Rutgers Football vs No. 12 USC 2026 Preview

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After suffering back-to-back losses to teams from Massachusetts, Rutgers heads back home to face one of the best teams they will play all season, as No. 12 USC comes to Piscataway for a Saturday matchup that will be broadcast live on CBS. The Trojans are currently a 23.5-point favorite according to FanDuel as of the release of this article.

This game has the potential to get ugly quickly. USC’s offense has put up at least 39 points in all three of its games so far. While those games were against group of six schools, Rutgers defense has done little to prove that they are much better over the past few games.

Trojan’s quarterback Jayden Maiava is already at 896 passing yards this year, throwing 10 touchdowns and one interception. While he is not a run-first quarterback, Maiava has the ability to escape the pocket, something that has given the Knights fits in their first two games.

Starting USC running back King Miller has run the ball 48 times for 236 yards and two touchdowns. The Trojans’ stacked wide receiver room will be a tall task for Rutgers secondary to guard, as Trent Mosley, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Mark Bowman, Corey Sims, and Zacharyus Williams all have over 100 receiving yards on the season already. Mosley had four touchdowns on the year as well.

While USC’s defense is good, it is the weaker unit of the two. While they shut out Fresno State, San Jose State and Louisiana have both scored 26 and 30 points, respectively.

The Trojans’ pass rush could pose some problems for Rutgers, as they have struggled to keep pressure off their quarterbacks’ faces in the first two games. So far, USC has recorded seven total sacks across all three games. Their leading tackler so far this season is linebacker Deven Bryant, who has recorded 12 tackles this year so far.

While Rutgers might be able to get on the scoreboard this game, the Knights’ miscues on that side of the ball over the first two games, from both quarterbacks who could start this game, do not inspire confidence that they will be able to keep pace with USC’s offense. On the flip side, USC’s offense against Rutgers’ defense seems like a complete mismatch. While that unit did show some improvement in the second half against the Eagles, the lack of power-four experience across the defense means that this could be another rude wake-up call for an already struggling unit. The Knights have put a lot of stock into recruiting speed on the back end of the defense, in both high school and the transfer portal. That is going to be put to the test as the Knights try to keep the game as respectable as possible.

Rutgers vs USC will kick off at 3:30 inside SHI Stadium on Saturday, September 19. Live coverage for the game will be available on CBS.

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