The Michigan State Spartans get on the road for the first time in 2025, and it is about as far away from the East Lansing campus as you can get. And to make matters worse, not only is MSU travelling across three time zones, but the kickoff time for this game is going to be at 8 PM PT, meaning for the Spartans, it will feel like 11 PM when the game starts, and after 2 in the morning when it ends. Hopefully the bars in East Lansing are willing to break curfew laws for this one.
The USC Trojans are also
3-0 on the season, and they are ranked #25 in the latest AP Poll. Their wins were blowouts against Missouri State and Georgia Southern, and then a 33-17 win at Purdue last weekend. I am going to look at that last game the most in analyzing this opponent. For the season, however, USC has the nation’s top offense thus far. They are gaining 604 yards per game, more than anyone, and are putting up 55.0 PPG, second to only Texas Tech’s 58.0. Their offensive attack is balanced. They are throwing for 364 yards per game and rushing for 240.
Leading the Trojans in quarterback Jayden Maiava. The junior from Hawaii has already thrown for 989 yards and 6 TDs. He has zero interceptions. Maiava is very much a pocket passer who is not looking to run with it, evidenced by his 24 yards rushing. He has run it in for a pair of touchdowns, though.
Speaking of running, USC has a three-headed dog in the RB room. Waymond Jordan, Eli Sanders, and King Miller are all averaging over 7 yards per carry. Each of them has also contributed multiple touchdowns. Jordan, a JUCO transfer this past offseason, has been getting the most carries.
Like their running back stable, USC also has a clear top three among their receivers. Makai Lemon (311 yards, 2 TDs) and Ja’Kobi Lane (239 yards, 1 TD) are the wideouts, and Lake McRee (173 yards, 1 TD) is the tight end. All three of them have hauled in a pass of at least 55 yards in 2025. Lemon is averaging 19.4 yards per catch. Lane and McRee, as well as three other receivers down the depth chart, are averaging over 20 YPC.
On defense, the Trojans are a turnover machine. The USC defenders have already intercepted 6 passes. And it has not just been their secondary getting picks; two of those INTs were by defensive linemen, and one of those was returned for a score. On the back end, safety Bishop Fitzgerald has three of the team’s interceptions. He has also brought one of them back to the house. As a team, they have also forced 3 fumbles, though they have only recovered one of them.
In terms of yards allowed, the Trojans are giving up 233 in the air and 86.3 on the ground, for a total of 319.3 per game. Considering that two of their opponents so far were Group of 5 schools, that statistic is not the most inspiring if you are a USC fan. Among Big Ten schools, that ranks 14th of 18. MSU is a couple notches down in 16th with 337.7 yards allowed, but that is skewed a bit by the extra 50 yards that Boston College gained in two overtimes.
On special teams, USC has not had to rely on their punter much. Sam Johnson only has three punts on the season, none of which came against Purdue. He only averages 43 yards on those efforts; our Ryan Eckley averages 52. Their place kicker has been nearly perfect. Ryon Sayeri is 19 for 19 on XPs and 6 for 7 on his field goals. His singular miss was a 37-yarder in the Purdue game.
Now let’s get into that Purdue game a little deeper, the USC 33-17 victory. Here are the highlights of that game.
While the game was decided by 14 points, Purdue had their chances to make it a much closer game. Bishop Fitzgerald, the safety mentioned above, had two interceptions in the red zone, one at the 2-yard line and one in the end zone. The Trojans other pick that game was a batted ball that was snagged by a defensive lineman and returned for six. That play started at the USC 20. So Purdue was able to move the ball on this USC team. The Boilermakers ended up with 357 yards, 305 which came in the air.
There are some other stats from this game which should inspire some faith among the Green & White. USC was only 4-13 on 3rd down plays, though they were a perfect 4-4 on 4th. Also, the Trojans were guilty of quite a few infractions, drawing 9 flags for 103 yards. Doing the math, there must have been a few of the 15-yard variety in there. USC’s 241 penalty yards on the season is 2nd most in the Big Ten this year.
Also notable is the fact that Purdue forced USC into 5 field goal attempts. Or, in other words, the Trojans were not finishing drives in the end zone. This is where this game will be won or lost. If, and potentially a big if, MSU can employ a bend-but-don’t-break defense and limit the Trojans to three-pointers, that will allow MSU to have a puncher’s chance. Like USC, MSU has some big play potential on offense. That, of course, will be influenced by what happens with some of these injuries. As of this writing, WR Nick Marsh and RB Makhi Frazier are still uncertain. Also, it looks like OG Luka Vincic is done for the year. And our return specialist Alante Brown could be out a while, as well.
We discussed that USC has been good at causing turnovers, particularly in the air. But Aidan Chiles has been displaying improved ball security this year; that interception last week was a fluke. If that continues to be the case as we step up in competition and if MSU can sustain drives, while at the same time, keeping USC out of the end zone, we could have an upset on our hands.
Or, perhaps, the circadian rhythms of the MSU players could all be thrown out of whack by this absurd starting time, and the Trojans avenge their loss in Greek mythology’s greatest war. For those of you who are not staying up past your bedtimes for this, the good news is that we have Mike Homes on the west coast to stay up late for us and provide coverage.
