Waymond Jordan caps lengthy USC scoring drive
No. 21 USC 7, No. 23 Illinois 7, 1:23 left within the first quarter
USC began on its 25 after the touchback.
Waymond Jordan ran for 3 yards. Jayden Maiava handed to Jaden Richardson for six yards. Jordan ran for 9 yards after which six yards.
Maiava tossed an incomplete move to Richardson. On third-and-four on the USC 49, Maiava handed to Richardson for a 30-yard acquire.
Maiava tossed a display screen move to Eli Sanders for 10 yards, shifting the ball to the Illinois 21 earlier than an harm timeout as an Illini participant was handled on the sector.
Maiava handed towards Tanook Hines in the appropriate nook of the tip zone and Illinois was known as for move interference.
On first-and-goal on the Illinois 2, Jordan ran for one yard.
And a possession after this fumble, Jordan punched in a one-yard landing.
Ryon Sayeri hit the additional level to tie the sport.
Illinois scores after forcing turnover
No. 23 Illinois 7, No. 21 USC 0, 5:49 left within the first quarter
Illinois began on its 30 after the turnover.
USC is taking part in with out security Kamari Ramsey, who Fox reported was sick and throwing up at 2 a.m.
Kaden Feagin ran for 5 and 11 yards on back-to-back carries.
Luke Altmyer handed to Collin Dixon for six yards, Aiden Laughery ran ran for 3 yards and Altmyer tossed an incomplete move.
Altmyer handed to Feagin for 3 yards. Altmyer then handed to Hudson Clement for eight yards and USC was known as for a private foul penalty on the play, shifting the ball to the USC 19. Feagin ran for 3 yards after which for 4 yards. On third-and-three, Altmyer ran for a 12-yard landing.
USC was known as offsides on the additional level and the Illini try after the penalty was good.
USC fumbles on opening drive and Illinois recovers
No. 21 USC 0, No. 23 Illinois 0, 10:48 left within the first quarter
USC began on its 25 after a touchback.
Elijah Web page is out and the Trojans began Justin Tauanuu once more at left sort out.
Jayden Maiava ran a lack of two yards. Eli Sanders ran for six yards and Maiava handed to Makai Lemon for seven yards.
Maiava tossed two incomplete passes earlier than passing to Lemon for 9 yards. On fourth-and-one, Waymond Jordan ran the wildcat and gained 4 yards.
Maiava handed to Jordan for 11 yards. Jordan ran for seven yards.
Jordan ran for 3 yards earlier than fumbling. The ball bounced to the Illini’s Jaheim Clarke and he ran it to the Illinois 30.
USC receives opening kickoff
No. 21 USC 0, No. 23 Illinois 0, begin of first quarter
Illinois gained the coin toss and deferred.
‘I do know what I could be.’ How USC tailback Waymond Jordan went from nameless to a star
When he first began spreading the phrase about Waymond Jordan, Mike Bennett figured the movie would communicate for itself. The Escambia Excessive coach had been within the South Florida preps scene lengthy sufficient to know what he was seeing from his new working again.
“Simply watching him run the soccer for the primary time, he was wonderful,” Bennett mentioned. He figured scholarship presents would roll in quickly sufficient.
Jordan had related expectations. Since he first picked up soccer, at 4 years outdated, he’d at all times instructed himself that he’d play at an enormous college, on the most important stage. He’d come to Escambia as a senior with that in thoughts.
Lincoln Riley is deploying two tight ends repeatedly to energy run sport
Walker Lyons took his place within the slot and regarded proper. Lake McRee crouched on the other wing and regarded left. The 2 Trojan tight ends had spent all final Saturday night time shifting round USC’s formations — cut up out extensive, within the backfield, on the road of scrimmage — paving rush lanes and creating mismatches wherever they went.
Now it was third and quick, early within the third quarter of USC’s win over Michigan State, and the 2 of them had been on the sector collectively once more, forcing the Spartan protection to determine in a rush simply how Lincoln Riley deliberate to deploy them.
That unpredictability was exactly the purpose of the place. It’s why the tight finish has been a crucial tenet of his Riley’s offense since he began as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2015. No different place, Riley has come to consider, provides extra versatility to an offense.
Availability of USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane, Elijah Paige stays murky
As USC enters a crucial stretch of its convention slate, it’s unclear if it’ll have its star wideout or beginning left sort out able to play.
Junior wideout Ja’Kobi Lane did return to apply on Tuesday after sitting out last Saturday’s win over Michigan State with an higher physique harm he suffered the week earlier than. However junior offensive sort out Elijah Paige was not seen getting into or leaving USC’s apply area.
USC coach Lincoln Riley declined to supply an replace on Lane or Paige on Tuesday and as an alternative referred reporters to the Large Ten’s availability report, which is launched two hours earlier than kickoff each Saturday.
How Bishop Fitzgerald’s roots as a quarterback helped him turn out to be a prolific USC security
Bishop Fitzgerald stood contained in the 5-yard line at Ross-Ade Stadium, watching the eyes of Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne, ready for the appropriate second to pounce. It was a crucial third down Saturday, halfway by way of the fourth quarter, throughout a Large Ten highway sport.
USC Sports
USC celebrated an elusive Large Ten highway win over Purdue Saturday, highlighted by improved sport administration within the crucial fourth quarter.
Fortuitously, Fitzgerald knew precisely the place the play was headed. The USC senior security acknowledged it from movie clips he studied of Purdue’s crimson zone offense. He knew to not chunk on the play-action faux and that the receiver would, in a matter of seconds, lower throughout the middle of the sector on his route.
USC rewind: With Makai Lemon slicing and scoring, USC defeats Michigan State to stay unbeaten
Makai Lemon got here screaming throughout the middle of the sector, gliding previous one Michigan State defender, then one other, shifting as if the world round him had been in gradual movement.
USC’s prime receiver had presumably been a top-line focus of the Spartans’ sport plan — and much more so after fellow wideout Ja’Kobi Lane was dominated out Saturday with an harm. However right here was Lemon slicing his manner by way of Michigan State’s secondary as if nobody had bothered to inform him as a lot, sprinting free as a deep move soared in his course and hit him in excellent stride.
Most of Saturday night time’s 45-31 win over Michigan State felt that seamless for USC, which moved the ball with ease on offense, racking up 517 yards within the course of. However in a swirl of penalties and poor self-discipline from its protection, USC inexplicably discovered itself clinging to a one-score lead within the fourth quarter.
USC vs. Illinois: Lincoln Riley shares his expectations for quarterback Jayden Maiava
By 4 video games this season, Jayden Maiava has performed nearly all he may to dispel any lingering doubts about him as USC’s beginning quarterback.
Maiava is averaging 12.7 yards per move try this season, increased than another quarterback in faculty soccer. His completion proportion has risen greater than 11 factors since final season (to 70.8%). He has thrown 9 passing touchdowns, plus added 4 on the bottom, and has but to show the ball over after throwing 9 picks throughout the identical variety of begins in 2024.
Granted, through the Trojans’ 4-0 begin, Maiava has but to face a move protection that ranks inside the highest 100 in passing yards allowed per try. Nor has he or anybody on USC’s offense confronted a lot in the way in which of adversity. The Trojans have scored greater than 52 factors per sport and gained their first 4 by a mean margin of 32.
However the stage of competitors ratchets up this week. Every of USC’s subsequent three opponents are ranked within the prime 25, whereas three of its subsequent 4 video games come on the highway, starting Saturday with No. 23 Illinois, which was ranked within the prime 10 earlier than it was trounced by Indiana final weekend.
If USC has any hope of constructing the Faculty Soccer Playoff, it’ll want Maiava to show his quick begin in September wasn’t a fluke. USC coach Lincoln Riley doesn’t need Maiava to alter a lot from his first 4 weeks.
“Simply preserve doing what you’re doing,” Riley mentioned.
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