attack working early behind Kyle Monangai, the Big Ten’s second-leading rusher. He carried the ball on seven of Rutgers’ first eight plays, piling up 50 yards during the Scarlet Knights’ first drive alone.
But in spite of Monangai’s best efforts, the Scarlet Knights managed just a field goal on their opening drive. And that wasn’t enough to keep up with USC.
The Trojans didn’t wait long to make that clear. Lemon caught the ensuing kickoff at the goal line, then cut suddenly upfield, shaking two Rutgers defenders. With only green grass in front of him, Lemon ran for 80 yards before he was caught. Marks punched it in again soon after, his second first-quarter touchdown.
Rutgers continued to move the ball against USC’s defense, running significantly more plays (45 to 27) and hogging possession for most of the half. But when the Trojans had the ball, they had no trouble flying up and down the field.
Moss picked apart Rutgers’ defense in the first half, completing 14 of his first 16 passes, including a touchdown to Kyle Ford, while Marks ran free on the ground, punching in three touchdowns. All four of USC’s first-half drives ended in touchdowns, as Rutgers managed to force the Trojans into third downs only twice before halftime.
Still, as USC’s defense struggled to get off the field, it gave Rutgers a chance to break back into the game just before the half. Two pass interference penalties from USC thrust Rutgers to the doorstep of the goal line with a chance to cut the Trojans’ commanding lead to just 12.
But USC cornerback Prophet Brown dove to break up the first-down pass. Pressure from linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold forced an incompletion on second down. And on third, DeCarlos Nicholson, another of USC’s backup corners, broke up a fade.
Rutgers ultimately settled for another field goal. And with USC in desperate need of a get-right night, that just wasn’t enough to slow its momentum.