USC GAME NOTES:
THE BEACH VERSUS THE BAYOU • USC begins the 2024 season with an electric start as the Trojans challenge the LSU Tigers in the Vegas Kickoff Classic on Sunday, Sept. 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. • The game, featuring two powerhouse programs, will be shown live nationally on ABC. • USC is ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll, while LSU holds the No. 13 ranking. HEISMAN LEGACIES • USC QB Miller Moss and LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier are both stepping into roles held by the last two Heisman Trophy winners (LSU’s Jayden Daniels, 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and USC’s Caleb Williams, 2022 Heisman Trophy winner). LSU SCOUTING REPORT • Head coach Brian Kelly enters his third season at LSU with a 20-7 record. • Last season, the Tigers went 10-3 (6-2 in SEC play) and defeated Wisconsin 35-31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl. • LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker is in his first season in the role after coming from Missouri. It’s Baker second stint with the Tigers as he previously served as LSU’s linebackers coach in 2021. • Baker’s 2023 Missouri defense played an important role in the Tigers going 11-2 overall and capping the season with a 14-3 win over No. 7 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. • QB Garrett Nussmeier was 48-of-78 for 591 yards (18.6 avg.) with 4 TDs and 1 INT while backing up 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. WR Kyren Lacy (30 rec. for 558 yards and 7 TDs in 2023) looks to be the top receiver. • Liberty transfer WR CJ Daniels looks to also make an impact. At Liberty, Daniels caught 55 passes for 1,067 yards (19.4 avg.) and 10 TDs. • TE Mason Taylor (36 receptions for 348 yards and 1 TD in 2023). When Nussmeier was QB in the ReliaQuest bowl, he caught 7 passes for 88 yards. • RB Josh Williams (55 carries for 284 yards [5.2 avg.) and 5 TDs in 2023) and RB Kaleb Jackson (31 carries for 165 yards [5.3 avg.] and 4 TDs) look to split time out of the backfield. • The Tiger offensive line, a finalist for the 2023 Joe Moore Award, will most likely be comprised of LT Will Campbell, LG Garrett Dellinger, C DJ Chester (the lone new starter on the O-Line), RG Miles Frazier and RT Emery Jones Jr. • The defensive line should feature DE Sai’vion Jones (33 tackles in 2023), DT Jacobian Guillory (27 tackles in 2023), DT Gio Paez (22 tackles at Wisconsin in 2023), DE Bradyn Swinson (25 tackles in 2023). While they’re all seniors, they lack game experience with 21 career starts total. • LBs Greg Penn III (89 tackles in 2023) and Harold Perkins Jr. (75 tackles in 2023, leading the team with 13 TFLs for minus 54 yards) look to be the starters. • CBs Sage Ryan (42 tackles in 2023) and Ashton Stamps (23 tackles in 2023) both reportedly had a strong fall camp. Ryan switched positions from safety to corner this preseason. • S Major Burns (LSU’s 2023 tackling leader with 93) will be LSU’s top safety. • K Damian Ramos went 12-of-15 (80.0%) in FGs in 2023 with a long of 47. He was perfect in PATs RANKINGS • USC is ranked No. 23 in the latest AP Poll and in the USA Today Coaches Poll. • LSU is ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll and 12th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. SERIES • USC is 1-1 all-time against LSU, with one game each home and away.
• The most recent encounter with the Tigers occurred in the fall of 1984, where the Trojans lost 3-23 in the Coliseum. VERSUS THE SEC • USC is 31-15-2 (.667) all-time against SEC schools (does not include 2 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 33-16-2, .667). • The last time USC played a team from the SEC was the 2016 season opener when the Trojans lost 6-52 to Alabama in AT&T Stadium. IN SEPTEMBER • USC has a 196-55-8 (.772) all-time record while playing in the month of September (does not include 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 199-55-8, .775). OPENERS • USC’s record in all season openers is 98-24-8 (.785), with 36 shutout victories. In season openers at home, the Trojans are 70-16-7 (.790), while their record in season openers on the road is 28-8-1 (.770). (Does not include 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 99-24-8, .786 overall and 29-8-1 on the road, .776.)• In road openers, USC is 86-31-8 (.720). (Does not include 1 home and 1 road win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 87-31-8, .722 on the road.) SUNDAY • USC has played only 5 games on a Sunday, going 3-2: 1993 opener versus North Carolina in the Disneyland Pigskin Classic (USC lost, 31-9), 1996 opener against Penn State in the Kickoff Classic (USC lost, 24-7), 1998 opener versus Purdue in the Pigskin Classic (USC won, 27-17), 2000 opener versus Penn State in the Kickoff Classic (USC won 29-5) and in 2020 versus Washington State at home (USC won 38-13). NFL STADIUMS • Since 2014, USC has played 7 games in a current NFL stadium besides the Los Angeles Coliseum (temporary home of the Los Angeles Rams). It beat Nebraska, 45-42, in the 2014 Holiday Bowl in Qualcomm Stadium, lost to Stanford, 41-22, in the 2015 Pac-12 Championship Game in Levi’s Stadium and to Wisconsin, 23-21, in the 2015 Holiday Bowl in Qualcomm Stadium, lost to Alabama, 52-6, in AT&T Stadium in the 2016 season opener, beat Stanford, 31-28, in the 2017 Pac-12 Championship Game in Levi’s Stadium and lost to Ohio State, 24-7, in the 2017 Cotton Bowl in AT&T Stadium and lost to Utah, 24-47 in the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game in Allegiant Stadium. DOMES • USC is 3-4 in domed (or closed roof) stadiums, beating Washington State in the Kingdome in 1976, Texas A&M in the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl in the Astrodome and Houston in the Astrodome in 1996, but losing in AT&T Stadium to Alabama in 2016, Ohio State in the 2017 Cotton Bowl and Tulane in the 2023 Cotton Bowl and in Allegiant Stadium to Utah in the 2022 Pac-12 Championship. OLYMPIC RECORD • USC is 203-70-10 (.734) in seasons that the Summer Olympics have been held. The Trojans won 4 national titles (1928, 1932, 1972, 2004) and played in 11 bowls (winning 8) during those Olympic seasons. (Does not include 2 wins–including 1 bowl appearance and 1 bowl win–vacated by NCAA penalty; original record: 205-70-10, .737.) PRESIDENTIAL RECORD • USC is 221-70-14 (.748) during presidential election years. The Trojans are 127-29-5 (.804) in years when Republicans won the White House and 94-41-9 (.684) when Democrats won. (Does not include 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; revised record: 222-70-14, .748 overall and 128-29-5, .806 with Republicans.) USC has won 4 national championships (1928-32-72-2004) during presidential election years. TURNAROUNDS • In USC’s 135 seasons, the Trojans have lost 4 or more games 45 times. Following 9 of those 4-plus loss seasons, USC “turned it around” to win the Rose Bowl the next year (1938-43-62-67-72-76-78-84-16). ARTIFICIAL TURF • USC is 50-36-1 in its last 87 games on artificial turf (not including 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 53-36-1). HOME JERSEYS • USC will wear its traditional cardinal home jerseys while LSU will wear their traditional white home jerseys. USC wore its home cardinal jerseys for the 2000 Kickoff Classic against Penn State (even though Troy was the visiting team) and for its 1999 game at Hawaii (at the request of UH). USC-LSU CONNECTIONS • LSU has 2 Californians on its roster: DT Gio Perez (Los Angeles, Calif.) and SNP Jonathan Ferguson (Sacramento, Calif.). • LSU WR Zavion Thomas previously played at Mississippi State with Trojans RB Woody Marks and CB DeCarlos Nicholson. • LSU CB JK Johnson previously played at Ohio State with Trojan S Bryson Shaw. • LSU QB AJ Swann previously played at Vanderbilt with Trojan DT Nate Clifton. • LSU S Austin Ausberry previously played at Auburn with Trojan WR Jay Fair. • USC CB Greedy Vance Jr. and LSU CB Michael Turner Jr. are both from Kenner, La. • USC RB Woody Marks and LSU DE CJ Jackson are both from Atlanta, Ga. • USC OL Makai Saina and LSU CB Javien Toviano both played at Martin HS in Arlington, Texas • USC P Eddie Czaplicki and LSU SNP Slade Roy are both from Charlotte, N.C. • USC TE Lake McRee and LSU SNP Jake Davis are both from Austin, Texas. • USC CB Prophet Brown, USC OL Alani Noa and LSU SNP Jonathan Ferguson are all from Sacramento, Calif. • USC Offensive Line Coach / Offensive Coordinator Josh Henson was LSU’s tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for 4 seasons (2005-08), including with the Tigers’ 2007 national championship squad. He helped assemble Top 10 recruiting classes in 2006 and 2007 when he was named one of college football’s Top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com. LSU played in the 2005 Peach Bowl, 2007 Sugar Bowl, 2008 BCS National Championship Game and 2008 Chick-Fil-A Bowl. • USC’s Associate Director of Operations and Student Services for Football Cheryl Taplin boasts an impressive athletic career, having been a 16-time All-American sprinter at Louisiana State University (LSU) and inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame in 2006. • USC Senior Associate Athletic Director (Strategic Communication and Brand Advancement) Cody Worsham previously held a similar role at LSU. 2024 SCHEDULE • A new era begins for the Trojans as USC enters the Big Ten Conference — new opponents, new stadiums and a Rose Bowl worthy matchup every weekend. • The Trojans will play six home games in 2024. Troy will welcome league opponents Wisconsin, Penn State, Rutgers and Nebraska to the Coliseum as well as non-conference foes Utah State and Notre Dame. USC will visit Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, Washington and UCLA on the road. The Trojans will open the 2024 season with a neutral site game against LSU at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. •USC will have byes on Sept 14 and Nov. 9. •Coming out with a bang, the Trojans face traditional powerhouse LSU in the Vegas Kickoff Classic on Sept 1. It will be just the third meeting between LSU and USC in football. USC won the first meeting between the teams in what is considered one of the greatest games ever played in Tiger Stadium by a 17-12 count in 1979. LSU won the rematch in Los Angeles at the Coliseum in 1984 by a 23-3 margin. •USC returns to Los Angeles for its home opener against Utah State on Sept. 7. The Trojans’ inaugural Big Ten matchup will be in the Big House – a stage worthy of such a debut. USC travels to Michigan (with new head coach Sherrone Moore) on Sept. 21 for this iconic game to kick off a new era of Trojan football. The Trojans are 6-4 against the Wolverines, last facing them in a 32-18 victory in the 2007 Rose Bowl. The Trojans then return home to the Coliseum to host Wisconsin on Sept. 28. USC holds a 6-1 record against the Badgers, last falling to them 21-23 in the 2015 Holiday Bowl. •Another road game awaits the following week as USC visits Minnesota on Oct. 5. The Trojans are 6-1-1 against the Gophers, last playing them in 2011, where they earned a 19-17 victory in the Coliseum. Back at home on Oct. 12, USC challenges a familiar opponent, the Penn State Nittany Lions. USC is 6-4 versus Penn State, last defeating them 52-49 in 2017 in arguably one of the most iconic Rose Bowl games of all-time. The Trojans then travel back east for a first-time match up versus Maryland on Oct. 19. Wrapping up October, USC welcomes Rutgers, another new opponent, to the Coliseum on Oct. 25. •USC travels to Washington (with new head coach Jedd Fisch) on Nov. 2 for a familiar match up. USC currently holds a 51-31-4 series record over Washington, not including Troy’s 2005 victory which was vacated due to NCAA penalty (original record: 52-30-4). On Nov. 16, the Trojans host Nebraska in the Coliseum. USC is 4-0-1 versus the Cornhuskers, last facing them in 2014, in a 45-42 victory in the Holiday Bowl. Finally, USC travels to the Rose Bowl to challenge crosstown rival UCLA (with new head coach DeShaun Foster) to wrap up Big Ten Conference play on Nov. 23. USC leads its series with UCLA 50-34-7, not including Troy’s 2004 and 2005 victories that were vacated due to NCAA penalty (original record: 52-34-7). USC returns back to the Coliseum for its final home game of the 2024 season against Notre Dame. The greatest intersectional rivalry in college football will be played on Nov. 30. •The 2024 season will conclude with the annual Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which will feature the top two teams in the overall conference standings at the end of the regular season, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship.
LSU GAME NOTES
LSU Opens Third Season Under Brian Kelly Against USC in Las Vegas LSU (10-3, 6-2 SEC in 2023) opens its third season under head coach Brian Kelly on Sunday, Sept. 1 when the Tigers travel to face No. 23 USC (8-5 in 2023) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The game will be televised on ABC. It’s LSU’s first game in Las Vegas and the third consecutive neutral site opener for the Tigers. LSU opened 2022 in New Orleans and 2023 in Orlando – both games against Florida State. LSU will be looking for its first season-opening win since 2019 when the Tigers beat Georgia Southern, 55-3, in Tiger Stadium. LSU enters the game ranked No. 12 in the Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the AP Poll. LSU closed the 2023 season with four straight victories, and wins in seven of its last eight games, capped with a 35-31 victory over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This marks only the third meeting between LSU and USC with the series tied at 1-1. USC, with a pair of Heisman Trophy winners in Charles White and Marcus Allen in its backfield and ranked No. 1 scored 14 fourth quarter points to beat LSU, 17-12, in Tiger Stadium on Sept. 29, 1979. LSU evened the series with a 23-3 win over the Trojans in Los Angeles on Sept. 29, 1984. LSU and USC shared the 2003 national championship – the Tigers winning the BCS and the Trojans winning the AP. LSU’s roster features 35 players who have started a FBS game with 25 of those having at least one start for the Tigers. QB Garrett Nussmeier, the ReliaQuest Bowl MVP in his first career start, takes over for Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels in 2024. Nussmeier has 18 career appearances, completing 129-of-219 passes for 1,720 yards, 11 TDs and 7 interceptions. LSU’s top returning running backs are both 1,000-yard career rushers in sixth-year players Josh Williams (1,012 yards, 11 TDs) and John Emery (1,062 yards, 14 TDs). WRs Kyren Lacy (54 rec., 826 yards, 7 TDs at LSU), Chris Hilton (22 rec., 415 yards, 3 TDs) along with TE Mason Taylor (74 rec., 762 yards, 4 TDs) are the top returning receivers. Liberty transfer CJ Daniels joins the Tigers after catching 106 passes for 1,954 yards and 21 TDs in four years with the Flames. Defensive leaders for LSU include a pair of LBs Harold Perkins (147 tackles, 26 TFL, 13 sacks) and Greg Penn (178 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 4 sacks), DE Sai’vion Jones (59 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 7 sacks) and S Major Burns (156 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 7 PBUs). LSU Coach Brian Kelly: Winningest Active Coach In NCAA Football Brian Kelly, in his third with the Tigers, has guided LSU to a 20-7 overall mark through 27 games. He enters 2024 riding a streak of seven straight 10-win seasons. Kelly is the winningest active coach in NCAA football (no matter division) with an on-field record of 304-103-2. After inheriting a roster with only 39 scholarship players, Kelly quickly turned LSU into a 10-win team in his first season in 2022 as the Tigers went 10-4 overall, beat Top 10 teams in Ole Miss and Alabama and won the SEC Western Division. Kelly, the most accomplished hire in LSU football history when he was named to the position in December of 2021, took over the program after 12 years and 113 wins at Notre Dame. His coaching resume includes 12 10-win seasons at the FBS level (7 at Notre Dame, 3 at Cincinnati, 2 at LSU), along with 15 bowl/CFP playoff appearances and 3 National Coach of the Year honors.
• LSU returns 4 starters on the offensive line, a unit that was 1 of 3 finalists for the Joe Moore Award in 2023. • LSU’s starting offensive line has combined for 98 career starts at LSU. LT Will Campbell, a preseason All-America, leads the way with 26, followed by RG Miles Frazier (25), RT Emery Jones (24) and LG Garrett Dellinger (23). Redshirt freshman C DJ Chester is expected to make his first career start against USC. • LSU coach Brian Kelly is 8-3 vs. USC. Kelly’s Notre Dame team played USC every year from 2010-2019 and then again in 2021. Kelly brings a 4-game winning streak against the Trojans into Sunday’s contest. This will serve as Kelly’s first head-to-head matchup against USC coach Lincoln Riley. • LT Will Campbell and LB Harold Perkins will wear No. 7 for LSU in 2024. The number 7 is given to the best playmaker on the team who calls Louisiana home. It’s also designated for a player who brings up others around him. Campbell will continue to wear the No. 66 jersey accompanied by a No. 7 patch. • RB Josh Williams and LB Greg Penn will wear No. 18 in 2024. The No. 18 tradition started with QB Matt Mauck in 2003 when he led the Tigers to the national championship that season. It’s presented to a team leader who has all of the traits of a champion. • LSU has faced a Lincoln Riley-coached team one time, that coming in the 2019 CFP Semifinals in Atlanta when the Tigers posted a 63-28 win over Oklahoma. • LT Will Campbell and LB Harold Perkins have been named first-team preseason All-America by the Associated Press and ESPN.com. Campbell is a first teamer on the Walter Camp preseason team, while Perkins made the second-team. RT Emery Jones is listed as a second-team preseason All-America by ESPN.com. • TE Mason Taylor enters 2024 ranked No. 4 in school history in receptions by a tight end with 74. Taylor has 2 of the top 3 receiving seasons in terms of receptions in school history with 38 in 2022 (No. 2) and 36 in 2023 (No. 3). Taylor had career-highs for receptions (7) and yards (88) in LSU’s bowl win over Wisconsin. • In his first career start against Wisconsin in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl, LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier set school marks for most completions (31) and passing yards (395) for a player in his first career start. • LSU enters the season ranked in the Top 25 for the 23rd time in the past 24 years – a streak that dates back to 2001. The only exception during that span came in 2022, a year that saw the Tigers capture the SEC Western Division title and finish the season ranked as high as No. 15 (Coaches). • LSU enters 2024 riding back-to-back 10-win seasons, the first for LSU since going 10-3 in 2018 followed by a 15-0 mark and the national championship in 2019. • LSU will play 5 games during the month of September for the second straight year, and for just the eighth time in school history. Years in which the Tigers have played 5 games in September include 2023, 2018, 2017, 2012, 2006, 2000, and 1995).
LSU Opens 2024 Season vs. USC in Top-25 Matchup at the Vegas Kickoff Classic LSU will face USC for the third time when the teams meet on Sunday, Sept. 1 at the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. CT). ABC will televise the game with Rece Davis (pxp), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) on the call. The game will serve as the only college football contest on Sunday. LSU is 1-1 all-time against USC, dropping a 17-12 decision to the then-No. 1 Trojans on Sept. 29 in Tiger Stadium followed by a 23-3 victory in Los Angeles on Sept. 29, 1984. Sunday’s contest will mark LSU’s first appearance in Las Vegas for a football game. LSU Coming Off Back-to-Back 10-Win Seasons LSU enters 2024 coming off back-to-back 10-win season as third-year head coach Brian Kelly has re-energized a program that was down to 39 scholarship players when he took over in December of 2021. Since then, Kelly has led LSU to the 2022 SEC Western Division title along with a pair of bowl wins. LSU’s Won 4 Straight and 6-of-Last 7 LSU enters the USC game riding a 4-game winning streak as the Tigers closed the 2023 season with consecutive victories over Florida, Georgia State, Texas A&M and Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Dating back to an Oct. 7 win over Missouri, LSU has won six of its last seven games with the only setback during that span coming at Alabama. 35 Players on LSU Roster Have a FBS Start; 26 With Starts in LSU Uniform LSU’s 2024 roster features 35 players who have at least one FBS start. Of the 35, 26 have a start for LSU. Senior LB Greg Penn leads all Tigers with 27 career starts, followed by LT Will Campbell with 26. Other players with at least 20 LSU starts to their credit include: S Major Burns (23), OG Garrett Dellinger (23), OG Miles Frazier (24), RT Emery Jones (24), LB Harold Perkins (21) and TE Mason Taylor (25). Newcomers to the LSU roster with at least 10 career FBS starts include: WR CJ Daniels (20 at Liberty), QB AJ Swann (15 at Vanderbilt), and S Jardin Gilbert (12 at Texas A&M). BK Is 8-3 vs. USC LSU head coach Brian Kelly is 8-3 all-time against USC with all 11 games coming as head coach at Notre Dame. Kelly won his final four games against USC, capped with a 31-23 win over the Trojans on Sept. 23, 2021 in South Bend. Kelly faced USC in all but the 2020 season during his 12-year stint with the Irish. The 2020 game was canceled due to Covid and Notre Dame playing an all-ACC schedule that season. LSU vs. USC: Series Tied 1-1 LSU and USC will meet on the gridiron for just the third time and the first since 1984 when the Tigers beat the Trojans, 23-3, in Los Angeles. The first meeting between the teams came in 1979 when 20th-ranked LSU surrendered 14 unanswered fourth quarter points to fall, 17-12, to then-No. 1 USC in Tiger Stadium. The 1979 LSU-USC game is still considered one of the best ever played in Death Valley. That year’s USC team featured two players who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy in Charles White and Marcus Allen along with future NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott.