USC
3-0AP #12Big Ten · Lincoln Riley, year 5 (38-18) · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum · 77,500 · 54,725 avg in 2026
LastW 49–30 vs Louisiana · Sat Sep 12 · Jayden Maiava 261 pass yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Nextat Rutgers · Sat Sep 19 · 3:30 pm ET · SHI Stadium · USC by 24.5 · series 1-0 · Game preview
Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2
All 91 stats
FBS rankings · 2026 season · all stats vs 136 FBS programs
| Player | # | G | Cmp/Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | INT | Rate | ZPR | QBR | Adj ANY/A | Sack% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket Passer · +0.82 EPA/play | 14 | 3 | 67 / 83 | 80.7 | 896 #1 FBS | 10.8 | 10 #1 FBS | 1 | 208.8 | 86 | 94 | 12.4 | 1.2 | |
Yards by week → Pocket PasserBalanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile. National Player-of-the-Year finalist — invited to the closing-night ceremony — trending, not yet confirmed. 7 of 13 QBs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt Yards / attempt10.9 99th percentile · FBS QBs, min. 80 attempts Completion %81.0% 99th percentile · FBS QBs, min. 80 attempts Trait fingerprint Plays like View Jayden Maiava's full player page | ||||||||||||||
| +0.70 EPA/play | 15 | 3 | 12 / 14 | 85.7 | 126 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 147.0 | — | 67.2 | — | — | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||||||||
| Player | # | G | Car | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Stuff% | 10+% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workhorse · +0.37 EPA/play | 8 | 3 | 48 | 236 #11 FBS | 4.9 | 2 #43 FBS | 29 | — | — | |
Yards by week → WorkhorseBuilt to take 20+ carries per game. Volume is the value. Watch-list name — on at least one major award watch list, no hardware yet — trending, not yet confirmed. 5 of 15 RBs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt Weight225 lb 92th percentile · FBS RBs, min. 40 carries Receiving share4.0% bottom 15th percentile · FBS RBs, min. 40 carries Plays like View King Miller's full player page | ||||||||||
| +0.11 EPA/play | 2 | 3 | 29 | 162 #51 FBS | 5.6 | 1 | 16 | — | — | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||||
| Player | # | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Threat · +1.34 EPA/play | 4 | 3 | 13 | 255 #8 FBS | 19.6 | 4 #5 FBS | 68 | |
Yards by week → Deep ThreatStretches the field vertically. Every snap is a potential big play. Watch-list name — on at least one major award watch list, no hardware yet — trending, not yet confirmed. This week's matchup — WR Mosley beats you over the top. Stewart is the one who moves the chains on third down. Season receipt Yards / reception19.9 94th percentile · FBS WRs, min. 12 receptions TD rate30.8% 99th percentile · FBS WRs, min. 12 receptions Trait fingerprint Plays like View Trent Mosley's full player page | ||||||||
| Possession Receiver · +1.20 EPA/play | 17 | 3 | 13 | 181 #36 FBS | 13.9 | 2 #24 FBS | 31 | |
Yards by week → Possession ReceiverReliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive. This week's matchup — WR Dixon-Wyatt moves the chains on third down. Stewart is the one who moves the chains on third down. Season receipt Yards / reception14.1 57th percentile · FBS WRs, min. 12 receptions EPA / play (adj)1.2 91th percentile · FBS WRs, min. 12 receptions Trait fingerprint Plays like View Kayden Dixon-Wyatt's full player page | ||||||||
| Complete TE · +1.46 EPA/play | 19 | 3 | 12 | 128 | 10.7 | 2 #24 FBS | 35 | |
Yards by week → Complete TENo single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike. 17 of 21 TEs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt Yards / reception11.0 bottom 41th percentile · FBS TEs, min. 8 receptions EPA / play (adj)1.5 95th percentile · FBS TEs, min. 8 receptions Trait fingerprint Plays like View Mark Bowman's full player page | ||||||||
| +1.12 EPA/play | — | 3 | 7 | 116 | 16.6 | 1 | 44 | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||
| +0.36 EPA/play | 10 | 3 | 8 | 106 | 13.2 | 0 | 34 | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||
| +0.82 EPA/play | 85 | 2 | 5 | 72 | 14.4 | 0 | 27 | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||
| Player | # | G | Tot | Solo | TFL | Sack | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versatile End | 94 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
Versatile EndNo single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board. 9 of 12 EDGEs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt TFL rate13.6% bottom 31th percentile · FBS EDGE, min. 10 tackles Plays like View Luke Wafle's full player page | |||||||
| 3-Tech Penetrator | 97 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 3.5 #17 FBS | 1 | 1 |
3-Tech PenetratorDisruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield. 8 of 27 IDLs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt TFL rate35.0% 91th percentile · FBS interior linemen, min. 10 tackles Plays like View Jide Abasiri's full player page | |||||||
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 88 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 95 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 #26 FBS | 0 | |
| Player | # | G | Tot | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sack | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | # | G | Tot | PD | INT | TFL | Sack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 7 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 1 | |
| — | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 21 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | # | G | No | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +2.28 EPA/play | 6 | 2 | 6 | 108 | 18 | 0 | 26 |
| Player | # | G | No | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Threat · +1.34 EPA/play | 4 | 3 | 5 | 158 | 31.6 | 1 | 86 |
2026 stat leaders · USC
through 3 games
2026 stat leaders · USCJayden Maiava leads USC with 896 passing yards through 3 games.
How They Play · 2026USC fields an elite methodical, ball-control offense behind a strong, gives up the big play defense.
Percentile vs all FBS, based on this season's per-game production. Bar = where this team ranks — right is better.
USC reads strongest in epa / play (top 5%) and success rate (top 5%); the crux lives in passing epa allowed, where USC sits at the 5th percentile.
offense · strengths lead
defense · higher bar = harder to play against
hidden math · special situations
Home-field advantage · USC · 2018–present · FBS opponents
USC is worth +6.0 points more at home than on the road.
Top third of FBS, 81st percentile of 133 programs
71% at home, 50% away against FBS opponents since 2018 (37–15 home, 20–20 away). Interval ±3.4.
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge — per-team modelling was tested and did not survive scrutiny (why) — and the books use about 3. Against the closing line, USC has beaten the number by 6.3 points more at home than away over 74 games — outside the ±4.9 that many games can resolve. This is one of the few buildings where the results say something the flat number does not.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum seats 77,500 and has averaged 85% full (66,050, 29 games reported). Visitors cover a median 585 miles to get here since 2018 — 30th-longest of 135 FBS venues, inside the ordinary range. For the home side it is genuinely home ground: 42% of the 2026 roster (52 of 123 located players) grew up inside 100 miles of the stadium.
Edge = half the gap between average home margin and average road margin, FBS opponents only, non-neutral games since 2018; the interval is 95%. Market line: closing spread, seasons with lines on file. Trip length is straight-line miles from the visiting team's campus to the venue, measured across all 52 home games since 2018.
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Position battles
Positional competition · RB room
The carries are split. The job isn’t.
King Miller and Waymond Jordan split the carries (48/78 vs 30/78) -- but the job isn't split the same way. Waymond Jordan produces in bigger chunks.
Scheme claims
Standard downs vs. passing downs
Does USC hold up once the down-and-distance turns against them?
97th percentile success on standard downs, 99th on passing downs — little dropoff between the two — a schedule-independent identity.
View all FBS teams as a table
| Team | Standard-downs percentile | Passing-downs percentile |
|---|---|---|
| App State | 44th | 90th |
| Arizona | 92nd | 86th |
| Arkansas | 60th | 80th |
| Auburn | 75th | 55th |
| Ball State | 12th | 24th |
| Baylor | 40th | 96th |
| Boise State | 58th | 46th |
| Boston College | 27th | 56th |
| Buffalo | 7th | 14th |
| California | 9th | 25th |
| Central Michigan | 16th | 6th |
| Charlotte | 73rd | 83rd |
| Clemson | 1st | 19th |
| Coastal Carolina | 61st | 52nd |
| Colorado | 35th | 77th |
| Colorado State | 82nd | 91st |
| Delaware | 70th | 31st |
| Duke | 20th | 29th |
| Eastern Michigan | 52nd | 10th |
| Florida Atlantic | 43rd | 87th |
| Florida International | 46th | 43rd |
| Florida State | 28th | 65th |
| Georgia Southern | 24th | 45th |
| Georgia Tech | 58th | 44th |
| Hawai'i | 18th | 41st |
| Iowa State | 4th | 23rd |
| Jacksonville State | 65th | 82nd |
| Kansas | 70th | 35th |
| LSU | 33rd | 98th |
| Liberty | 14th | 59th |
| Louisiana | 19th | 92nd |
| Louisville | 96th | 70th |
| Memphis | 69th | 65th |
| Michigan | 2nd | 62nd |
| Michigan State | 62nd | 29th |
| Middle Tennessee | 87th | 68th |
| Missouri | 36th | 85th |
| Navy | 98th | 59th |
| Nevada | 77th | 52nd |
| New Mexico State | 45th | 75th |
| Norfolk State | 16th | 9th |
| North Dakota State | 86th | 27th |
| North Texas | 49th | 68th |
| Ohio | 38th | 17th |
| Ohio State | 90th | 40th |
| Oklahoma State | 41st | 49th |
| Ole Miss | 94th | 50th |
| Oregon | 35th | 33rd |
| Oregon State | 10th | 38th |
| Pittsburgh | 30th | 76th |
| Purdue | 83rd | 88th |
| Rutgers | 30th | 71st |
| Sacramento State | 23rd | 14th |
| Sam Houston | 78th | 61st |
| San Diego State | 4th | 40th |
| San José State | 54th | 22nd |
| South Alabama | 50th | 73rd |
| South Florida | 91st | 52nd |
| Stanford | 76th | 15th |
| Syracuse | 48th | 64th |
| TCU | 93rd | 8th |
| Tennessee | 65th | 78th |
| Texas | 72nd | 94th |
| Texas A&M | 85th | 72nd |
| Texas Tech | 88th | 48th |
| Troy | 22nd | 59th |
| Tulane | 31st | 2nd |
| Tulsa | 56th | 1st |
| UAB | 65th | 81st |
| UNLV | 51st | 7th |
| USC | 97th | 99th |
| UTSA | 99th | 29th |
| Utah State | 4th | 93rd |
| Vanderbilt | 80th | 12th |
| Wake Forest | 56th | 97th |
| Washington | 81st | 4th |
| Washington State | 8th | 3rd |
| Western Kentucky | 25th | 34th |
| Western Michigan | 39th | 20th |
| Wisconsin | 13th | 18th |
| Wyoming | 65th | 36th |
Tendency drift
Season by season
How USC’s current staff calls plays, year over year
Pass defense by zone
Pass-depth identity
What this team throws, and gives up, by depth.
On short throws (≤19 air yards), USC’s passing game completes a completion rate above the FBS mean (75.5% vs 68.3% league-wide, shrunk toward the mean for its 88-play sample) — most aggressive underneath, 40 of 41 qualifying offenses.
On short throws (≤19 air yards), USC’s defense allows a completion rate above the FBS mean (65.8% vs 65.2% league-wide, shrunk toward the mean for its 61-play sample) — mid-pack, 12 of 18 qualifying defenses.
We won’t show a deep-ball (20+ air yards) leaderboard here, on either side of the ball: even a full season of charted plays gives most teams well under 30 deep attempts — too thin to tell a real tendency from noise, so we won’t guess. Same refusal for yards-after-catch allowed and where a team’s attempts land by zone: both measured and both came back statistically indistinguishable from season-to-season noise.
Havoc & trenches
Havoc & trenches
Disruption, run-blocking, and down-and-distance efficiency.
Ratings
Comparable teams
Most similar programs · USC
Most similar programs · USCReads like
Matched on how the programs are built — tier, prestige band, kind of fanbase, conference, voice and roster size — not on this season's stats. A calibration, not a prediction.
Conditions
72°F average kickoff temp; 3% of games had measurable precipitation; 9 mph average wind.
Based on 78 home games with weather data.