LOS ANGELES — Even without its only returning starting receiver from last season, the Trojans were in good hands with true freshman Trent Mosley during Saturday’s 42-26 win over San José State.
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His 118 receiving yards on seven catches made him the first USC freshman to record over 100 receiving yards in a college debut since Juju Smith-Schuster did so in 2014.
“He does what he does in practice,” head coach Lincoln Riley told reporters after the game. “I don’t think anybody here is very surprised. He’s a consistent player and explosive player.”
Receiver Tanook Hines did not play on Saturday and was on the sideline wearing his jersey and sweatpants, high-fiving his teammates during warm-ups. Riley said in the week leading up to the game that Hines would be a game-time decision.
Other notable players who did not participate in the game were defensive end Braylan Shelby, defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart and receiver Terrell Anderson.
Without Anderson, a junior NC State transfer, USC deployed multiple underclassmen at receiver in addition to Mosley, who prepped at Santa Margarita.
Sophomore Corey Simms was the third-leading receiver in the game with four catches for 42 yards, and freshman Sierra Canyon product Tron Baker was second-leading with four catches for 45 yards. Mater Dei alumnus Kayden Dixon-Wyatt collected 36 yards on four receptions.
“We put in the work all offseason,” quarterback Jayden Maiava said after the game. “Had a lot of really good reps, really good camp for those guys. And I think we put it on display today.”
Permanent captains
USC has elected offensive linemen Tobias Raymond and Kilian O’Connor, defensive linemen Alex VanSumeren and quarterback Jayden Maiava as its captains for the entire season.
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Last season, the Trojans rotated captains on a weekly basis.
O’Connor, a redshirt senior, will not play this season due to a knee injury sustained during fall training camp, and his status as captain highlights what he’s meant to the team.
“If he decides to do it, he’d certainly be a hell of a coach,” Riley said during fall camp. “There’s no question about that.
“We are in the process of tailoring a pretty specific role for him for this team now because he’s certainly still absolutely one of the leaders on this team and a big presence within the program.”
O’Connor was on the field with his teammates during warm-ups, doing everything he could on crutches from offering encouragement to adjusting helmets. He was also at the 50-yard line for the coin toss and was the player who communicated with officials.
Progressive logo added to field
USC has added another advertisement to United Airlines Field at the Coliseum this season. The Progressive Insurance logo is now on all four corners of the sidelines, next to the iTrustCapital logo.
Prior to the season, Progressive announced a field logo sponsorship for 13 schools — Boise State, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, SMU, Syracuse, Texas Tech, USC and Wake Forest.
It’s expected to be a multiyear agreement, according to reports.
USC’s placement of the logo is more subtle compared to other schools. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Ole Miss features Progressive branding near the hash marks, and Boise State has it below the mascot painted at the 50-yard line inside Albertsons Stadium.