PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Jayden Maiava threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns and King Miller ran for 102 yards and a TD to help No. 12 Southern California beat Rutgers 42-35 on Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
The Trojans (4-0) never trailed, building a 35-21 cushion with 5:52 left in the third quarter. Rutgers (0-3) closed to 35-28 in the quarter before the teams traded touchdowns in the fourth.
Trojans star freshman receiver Trent Mosley
sat out with a knee injury. Fellow freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt had five catches for 77 yards.
Running back Riley Wormley ran for a TD and caught a touchdown pass that put USC ahead 42-28 with 3:04 to play.
Dylan Lonergan passed for 272 yards and three TDs for Rutgers.
The Trojans need to shore up their defense if they intend to compete with high-powered offenses like Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana. Southern Cal gave up five plays of 20 yards or more against Rutgers. In three games, USC has allowed its opponents to score 10 of 13 times in the red zone.
Rutgers has held a lead in just 2:54 this season when it scored on its opening drive in a 37-21 loss to UMass in the first game and never led against Boston College and USC. Turnovers continue to be a major issue. The Scarlet Knights have a -7 turnover margin after Lonergan's two picks Saturday, including a 99-yard interception by Prophet Brown for a TD.
USC: Hosts Oregon on Sept. 26.
Rutgers: Hosts Howard on Sept. 25
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