No. 12 USC Holds Off Rutgers 42-35
13 sourcesUpdated Sep 20, 2026
Prophet Brown returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, halting a potential Rutgers go-ahead drive, as No. 12 USC held off the Scarlet Knights 42-35 in the Big Ten opener. USC moved to 4-0; Rutgers fell to 0-3. Jayden Maiava passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns, King Miller rushed for 102 yards and a score, and Riley Wormley added a rushing and receiving touchdown. Dylan Lonergan threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. USC's defense allowed 460 yards and touchdowns on five Rutgers scoring opportunities. Trent Mosley missed the game with a knee injury. An inadvertent whistle wiped out a Maiava third-down completion. Rutgers penalties on third-and-two and fourth-and-two extended that drive; Maiava then hit Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for 32 yards and scrambled 12 yards late in the third quarter. Left-rated outlets led with Maiava's yardage and the pick-six. Right-rated outlets stressed holding on against a winless foe and a defense that still gave up big yardage. The record shows no dispute on the score or core statistics.
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Rutgers showed real fight in their first Big Ten game and should build on this effort.
USC's defense looked shaky against Rutgers and needs big fixes before Oregon comes to town.
