USC
1-0
Fresno State
0-1
Team Stats
FS 0, USC 7
USC - Carr, Stephen 8 yd pass from Daniels, JT (McGrath, Chase kick) 13 plays, 81 yards, TOP 4:26
FS 0, USC 14
USC - Carr, Stephen 14 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 5 plays, 47 yards, TOP 1:39
FS 3, USC 14
FS - SILVA, Cesar 45 yd field goal 9 plays, 48 yards, TOP 4:14
FS 3, USC 17
USC - McGrath, Chase 38 yd field goal 8 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:46
FS 10, USC 17
FS - GRIM, Derrion 34 yd pass from REYNA, Jorge (SILVA, Cesar kick) 4 plays, 47 yards, TOP 2:00
FS 13, USC 17
FS - SILVA, Cesar 46 yd field goal 4 plays, 8 yards, TOP 2:09
FS 13, USC 24
USC - Jones, Velus 100 yd kickoff return (McGrath, Chase kick)
FS 13, USC 31
USC - Malepeai, Vavae 2 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:35
FS 16, USC 31
FS - SILVA, Cesar 28 yd field goal 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:46
FS 23, USC 31
FS - COLEMAN, Chris 8 yd pass from REYNA, Jorge (SILVA, Cesar kick) 12 plays, 69 yards, TOP 4:03
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
USC Football Prevails Over Fresno State, 31-23
August 31, 2019 | Football, Features
Daniels passed for 215 yards before getting hurt on a blitz 27 seconds before halftime. Freshman backup Kedon Slovis passed for 57 yards in his debut for the Trojans (1-0).
Stephen Carr caught a TD pass and rushed for another score, while Malepeai scored a touchdown and grinded out plenty of tough yards in the second half. Tyler Vaughns had 11 catches for a career-high 150 yards for the Trojans, whose point total was hurt by two red-zone turnovers by Daniels before his injury.
USC still needed a strong defensive finish to hang on, and Isaiah Pola-Mao made an interception in the end zone with 1:45 to play.
First INT of @Isaiah_Pola_Mao's career and it's a clutch one!#FightOn | #BeatTheBulldogs pic.twitter.com/3XefgiMqe6
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 1, 2019
Jorge Reyna passed for 256 yards and ran for 88 more for the defending Mountain West champion Bulldogs (0-1), who had won 21 of their last 25 games under coach Jeff Tedford.
Fresno State trailed by 18 points entering the fourth quarter, but trimmed the deficit to 31-23 on Chris Coleman's 8-yard TD catch with 6:39 to play. USC then turned the ball over on downs at midfield, but Pola-Mao picked off Reyna's throw to the end zone before Malepeai and the Trojans ran out the clock.
Reyna, a Los Angeles-area native, went 19 for 39 while taking over for Marcus McMaryion. Reyna ran well, but glaringly missed a handful of key throws while Fresno State attempted to come back in the second half.
With big plays on defense and special teams, the Trojans hung on in the second half behind the 18-year-old Slovis. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native went 6 for 8, but threw an interception.
Jones broke free midway through the third quarter for his exceptional kickoff return, and Malepeai capped an 80-yard scoring drive with a TD run late in the third quarter.
Watch The Flash ⚡️#FightOn | @VelusJr pic.twitter.com/Z8y04WAdJF
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 1, 2019
USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell's highly anticipated offense had a fairly sharp start before Daniels' injury. USC racked up 308 total yards in the first half, but a few penalties and Daniels' two red zone turnovers limited the Trojans to 17 points: He threw a goal-line interception in the second quarter before losing a fumble while getting injured.
Daniels completed 13 of his 14 passes on the Trojans' first two drives, both ending in touchdowns by Carr. The junior tailback showed his enormous ability while turning a short pass into an 8-yard TD on the opening drive before rushing 14 yards for his second score on the second drive.
UP NEXT
USC opens Pac-12 play with a visit from No. 25 Stanford next Saturday.
Click Here to purchase tickets to the Trojans' second home game of the season.
