A former Pac-12 Conference member hosts a newcomer to the revamped Pac-12 on Friday when 14th-ranked Southern California welcomes Fresno State to Los Angeles.
The Trojans (1-0) opened their third season of Big Ten Conference membership on Saturday with a 42-26 win over San Jose State. The game, played amid near triple-digit temperatures and before a sparse crowd at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, was much more lopsided than the final score indicates.
USC led 28-0 at halftime and 35-3 through three quarters. Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava produced 286 yards on 25-of-29 passing with two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground in effectively 45 minutes.
“Everybody knows Jayden, when you talk about being a Heisman candidate and one of the best players in the country coming back at that position,” Fresno State coach Matt Entz said during his appearance on CBS47 Fresno’s Ultimate Insider program.
Maiava took over as USC’s starter midway through the 2024 season, overlapping with Entz’s time as a Trojans assistant. Entz oversaw linebackers for USC after a tenure as head coach of North Dakota State, where his teams won Football Championship Subdivision national titles in 2019 and 2021.
Entz returned to the head-coaching ranks last season, leading Fresno State to a 9-4 mark. The Bulldogs boasted one of the nation’s stingiest scoring defenses, holding opponents to 18.8 points per game in 2025.
“They had one of the best pass defenses in the country last year,” Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said on the Trojans Live show on Monday, citing Fresno State’s 153.8-yard-per-game allowance through the air. Only Ohio State (129.7) was stingier against the pass in 2025.
“They did a good job eliminating explosive plays (and) yards after the catch,” Riley added.
The Bulldogs’ defense returns some key playmakers, including lineman Jahzon Jacks — who led the nation with four fumble recoveries last year — and linebacker K’vion Thunderbird.
Despite some offseason turnover, USC looks to once again boast plenty of offensive firepower with some new contributors in the fold.
Maiava’s top target on Saturday was freshman Trent Mosley, who debuted with seven receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. Riley praised Mosley — a Chicago native who played prep football at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Southern California — for being assertive in his first appearance.
Fresno State plays its first competitive snaps of the campaign in the Friday contest, and the Bulldogs do so for the first time under the banner of the Pac-12. Fresno State exited the Mountain West Conference alongside Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Utah State, and joins former Sun Belt member Texas State and holdovers Oregon State and Washington State in the restructured league.
Bulldogs junior quarterback Jayden Mandal was announced as the Week 1 starter on Monday. A local product out of Clovis, Calif., Mandal attempted nine passes in 2024, making one start. He missed the 2025 season due to arm and shoulder injuries.
Referring to the battle between Mandal and Maryland transfer Khristian Martin for the No. 1 slot, Entz said, “We kept metrics on everything during the course of fall camp. When I break it down, timing and accuracy were probably the two biggest things that stood out, and then ball security was another one.
“We want to minimize poor decision-making, we want to minimize turnovers, we want to minimize extra possessions by our opponents, and then there were some intangible things as well. Both quarterbacks have shown to be really tremendous leaders. Both of them have the ear of the football team, command of the huddle.”
