USC
Northwestern
No. 20 USC Football Hosts Northwestern For Friday Night Lights On FOX
November 04, 2025 | Football
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
*After a late road game, USC has a quick turnaround as the Trojans host the Northwestern Wildcats in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Friday night at 6 p.m. PT.
*The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
*This is just the third time Northwestern has visited the Coliseum with the last two times being in 1952 and 1969.
*USC has won 11 national championships, Northwestern 0.
*USC has appeared in an unprecedented 33 Rose Bowls where it has a 25-8 mark (.758) (not including 1 appearance and 1 loss later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 34 Rose Bowls, 25-9, .735). That is not only the most Rose Bowl wins of any team, but also the most wins by a school in a single bowl. Northwestern has been in the Rose Bowl 2 times and is 1-1 (with the 1996 loss coming from USC).
*USC has 56 bowl appearances with a 36-20 record and a .643 winning percentage – the nation's sixth-highest among the 105 schools that have made at least 10 bowl appearances (not including 1 win and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record 37-21, .638). Northwestern has made 17 bowls with a 7-10 record (.412).
*The Trojans claim 177 All-American first teamers, while the Wildcats have 42.
*USC has 888 all-time wins with a .694 winning percentage, while Northwestern boasts 577 all-time wins with a .449 winning percentage. (Not including USC's 14 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 902, .697.)
LINCOLN CONQUERS LINCOLN
*No. 23 USC defeated Nebraska 21-17 on Saturday, Nov. 1 in a hostile road environment in Lincoln, Neb.
*After a slow start, the Trojans decided that this game is going to be a physical fistfight and only one team was going to come out victorious.
*Even after being down 6-14, the Trojans did not give up. They displayed the mental and physical toughness to fight their way to a victory.
*USC is No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Ten in total offense (505.9).
*USC leads the Big Ten in passing offense (302.3) and passing yards per completion (14.48).
*USC has put itself in a great position to control its own destiny and has everything to play for
MOBILE MAIAVA MAGIC
*In 2025, USC QB Jayden Maiava has continued to thrive in USC's dominant offense and showcase his talents as one of the nation's top quarterbacks.
*Maiava was 9-of-23 (.391) for 135 yards against the Cornhuskers.
*After throwing an INT, Maiava switched course to showcase his abilities as a dual-threat and was aggressive with his legs.
*He totaled 62 rushing yards on 11 attempts (5.64 avg.) and scored a TD.
*Maiava was clutch in the winning moments of the game.
*Some of Maiava's highlights of the game included Maiava beat a blitz in the third quarter and tossed a 29-yard ball to WR Tanook Hines. Then Maiava called his own number, rushed twice, each for 16-yards, and scored on the second one. USC executed a successful two-point conversion with RB King Miller rushing into the end zone to tie up the game at 14-14.
*Another big moment of the game that sucked all of the air out of Memorial Stadium was when Maiava threw a 43-yard flea flicker to WR Jaden Richardson to set up the score. It was the first pass completion of 40+ yards Nebraska had allowed all season.
*Among all Power 4 QBs, Maiava recorded the fourth best run grade (75.5) per PFF in week 10.
*Maiava leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game (289.4) and passing yards per completion (15.03).
*Maiava is No. 2 in the nation in QBR at 90.3.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT MAIAVA
*Matt Leinart, USC Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst - "Keep an eye on Jayden Maiava and the Heisman race. It's early but bookmark this…."
*Robert Griffin III, Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst - "When you have a quarterback like Jayden Maiava who is a dual threat, you always have to pay attention. Don't go to sleep, otherwise his feet will eat!"
*Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Analyst -"USC QB Jayden Maiava is cooking! He just keeps getting better and better. Lincoln Riley knows how to develop QBs."
*Connor Rogers, NBC Sports - "Jayden Maiava has put so many great touch throws on tape this season."
KING TAKES THE THRONE
*After stepping into the starting running back role, RB King Miller continues to make national headlines as America's top walk-on.
*Miller led the Trojans with 129 rushing yards on 18 carries (7.2 avg.), 1 TD and a successful 2-point conversion.
*This was Miller's second 100+ yard rushing game of the season (with the other beinng vs. Michigan for 158 yards).
*He gained 82 yards on just 9 carries in the first half. Additionally, had 4 runs of 10+ yards in the first half.
*Among RB's with 40+ attempts, Miller is No. 2 in the Power Four in yards after contact per attempt (5.20).
*He's tied for the 8th longest run in the Power Four with his 75-yarder earlier this season.
*In Week 10, Miller recorded the most explosive runs over 10 yards among all Power Four running backs with 5.
*He's also tied for third among all Power Four running backs for most first downs with 8.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT KING MILLER
*Gary Danielson, CBS Sports Analyst - "This guy (Miller) has made big plays. He's demanded and earned carries on this football team."
*Brad Nessler, CBS Sports Analyst - "King Miller has been sensational so far this year."
*John Fanta, NBC Sports Broadcaster - "That's Lincoln Riley football. USC controlling the trenches and King Miller is running wild."
*Su'a Cravens, Former USC & NFL Safety and current ESPNLA and Big Ten Network Analyst - "KING MILLER NEEDS TO BE ON SCHOLARSHIP!!!!!"
#GOODFOR6
*Biletnikoff contender USC WR Makai Lemon continues to display why he is the nation's best receiver and that he is always #GoodFor6.
*While the ground-game was featured during USC's win over Nebraska, Lemon still displays many national stats.
*Lemon is No. 4 in the nation and leads the Big Ten in receiving yards per game (97.0).
*He is No. 6 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big Ten in receiving yards (776).
*Lemon was recently named to the Maxwell Award Watch List.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT LEMON
*Matt Leinart, USC Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst- "I think Makai Lemon is the best receiver in CFB."
*Kyle Ford, Former USC Wide Receiver - "Lem is the best receiver in the country…"
*David Cone, Host of Sports Podcast Crain & Company - "Throw the ball anywhere near Makai Lemon and he'll catch it."
*Kendell Hollowell, USC Trojans on SI - "Makai Lemon is making himself a lot of money today. There's not a WR in next year's draft I would take over Lemon."
*Kendell Hollowell, Reporter, USC Trojans on SI - "Just put the ball in Makai Lemon's hands and let him do the rest."
*Matt Leinart, USC Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst - "Lane and Lemon remind me of some guys I used to play with."
*Brad Nessler, CBS Sports Analyst – "Makai Lemon after the catch is so dangerous!"
*Robert Griffin III, Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst - "Makai Lemon is a game-breaker. I call him 'Quick-6' because he can score from anywhere on the field – inside or out."
*Matt Leinart, USC Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst - "Whoever drafts Makai Lemon is going to get an absolute star!!!"
*RJ Abeytia, USCFootball.com – "Makai Lemon is just that dude."
*Jeff Dubrof, Sports Anchor KCCI-TV (Des Moines, Iowa) - "Makai Lemon is the best draft eligible receiver in the entire country. Unreal."
*Liam Blutman, Barstool Sports – "There aren't many kids in football better than Makai Lemon."
*Greg Biggins, National Recruiting Analyst for 247Sports – "Makai Lemon makes more contested catches than any other sub 6-0 WR I've seen in a long time, just incredible hand/eye coordination, body control and compete level."
RESHUFFLED AND RELENTLESS
*Once Again, the USC offensive line was forced to play with a different lineup as starting RG Alani Noa went down early in the first quarter.
*Backup and walk on OL Kaylon Miller's number was called to step in.
*The line, who earned Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll recognition has now showcased five different offensive line combination in eight games.
*Additionally, OL Tobias Raymond has now started at 3 different spots on the line for the Trojans this season (LG five-times, LT twice and RT once).
*The USC offensive line held Nebraska to 188 rushing yards.
*In Week 10, LT Elijah Paige recorded the Power Four's highest pass block grade among all OLs with 90.8. He recorded 0 pressures allowed.
*Kaylon Miller, who replaced Noa at RG, recorded the 6th best pass block grade among Power Four guards and third in Big Ten with 88.2 grade. He recorded 0 pressures allowed.
*RT Justin Tauanuu's pass blocking was graded at 87.6 (9th among all tackles in Power Four and 3rd in Big Ten). He recorded 0 pressures allowed.
*The Trojan offensive line's chemistry and outstanding play is a testament to the development of each player in the room by USC head coach Lincoln Riley and offensive line coach Zach Hanson.
D'ANTON'S DEFENSE
*The USC defense was outstanding and held Nebraska to 2 TDs and 286 total yards of total offense.
*DE Kam Crawford had a crucial play in the third quarter as he recovered Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola's fumble on the USC 33-yard line to prevent the Cornhuskers from scoring.
*The USC defense completed a dominant second half as it held Nebraska to just 3 points and 106 total yards. Nebraska averaged just 3.4 yards per play in the second half.
*It was a team effort in which nearly every Trojan who saw the field in the second half made a play.
*DE Anthony Lucas was credited with 4 solo tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a huge forced fumble.
*LB Desman Stephens II was one of multiple Trojans who got harder to block as the game wore on. He finished with 5 solo tackles and team-best 10 total tackles.
*LB Eric Gentry tallied 8 tackles and a forced fumble.
*S Bishop Fitzgerald and S Kamari Ramsey also made crucial plays for the defense.
*Fitzgerald, a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist who leads the nation in interceptions always finds the ball. It certainly makes sense as his first word was "ball", and his mother used to soothe him by turning on ESPN.
*His 5 interceptions are already the most by a Trojan since Calen Bullock in 2022, with 3 of them occurring within USC's red zone.
*He is tied for second on USC's defense with 40 total tackles, 28 of them solo stops, and 2 PBUs.
*The last USC defender with more than 5 INTs in a season was Will Poole (7) in 2003.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT THE DEFENSIVE LINE
*Robert Griffin III, Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst – "The bodies they have up front – these are the type of players that can help them compete for national championships the next few years."
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT GENTRY
*Robert Griffin III, Heisman Trophy winner and FOX Sports Analyst - "This guy is playing linebacker better than anyone else in the country right now."
*Devin Jackson, Philadelphia Enquirer Sports Editor - "USC LB Eric Gentry is a versatile weapon on defense, can rush the passer and is physical enough to play inside the box. Has been a consistent force over the last couple of seasons but is playing on another level this season."
*Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times - "Imagine trying to throw a pass while Eric Gentry's 7-foot wingspan is bearing down on you."
KICKIN' IT WITH SAYERI
*K Ryon Sayeri scored 8 points for the Trojans: 2 field goals (49 and 24 yards) and 2 PATs, all of which were massive in what proved to be a four-point game.
*He also tallied 5 kickoffs for 323 yards (64.6 avg.) and 2 TBs.
*He was named Big Ten Special Team Player of the Week for his performance.
*He is tied for seventh-best field goal percentage in the nation with 93.3% accuracy going 14- of-15. He's second in the Big Ten.
*He is 4-of-4 in field goals versus ranked AP opponents, and he's 5-of-5 over 40+ yards.
*He's averaging 9.5 points per game which ranks him 12th in the nation and second in the Big Ten.
*He's averaging 1.75 FGs per game (12th in the nation and 3 in the Big Ten).
*He's scored 76 total points this season, 19th in the nation and 3rd in the Big Ten.
*For kickoffs, he's recorded 46 TBs, which is tied for 7th most in the Power Four and tied for 1st in the Big Ten.
*USC head coach Lincoln Riley was asked by the media if it's normal for a first-year kicker to be as calm as Sayeri. Riley responded with an emphatic "no."
*When asked if he's had a kicker like him, Riley said, "We've had some pretty good ones throughout my career, but his poise and presence, the confidence he has and the confidence our whole team has in him, is off the charts right now. The guy has been incredible for us all year. He doesn't miss very often, which is a pretty good quality for a kicker I was told," he said with a laugh. "He doesn't miss in practice. He doesn't miss in games. He's the same steady guy the whole way through. He's one of the biggest stories of our team right now."
MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICANS
*USC WR Makai Lemon, S Bishop Fitzgerald and RB Waymond Jordan have each been named 2025 Midseason All-Americans.
*Lemon earned placement on the AP Midseason All-American First Team, Sporting News Midseason All-American First Team, CBS Midseason All-American First Team, The Athletic Midseason All-American First Team and Sports Illustrated Midseason All-American First Team.
*Fitzgerald was named to the AP Midseason All-American First Team, Sports Illustrated Midseason All-American First Team and The Athletic Midseason All-American Second Team.
*Jordan was selected to the Sports Illustrated All-American Second Team.
RANKINGS
*USC is ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll and No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. Northwestern is not ranked in either the AP Poll or the USA Today Coaches' Poll.
IN NOVEMBER
*USC has a 274-142-20 (.651) all-time record while playing in the month of November (not including 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 277-142-20, .654).
TV OUTLETS
*USC has appeared live on 35 different television broadcasting outlets. The Trojans have won on the air on all but 3 of those outlets (KTLA, Innovative and a local Memphis station). USC has appeared on live national, regional or local telecasts 600 times.
USC • NORTHWESTERN CONNECTIONS
*USC has 1 player from the state of Illinois (DT Kash Amos) while Northwestern has 5 players from the state of California.
*USC DT Jamaal Jarrett and Northwestern TE Lawson Albright are both from Greensboro, N.C. and prepped together at Grimley HS.
*USC DE Anthony Lucas, Northwestern DB Cole Shivers and Northwestern LB Miles Crutchley are all from Scottsdale, Ariz.
*USC WR Makai Lemon, USC S Isaiah Rubin, and Northwestern WR Hayden Elligon II all prepped together at Los Alamitos HS in Los Alamitos, Calif.
*USC S Shawn Sehra and Northwestern WR Chase Farrell are both from Thousand Oaks, Calif.
*USC WR Jay Fair, USC QB Gage Roy, Northwestern QB Preston Stone and Northwestern DB Robert Fitzgerald are all from Dallas, Texas.
*USC QB Gage Roy and Northwestern DB Robert Fitzgerald prepped together at Jesuit Dallas HS in Dallas, Texas.
*USC WR Corey Simms and Northwestern DL Tyler Grant are both from Saint Louis, Mo. and prepped together at Christian Brothers College.
*USC DT Kash Amos, Northwestern Liam LS Liam Reardon, Northwestern OL Matt Keeler, Northwestern OL Deuce McGuire and Northwestern K Henry Helms are all from Chicago, Ill.
*USC LB Ta'Mere Robinson and Northwestern DL Migo Jackson are both from Pittsburgh, Pa.
*USC OL Elijah Vaikona and Northwestern DB Timi Oke are both from London, England.
*USC TE Lake McRee and Northwestern OL Ezomo Oratokhai are both from Austin, Texas and prepped together at Lake Travis HS.
*USC OL Elijah Paige and Northwestern DL Dylan Roberts are both from Phoenix, Ariz.
*USC RB Eli Sanders and Northwestern LB Jack Sadowsky V previously played together at Iowa State in 2023.
*USC WR Romero Ison, Northwestern DL Anto Saka and Northwestern DB Alijah Jones are all from Baltimore, Md.
*USC P Sam Johnson and Northwestern DB Evan Smith are both from Birmingham, Ala. and prepped together at Oak Mountain HS.
*USC SNP Hank Pepper and Northwestern DB Dillo Tatum previously played together at Michigan State in 2023.
*USC DE Kamryn Crawford and Northwestern DB Braden Turner are both from Mobile, Ala.
*Northwestern Athletic Director Mark Jackson served multiple roles at USC. From 2001-04, USC's director of football administration during Pete Carroll's first 4 years, taking on the additional title of assistant athletic director in 2003. He returned to USC for a second stint from 2009-15 as senior associate athletic director.
*USC Director of Football Communications Katie Ryan and Northwestern Running Backs Coach Aristotle Thompson both worked with the Cal Poly football program from 2010-14. Thompson spent 11 total seasons with the Mustangs (2009-19).
*USC Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance Derrick Baker was the assistant strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State University in 2018, while Northwestern Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Zach Lujan was a running backs coach at the school.
*USC Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Lindsey Munday played and coached women's lacrosse at Northwestern from 2003-10. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Northwestern history, Munday was a Tewaaraton Trophy semifinalist herself in 2005 and 2006. She finished her four-year (2003-06) career as the program's all-time leader in assists (128), third in points (268), and fifth in goals (140). Munday also set single-season NU records for points (107) and assists (54) in 2005. The Wildcats were 64-12 during her career and won the school's first-ever NCAA titles in the sport. As a coach, Munday was the top assistant at her alma mater for four years (2007-10) where she served as the recruiting coordinator and offensive coach and helped with opponent scouting reports. Northwestern was 85-4 during her tenure and went 23-0 in 2009. The Wildcats won NCAA titles in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and advanced to the championship game in 2010.
*USC Men and Women's Swim and Dive Head Coach Lea Maurer began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Northwestern in 1994-95.
*USC Men and Women's Swim and Dive Associate Head Coach Megan Hawthorne was an assistant coach at Northwestern 2019-20.
*USC Director of Operations (Facilities & Event Management) Jordan Grays was an athletics event coordinator at UC Davis, during which time Northwestern Special Teams Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach Paul Creighton was a Tight Ends coach at the school.
*USC Men's Basketball Assistant Coach Will Conroy was the associate head coach at Washington in 2023, during which time Northwestern Special Teams Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach Paul Creighton was on the Washington Football staff.
*USC Director of Cinematography and Post Production Eric Michael was a Digital Media Intern at Cincinnati in 2020-21, the same time that Northwestern Wide Receivers Coach Armon Binns was a quality control coach for the school.
*USC Men and Women's Swim and Dive Associate Head Coach Megan Hawthorne was an assistant coach at Northwestern 2019-20, during which Northwestern Running Backs Coach Aristotle Thompson served in his same position at the school.
*USC Academic Advisor Cole Mears served in the same role at UCLA in 2020, during which time Northwestern P Luke Akers played for the school. During this same time, USC Associate Athletic Director (Equipment Operations) Cecilia Snipes E.M., C. also worked at UCLA in a similar position to the one she currently holds at USC.
*USC Associate Athletic Director, Sports Brands & Communications Kristen Keller earned her master's degree in journalism from Northwestern in 2019.
*Northwestern Vice President (Premium & Ticket Sales) Daniel Aran held the Manager of Premium Sales role for USC Athletics and the Trojan Athletic Fund from 2018 to 2020 in which he primarily oversaw the sales of the Coliseum Renovation Project.
*Northwestern Women's Volleyball Head Coach Tim Nollan coached at USC from 2008-15, the last five of which came as the program's associate head coach. The Trojans advanced to three NCAA Final Fours and appeared in six NCAA Elite Eights.
*Northwestern Assistant Women's Volleyball Coach Jeff Liu was the technical coordinator for both the women's and men's indoor and women's beach volleyball teams at USC. The Trojans appeared in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament during all three years of Liu's time in the City of Angels, highlighted by a 2015 campaign that saw USC finish 33-3 overall on the way to winning the Pac-12 Championship and making the first of two NCAA Elite Eight appearances during Liu's tenure. The Trojans also experienced success on the beach during his time, winning back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2015 and 2016.
ILLINOIS TROJANS
*In USC's history, 18 football lettermen claim Illinois as their hometown and attended school in the state before coming to Troy: TE Austin Applebee, 2017-18 (Seneca, Ill./Seneca/McKendree/ Arizona Western JC); HB Marger Apsit, 1928-30 (Aurora, Ill./East); C Mercer Barnes, 1949-50 (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora./Illinois); S Rob Dooley, 2013 (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy); TB Ben Easington, 2020 (Evanston, Ill./Evanston); TB Ty Isaac, 2013 (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet Catholic Academy); CB-WRRET Adoree' Jackson, 2014-16 (Belleville, Ill./Serra [Calif.]); WR Ryan Kaiser, 2000-01 (Naperville, Ill./ Naperville North/Saddleback CC [Calif.]); ILB Clay Matthews, 1974-77 (Kenilworth, Ill./New Trier East); OLB Steve O'Grady, 1977 (Flossmoor, Ill./Mendel/Prairie State College); LG John Pranevicius, 1940-41 (Chicago, Ill./Crane Tech/Modesto JC [Calif.]); WR Kyle Prater, 2011 (Maywood, Ill./Proviso West); DT Art Riley, 1973-74 (Phoenix, Ill./Thornridge/Northwestern/Chaffey College [Calif.]; HB George Shindler, 1921 (Ill.); DL Jack Sullivan, 2023 (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East/Purdue); QB Frank Swirles, 1939 (Evanston, Ill./St. John's); QB Quincy Woods, 1997 (Richton Park, Ill./Rich East); WR John Zilka, 2005 (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest).
NORTHWESTERN SCOUTING REPORT
*Northwestern will be well rested coming off its bye week.
*The Wildcats lost 28-21 at Nebraska the week prior.
*This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 1995.
*USC is 5-0 all-time against the Wildcats.
*Northwestern has struggled offensively and hasn't scored more than 22 points in its five conference games this season.
*QB Preston Stone is 126-of-216 (.583) for 1,372 yards with 10 TDs and 1 INT.
*RB Caleb Komolafe (124 att., 208 yards [4.90 avg.] and 7 TDs) and RB Joseph Himon II (81 att., 397 yards [4.90 avg.]) lead the running game.
*WR Griffin Wilde is Northwestern's leading receiver with 39 receptions for 570 yards (14.62 avg.) and 4 TDs.
*Heading into this week's action, Northwestern ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense allowing just 16.8 points per game.
*DB Robert Fitzgerald leads the Wildcats with 69 tackles, including 3.5 for loss of 6 yards, 1 PBU and 1 forced fumble.
*Northwestern's defensive line has continued to make strides this season led by DL Anto Saka (three sacks), DL Aidan Hubbard (3.5 sacks) and DL Michael Kilbane (2.5 sacks).
