The No. 14 USC Trojans got off to a good start to their 2026 college football campaign with a dominant victory over the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.
However, the 42-26 win could have been so much better for the Trojans.
Lincoln Riley was happy his team managed to avoid an upset loss right out of the gate, but he was not amused by the Trojans’ showing, particularly in the fourth quarter, where the head coach felt USC took its foot off the gas.
“First three quarters, a lot of really good football out there,” the 42-year-old Riley said after the game, via Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times. “Fourth quarter, not up to our standards.”
The Trojans held San Jose State to only three points through the first three quarters, while coming up with 35 of their own. But Riley’s squad looked disjointed and lost its rhythm once the backups replaced several starters in the fourth period. San Jose State made the final score appear so much more respectable by outscoring the Trojans in the final quarter, 23-7.
Nevertheless, USC got its first win and will eye a 2-0 start to the season when they play another non-conference matchup on Sept. 4 against the Fresno State Bulldogs, still at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
