Clay Helton makes his return to Los Angeles as USC plays host to Georgia Southern in Week 2. The Trojans took care of business in Week 1, coming away with a decisive win. This has led to some bitterness, though, as USC football fans are livid after they were not included in the AP Top 25 poll. While this could be a blowout in Week 2, there are still some intriguing story lines and bold predictions to be made.
Georgia Southern comes into the game at 0-1 after being dominated by Fresno State. The Bulldogs took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, before quarterback J.C. French found Camden Brown for a touchdown before the second. The Eagles took the lead in the second quarter on another French touchdown pass, but Fresno State made it a one-point game on a field goal as time expired. The second half was a different story. The Georgia Southern offense came to a halt, as Fresno State dominated on the ground. They scored four times in the second half, all rushing touchdowns on the way to a 42-14 victory.
Meanwhile, USC faced one of the newest FBS schools, Missouri State. The Bears drove the field on the first drive, kicking a field goal to take the lead. From there, USC dominated. Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw two touchdown passes, both over 60 yards, and ran in a touchdown in the first half. The defense also came away with a pick-six as the Trojans led 42-10 at halftime. The Trojans went on to win the game 73-13.
USC dominates the first half
Lincoln Riley instituted changes at USC ahead of this season. Many of the changes surround a new routine for the Trojans, and the new routine paid off big in Week 1. With 73 points scored by the Trojans, it was the most they have scored in a game since defeating California 74-0 in 1930. Of those 73 points, 42 of them came in the first half of the game, as USC dominated early. The team scored touchdowns on all five possessions in the first half, plus had an interception returned to the house for another score. All five drives were longer than 64 yards, but none of them took over 4:50 off the clock.
This also includes a one-play 64-yard touchdown drive and a five-play 97-yard touchdown drive in just 1:10. Maiava was nearly perfect in the first half. Before being pulled at half-time, he completed 15 of 18 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, plus one on the ground.
The Georgia Southern defense is better than Missouri State's, so that could make things more difficult on this USC offense. According to SP+ provided by Bill Connelly of ESPN, Missouri State is last in the nation on defense, ranking 136th. Meanwhile, Georgia Southern is ranked 113th. However, Missouri State has only played USC so far, and that was a more challenging opponent than Fresno State.
This may mean the Eagles could force a punt in the first half or a couple of field goal attempts, but with the speed that USC was scoring in game one of the year, the team will get plenty of possessions. A pick-six also helped in the first half. French threw an interception for Georgia Southern in Week 1. He has also had accuracy issues in his career, meaning another defensive touchdown is not out of the question. This game will be over by halftime.
The Trojan pass rush continues to impress
French was not sacked in Week 1 of the season. The offensive line played well, with impressive play from both tackles. He is not going to be so lucky in Week 2. The Georgia Southern quarterback was sacked 27 times in 2024. Only once was he not sacked in a game, while he was sacked three or more times six different times. The USC front seven was great in Week 1. Braylan Shelby was a constant presence in the backfield. He has two sacks while also having 3.5 tackles for a loss. Meanwhile, Kennedy Urlacher and Kameryn Fountain both had sacks, as did Jide Basiri.
Fountain and Shelby both play defensive end. They will tie up the strong tackles on the Eagles' offensive line, giving way for others to make it to the backfield. One of those could be Urlacher, from his safety position, or one of the outside linebackers. Basiri is a defensive tackle. The interior of the offensive line allowed pressure against French in Week 1, but still held its own. Against the defensive tackles of USC, that will not happen. Expect French to be under contract pressure, which will lead to multiple sacks and interceptions.
Clay Helton attempts to exact some revenge
Helton was the coach at USC from 2015 to 2021, going 46-24, with a Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl victory. He was fired as the coach after the second game of the season in 2021, ultimately leading to the hire of Lincoln Riley. Since leaving USC, Helton has been with Georgia Southern, now coaching in his fourth season with the team. He has made bowl games each year, but also coaching in the Sun Belt, not a power conference.
Discipline on the field was an issue for Helton-coached teams at USC. While he has made a concerted effort to clean that up at Georgia Southern, they may return in this game. His team was penalized five times against Fresno State, including two personal fouls and one unsportsmanlike conduct. That could be a factor again this week.
Further, if Helton wants revenge, he may have a chance late in the game. In the Week 1 game against Missouri State, USC focused on developing depth, and many of the starters did not play in the second half. This may come to fruition again, but do not expect Helton to pull his starters. Helton historically has avoided that at Georgia Southern, and he could use the second half to try to find some points and keep it close against his former employer. Georgia Southern will play better in the second half after USC takes its foot off the gas, but the Trojans will still win and cover the spread.
