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Saniyah Hall and Jazzy Davidson scored 24 points each, JuJu Watkins added 20 and No. 3 USC routed Charleston 105-44 on Tuesday night.

The Trojans (3-0) have scored 100 points or more in each win.

Hall had a 7-0 run of her own in the third quarter, capped by a three-pointer that started on the other end with Davidson’s block and defensive rebound. USC then ran off nine in a row, with Hall scoring four around Davidson’s steal and fast break layin.

Davidson and Watkins combined to score USC’s final eight points and send the Trojans into the fourth leading 86-35. Sitaya Fagan had nine rebounds and Hall had eight as USC controlled the boards, 52-36.

Watkins had six assists, four rebounds, four steals and made all four of her free throws while playing 22 minutes in her third game since returning from an ACL tear that kept her out all last season. She got short breaks in the first three quarters before watching the fourth from the bench.

Isla Juffermans scored 12 points and Anilys Rolon had 10 for the Cougars (2-1), who committed 21 turnovers that led to 28 points for USC.

The Trojans raced to a 25-4 lead, including 18 in a row, to open the game. Watkins and Davidson combined to score 16 of 18 points during that stretch, with their steals leading to layins and both hitting 3-pointers.

USC led 58-23 at halftime after outscoring the Cougars 29-15 in the second quarter.

JuJu Watkins had 32 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and five steals to lead No. 3 USC to a 118-40 win over Utah State on Sunday.

It was a star-studded return for one of college basketball’s most electric players.

Sunday was USC’s home opener at the Galen Center and fans showered Watkins with applause in pregame lineup introductions. Watkins had missed 20 months with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and she got a standing ovation as she was subbed out with 2:34 left in the game.

She’s back to looking like she was pre-injury, when she was the Associated Press player of the year.

The senior has been a scoring machine in two games, totaling 53 points for USC (2-0). Watkins scored 21 points in USC’s season-opening 100-68 win over Nevada Las Vegas.

Watkins got the crowd going in pregame introductions and then with a buzzer-beating pull-up jumper from 15 feet to end the first quarter with USC leading 36-11.

Watkins was in All-American form as she made plays all over the floor. She used a crossover to get Sami Mancini off-balance in the first quarter, then made a jump shot. She was running the fast break, rebounding, making shots from the elbow and inside and outside. It was a clinic.

Saniyah Hall added 20 points for the Trojans as six players scored in double figures.

Kylani Rookstool scored 12 points for Utah State (1-2) and Mancini added 10.

Watkins nearly had a double-double by halftime with 16 points and nine rebounds as the Trojans led 55-22.

STATELINE, Nev. — Rodney Rice had 32 points and nine assists, Alijah Arenas added 30 points and No. 21 USC beat hot-shooting Wichita State 93-86 on Sunday night in the inaugural Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic.

The Trojans (2-0) prevailed despite making just two three-pointers, relying on their stars, free-throw shooting and a decisive advantage in turnovers.

Michael Gray Jr. led Wichita State (1-1) with 18 points, while Jordan Frison and William Berg each added 17.

Wichita State led 45-43 at halftime after hitting seven of its first 12 attempts from beyond the arc. The Shockers built an 11-point lead late in the first half before USC rallied to tie it at 43.

The teams traded baskets throughout much of the second half before Arenas helped USC gain separation. He scored three baskets during a key stretch, including a jumper following a Wichita State turnover, to help the Trojans build a 75-69 advantage with 6:22 remaining.

Wichita State continued to battle, pulling to 86-83 on Frison’s layup with 58 seconds left. But Rice sank two free throws, and the Shockers missed several late three-point attempts.

Adonis Ratliff had 10 points and 13 rebounds for USC.

Up next for USC: at California on Wednesday night.

Adonis Ratliff scored 25 points in his collegiate debut, Alijah Arenas had 21 points and a career-high eight rebounds, and No. 21 USC beat Milwaukee 95-63 to open the season Monday night.

Darius Ratliff, Adonis’ twin brother, added 14 points and five blocks in his debut for the Trojans. Rodney Rice had 15 points and nine assists in his first game since a season-ending shoulder injury last year, and KJ Lewis added 10 points.

USC (1-0) shot 56.9% from the field, including 12 of 22 from three-point range, and never trailed en route to its third straight season-opening win under coach Eric Musselman.

Amare Hereford scored 14 points and Tre Norman had 13 for the Panthers (0-1).

The Ratliff brothers, the twin sons of 16-year NBA veteran Theo Ratliff, are part of a decorated freshman class for the Trojans that includes touted recruit Christian Collins, who did not play.

Adonis Ratliff shot seven of 10 from the field, including five of seven from three-point range, and added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Darius Ratliff was five of 10 and made his only three-point attempt.

USC led 46-29 at halftime on the strength of red-hot shooting and lockdown defense. The Trojans shot 53.6% in the first half and forced the Panthers into nine turnovers, including six in a span of 5:10.

USC pulled away with a 15-0 run midway through the half, holding Milwaukee scoreless for more than seven minutes, and led by double figures the rest of the way.

Milwaukee guard John Lovelace Jr. injured his left leg when he landed awkwardly following a layup in the second half. He walked off the floor with an athletic trainer and did not return.

Up next for USC: vs. Wichita State at Galen Center on Sunday.

Ahead of the Wisconsin game, USC got back two key offensive linemen from injury, left guard Hayden Treter and Paige.

However, the line still struggled against Wisconsin, allowing quarterback Jayden Maiava to get sacked five times and playing a factor in the Trojans’ limited run game.

Paige said the group needed to do “a little bit of everything” better in the run game. Raymond told reporters that factors like communication and physicality were among the causes of the line’s struggles.

“It wasn’t good enough,” Raymond said Wednesday.

Treter, who previously missed two games because of injury, was listed as out on Thursday’s availability report after exiting the loss to Wisconsin early.

Alston, freshman tight end Mark Bowman and defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart were among the notable USC players listed as questionable Thursday. Bowman, who racked up two touchdowns and more than 200 receiving yards in his first five collegiate games, hasn’t played since the Oregon loss in late September.

Stewart, who has been listed on the availability report and then played in each of the last four games, said he feels “great.”

“Just slowly getting better for the team,” Stewart said. “Can’t wait to go out there and perform.”

While the Trojans are dealing with some injuries, the highest-profile injury is on the other side as the Buckeyes will be without their star quarterback Julian Sayin, who was injured during Ohio State’s win over No. 4 Indiana on Oct. 17.

Sayin, who is expected to miss the rest of the season, had the second-most passing yards in the Big Ten (2,007), tied for the most passing touchdowns (19) and the highest passer rating (184.9).

Since Ohio State had a bye last week, coach Ryan Day hasn’t had to announce whether freshman Luke Fahey or sophomore Tavien St. Clair will get the start in Sayin’s stead. Riley and defensive tackle Jide Abasiri both told reporters that the team is preparing for both and will be ready to adjust during the game.

“There’s an expectation that there will probably be some sort of adjustment in some way, and we’ll have to do a good job handling that,” Riley said of planning for two quarterbacks. “I think that’ll be one of the keys, I’m sure, to this matchup.”

The Trojans are set to kick off their high-stakes Halloween-homecoming matchup with the Buckeyes at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

When NBC’s production team came to meet with Lincoln Riley, ahead of a broadcast earlier this month, the USC football coach greeted the group like old friends.

“Look,” Riley joked, “the Trojan Network is back.”

He certainly should be familiar with the group by now, given that this week’s matchup with No. 2 Ohio State marks the sixth time in nine games that USC will be featured on NBC. That’s already tied for the most any one network has aired a Big Ten team since 2024, when the conference expanded to 18 teams.

“We certainly feel like we’re the voice of the Trojans at the moment,” Noah Eagle, NBC’s lead play-by-play announcer, told The Times prior to USC’s loss to Wisconsin last week.

It’s certainly an ironic match, considering NBC’s longtime affiliation with the Trojans’ bitter rival, Notre Dame. But going all-in on the Cardinal and Gold wasn’t necessarily the network’s plan going into the season, according to Justin Byczek, NBC’s executive vice president of programming and rights management. It just worked out that way.

“It’s effectively a draft, and we’re trying to look at different weeks and prioritize,” Byczek said. “One of the first things that jumped out at us was how important that Oregon game is going to be. So that was something that we had in our back pocket going into the draft.”

When the three networks divided up the Big Ten’s TV games last spring, Byczek said NBC also zeroed in on that game, as well as USC’s matchups with Ohio State and Penn State, knowing both would fit well featured in prime time.

Just by virtue of its geography and its brand, USC makes for a natural fit in NBC’s prime time slot (7:30/4:30 p.m. ET/PT), similar to how FOX’s Big Noon Saturday regularly features Ohio State in its early window.

Those prime-time matchups featuring the Trojans, though, have lagged a bit behind other top teams from the Big Ten and SEC. USC’s matchup with Oregon drew the largest audience of its season to date, with 5 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. That’s the only time this season that a USC game has finished in the top five of the week’s most viewed games, according to Nielsen data.

That’s a conference-wide issue. The Big Ten has only had the week’s most-watched game twice this season, once on CBS (Ohio State-Iowa in Week 5) and another time on Fox (Ohio State-Indiana, Week 7). Otherwise, ABC has dominated, with upwards of 10 million tuning in most weeks to the network’s prime-time game.

So, in order to compete with ABC in prime time, NBC is betting on Lincoln Riley and the Trojans as its West Coast anchor.

“Because they’re intriguing — not only in Los Angeles, but nationally,” Eagle said. “College football fans want to see if they can get over the hump. Can Lincoln Riley get them there?”

That question will no doubt come up on the broadcast this week. And with three Big Ten games still left after that, you can bet it won’t be the last time we hear it asked on NBC.

As questions swirl this week about his future at USC and his potential fit elsewhere, Lincoln Riley didn’t mince words about where he wants to be coaching when asked Tuesday.

“I love it here,” the fifth-year coach said.

“Listen if I didn’t want to be at this place, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place. If I didn’t want to be at this place, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to leave. This is where I want to be. This is the right place for me. I’m the right person to be here. And that’s as honest and transparent as I can be with you guys.”

Whether Riley will actually have a say in that decision remains to be seen. After falling 24-7 to Wisconsin in one of the worst defeats of Riley’s tenure on Saturday, USC can’t afford another loss this season if it hopes to make the College Football Playoff for the first time.

That was the bar all parties at USC appeared to agree on ahead of Riley’s fifth season with the program. The coach himself said in August that expectations should be “through the roof.”

“We do expect to make the playoff,” USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen said in May. “We do expect to have a championship run. We do expect to be competing for championships every single year. I think that’s what’s awesome about USC, is that that’s what we all expect of it.”

That looks unlikely now, with three of USC’s final four games coming against top-10 teams, beginning with No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday. It has led to speculation that USC is bound for a breakup with its football coach.

A recent report from USA Today described the relationship between USC and Riley as “an unhappy marriage.”

But when asked about Cohen on Tuesday, Riley heaped praise on the athletic director. He said they had “an incredible working relationship.”

“She’s a tremendous AD,” Riley said. “Even though she’s not the AD I came here with, and I’m not the head coach she hired, [we have a] fantastic relationship. She’s been a huge part of the progress that we’ve made and has been incredibly supportive.”

It’s unclear how long Riley will hold on to that support if USC’s season starts to slip away. A person familiar with discussions around the coach’s future told The Times after USC’s loss to Oregon that “all options are on the table” with Riley. The trajectory of the Trojans’ season has turned downward since.

That’s led to further speculation that Riley and USC could potentially agree to a mutual parting of ways after this season. And that Riley could land at a program like Baylor, which just fired its coach.

Riley still has six years remaining on his contract at USC, according to a person familiar with the deal, due to an automatic one-year extension he accrued after the Trojans earned a New Year’s Six bowl bid in 2022. Buying Riley out of his deal would mean forking over upwards of $70 million, plus more for his assistants.

If Riley were to find another landing spot, though, it would allow the Trojans to offset the otherwise astronomical cost of his departure.

USC coach Lincoln Riley talks with quarterback Jayden Maiava during the team’s win at Penn Sate on Oct. 10.

(Barry Reeger / Associated Press)

Riley said Tuesday that was nowhere near his mind.

“Like I told you guys a lot of times, there’s not a lot of people in college football history that gave up what I gave up to come here,” Riley said. “I came here because this is where I want to be. I came here because I believe in this place. And none of that has changed whatsoever.”

The question is whether USC still believes in Riley.

Inside the locker room, at least, there seems to be no doubt whether Riley should be USC’s coach.

“I know he’s the right guy,” said left tackle Elijah Paige. “I believe there’s not a better leader in the country.”

“He’s the greatest coach I’ve been around,” added freshman wideout Trent Mosley. “We’re all right there with him.”

MADISON, Wis. — Just two short weeks ago, as the Trojans’ marching band roared joyously from the bowels of Beaver Stadium and a cold Pennsylvania rain poured down on a jubilant Lincoln Riley, it seemed like USC and its embattled coach might’ve finally found a foothold, just as they were about to begin a brutal back half of the schedule. They even had a bye to be sure it stuck.

But by Saturday night, any renewed sense of hope in USC’s season had all but slipped away. Maybe for good.

Instead, the Trojans played as poorly as they have all season in a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin. Quarterback Jayden Maiava looked lost. The offensive line was overwhelmed. The rushing attack was worse than nonexistent, with minus-17 yards. And the special teams were an all-too-familiar disaster, with two critical missed kicks.

For one half, it seemed USC’s defense might be the bright spot that kept the Trojans’ hopes alive. It allowed just 78 yards — and just three yards per play — from Wisconsin.

But as the other two phases descended into disaster for USC (6-2, 3-2), its defense could only hold for so long. Wisconsin only managed to rack up 200 total yards, only 58 of which came through the air.

All the Badgers would need in the second half to outlast the Trojans was two successful scoring drives. That was too much for one of the nation’s most high-powered offenses to overcome.

USC certainly didn’t live up to that reputation. Maiava was 31 of 50 for 258 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The Trojans’ leading rusher, freshman Shahn Alston, had 28 yards rushing, while their usual starter, King Miller, never found any room against Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1).

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava passes against Wisconsin on Oct. 24.

(Ross Harried / Associated Press)

That was after USC spent the bye week talking a big game about its renewed focus on the run game.

But nothing about the Trojans’ effort Saturday seemed at all focused.

It was USC’s defense that set the tone early, while its usually high-powered offense struggled to move the ball at all. Wisconsin tallied just eight total yards in the first quarter, as the Trojans swarmed the line of scrimmage and terrorized quarterback Colton Joseph in the pocket.

USC couldn’t do much better on that side of the ball. After an opening three and out, the Trojans were facing the prospect of another empty possession when Maiava threw it downfield on third and 10. But the pass into double coverage was tipped … directly into the arms of Wisconsin cornerback Bryce West.

West returned the interception to the red zone. But USC’s defense clamped down, and the Badgers only managed a field goal.

USC coach Lincoln Riley argues a call during the first half Saturday against Wisconsin.

(Matthew Holst / Getty Images)

Maiava gave it back on the ensuing drive. Under pressure on third down, the senior quarterback scrambled and then threw a late pass over the middle. It was picked off.

USC’s rushing attack wasn’t helping, either. The Trojans didn’t have a single yard on the ground through the first quarter and only managed 10 by halftime.

But the Trojans somehow cobbled together a touchdown drive in the second quarter, thanks to three Wisconsin penalties, all of which handed them first downs. The last of the three — a face mask on what would’ve been an incomplete pass to the end zone — gave USC new life at the one-yard line, and even still, it took the Trojans three plays to punch it in. Maiava eventually found tight end Taniela Tupou for the score.

That’s when the Trojans started to sputter on defense. After being unable to move the ball at all for most of the first half, Wisconsin drove the entire field for a score just before halftime. Then the Badgers marched down the field again and scored to open the third quarter.

Down 17-7, USC drove to Wisconsin’s 12-yard line. But under pressure on third down, Maiava threw it away and was called for intentional grounding. The Trojans tried a field goal, but it was blocked.

The missteps continued. Maiava was sacked again on USC’s next drive, once again pushing the Trojans out of field-goal range. Then, a delay of game pushed them back even farther.

Still, early in the fourth quarter, Riley sent out his kicker, Caden Chittenden, for a 58-yard field-goal attempt. A rain had started to fall over Camp Randall Stadium, eerily similar to State College two weeks earlier.

But Chittenden’s career-long attempt came up well short. And soon enough, USC would follow.

It was a potential nightmare scenario. Starting left tackle, Elijah Paige, had been scratched in pregame warm-ups at Penn State. And in his place stepped a true freshman in his first start at USC, forced to find his way in a White Out, surrounded by a hostile crowd of 114,000 strong.

But when Vlad Dyakonov learned he was stepping in, a couple of hours ahead of kickoff, his coaches were surprised by how little it seemed to faze him.

“Some of us [coaches] were like, ‘Does he realize what he’s getting himself into?’” coach Lincoln Riley said, with a grin. “He didn’t flinch, man.”

You could say the same, generally, about USC’s entire front through the first half of this season. After years of shallow depth, unfortunate injuries, and transfer misfires at the position, USC’s offensive line has been the stabilizing force propelling its high-powered attack to a 6-1 record.

USC running back King Miller carries the ball as the offensive line blocks during a win at Penn State on Oct. 10.

(Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)

That’s a testament primarily to offensive line coach Zach Hanson, who, in his fifth season, has now fully rebuilt the room in his image.

“He’s a very steady guy,” Riley said of Hanson. “He’s not a guy who fluctuates a lot day to day, so our players kind of feed off of that. There’s a steadiness to our group.”

USC is also entering the brutal back half of its schedule with that group as healthy as it has been all season. As the Trojans take to the road Saturday looking to build momentum off the big win over Penn State and subsequent bye week, they’ll have all five starters available along the offensive line against Wisconsin. Paige is set to return, as is left guard Hayden Treter, who missed the last two games.

It comes at an ideal time, considering the pass rusher they’ll have to contend with Saturday. The Badgers have just eight sacks as a defense this season, but boast one of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten, senior Sebastian Cheeks. Cheeks leads the conference with 28 quarterback pressures.

Few teams, though, have been better than USC through seven games at protecting the quarterback. The Trojans’ starting offensive line has only given up one more combined pressure (29) than Cheeks has accumulated himself this season, while only allowing seven sacks in seven games.

“We’re a unit,” center Tobias Raymond said. “So everyone is feeding off each other.”

USC offensive lineman Elijah Paige blocks during a game against Oregon at the Coliseum on Sept. 26.

(Ben Liebenberg / Getty Images)

With Cheeks and a handful of other fearsome pass rushers approaching on USC’s upcoming Big Ten slate, right tackle Justin Tauanuu said the Trojans used the bye week to get back to the basics up front.

“Going against great players like that, you have to go back to fundamentals,” Tauanuu said. “Fundamentals will triumph over everything else.”

USC hasn’t looked like a line in need of much instruction this season. Jayden Maiava has faced pressure on just over 20% over his dropbacks, which ranks 10th among all quarterbacks nationally. It’s also a considerably lower rate of pressure than any USC quarterback has faced in recent years. The previous low, under Riley, was 30.5% with Miller Moss at quarterback in 2024.

Part of that success is Maiava’s penchant for getting rid of the ball quickly. But his protection has certainly been a critical aspect of his success this season. Because when pressure has managed to reach him, the USC senior has been much less effective as a passer. According to Pro Football Focus, Maiava has a completion rate of just 39% under pressure versus 79% when he has a clean pocket.

Blitzes also haven’t bothered USC’s passing attack much, either. Another product of the line’s impressive performance to date. Maiava has essentially had the same amount of time to throw when blitzed (2.7 seconds) versus when not blitzed (2.78 seconds).

Creating room in the run game has been a different story. USC has been considerably less effective on the ground this season than in recent years — a fact that Riley said was front of mind during the bye. The Trojans rank ninth in the Big Ten in rush yards per attempt (4.33) and 10th in rush plays of 20-plus yards (5).

“We definitely can run the ball better,” Riley said. “We’re gonna need to run the ball better. Good is not good enough for us.”

As a whole, though, it’s hard to imagine USC being in a better place up front this season. Especially considering where the position stood at the start of Riley’s tenure. The coach tried, at first, to build the room through the transfer portal and saw mixed results. After that, injuries ravaged an otherwise thin room.

But now the depth Hanson has built over the past few years is paying off. USC has already weathered injuries, including a season-ending injury to last year’s starting center, Kilian O’Connor. Meanwhile, several highly touted linemen are still currently buried on the depth chart, among them five-star freshman Keenyi Pepe, whose progression Riley said has been impressive.

“If you just kind of look at the makeup of it, we don’t have transfers,” Riley said. “We have a lot of guys who were kind of homegrown in this program. We have a good healthy young group. Zach has obviously had a big role in putting that whole group together.”

Asked what the return of star freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley brought to the USC offense, Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava kept his answer simple.

“Score touchdowns,” Maiava said with a smile after practice Tuesday.

In a massive 31-23 road win over Penn State on Saturday, Mosley did just that and more, catching nine passes for 111 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown catch to end USC’s first drive and give his team an early lead.

Mosley was a game-time decision Saturday after he missed the Trojans’ last three games with an injury, including USC’s crushing loss to Oregon in late September.

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava looks to throw a pass during a win over Penn State Saturday in State College, Penn.

(Barry Reeger / Associated Press)

For his performance against Penn State, Mosley earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, becoming the fourth Trojan to win the award this season. It was far from his first strong performance for USC.

Mosley caught 13 passes for four touchdown and 255 yards in his first three college games and returned a punt for a touchdown. The only game Mosley has played for USC during which he didn’t earn at least 100 receiving was the Trojans’ win over Louisiana, during which he was injured.

“I’m just trying to do my part,” Mosley said Tuesday.

The freshman, who came to USC in the spring out of Santa Margarita High, rejoined the Trojans ahead of the Penn State game while the team faced a variety of injuries to other key players on both sides of the ball. Fellow freshman standout tight end Mark Bowman and left tackle Elijah Paige were among the Trojans to miss Saturday’s game with injuries, while defensive tackle Jide Abasiri was significantly limited.

“He’s one of our best players,” Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said of Mosley. “Getting him back has added a huge boost for us. He’s a tremendous playmaker. He’s tough to tackle after the catch. We trust him a lot.”

Now, the Trojans are in a bye week before they play at Wisconsin on Oct. 24. During the bye, the first of two for USC this season, Riley said he hopes to see his team get healthier.

Riley did not address the status of any individual players Tuesday besides saying that Bowman is “getting better,” Riley said he would not rule anyone out for the Wisconsin game. USC’s next Big Ten availability report will be released on Oct. 21.

“I’m hopeful, going into Wisconsin, that just from a whole we’ll be as healthy as we’ve been the whole year,” Riley said. “We haven’t been able to see this team quite at full strength yet from a health perspective. So, I’m kind of excited and interested to see what that would look like.”

Vlad Dyakonov bolsters Trojans

With various starters injured, younger players have filled the gaps for the Trojans.

On Saturday, freshman Vlad Dyakonov took center stage filling in for the injured Paige.

Riley on Tuesday praised Dyakonov’s performance and said the lineman didn’t know he was going to start his first college game until pregame warmups. Paige was moved to a game-time decision on USC’s final availability report two hours before the Penn State game after being listed as available the entire week beforehand.

“There’s some young people across the country that if you told them that and they were in that position in that atmosphere and environment, [they] … would be a little wide-eyed,” Riley said of Dyakonov’s debut in front of more than 114,000 fans during Penn State’s annual White Out Game. “Vlad wasn’t. Vlad was like jacked. He was ready to go.”

USC’s King Miller carries the ball during a win over Penn State Saturday in in State College, Penn.

(Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)

In an appearance on Trojans Live on Monday, Riley recalled Dyakonov boldly calling out 6-foot-5, 295-pound star defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart in a one-on-one drill during practice and holding his own.

“I think we all knew, look, he’s not going to play perfect, but I think we all knew like he’s going to go compete his you-know-what off,” Riley said Tuesday. “Nobody doubted that because that’s what he does every day. He’s built a lot of trust in here.”

Maiava echoed Riley’s sentiment when asked about Dyakonov, praising his ability to fill in for Paige on short notice.

“What an unbelievable player,” Maiava said. “He never flinched when he went out there, and we didn’t either.”

Though Dyakonov has become known for his intensity, Trojans running back King Miller, who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries Saturday behind an offensive line that included Dyakonov, said he also has a sense of humor. Asked what Dyakonov was like off the field, Miller’s first description was “hilarious.”

“It’s great to have a guy like him in this room,” Miller said.