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LOS ANGELES — Any good feelings Utah State football had after its season-opening win over Robert Morris are likely gone.
The Aggies got blown out 48-0 by No. 13 USC on Saturday night in a game that served as a wake-up call for a team picked to finish seventh in the Mountain West Conference.
"That's super frustrating," quarterback Bryson Barnes said of the shutout loss. "You never want to see a big fat zero on that scoreboard."
The team's starting quarterback Spencer Petras did not play due to an ankle injury he suffered last week. Barnes started and went 18-of-27 for 103 yards and one interception.
Other than a fumble recovery and Ike Larsen's double-digit tacking night, Utah State couldn't do much of anything for the entire game. The Aggies had only 10 total first downs, and 190 yards of total offense.
On defense, Utah State gave up 544 yards of total offense, and the Trojans didn't punt the ball until the fourth quarter.
"We tried to have the mentality (of) bend but don't break," senior safety Jordan Vincent said. "But I feel like, ultimately, it just came down to execution. We just didn't execute at a better rate than they did."
Utah State did a solid defensive job on USC's opening drive, stopping the Trojans at the 6-yard line and forcing a field goal. But from there, USC had its way on both sides of the ball.
USC quarterback Miller Moss went 21-of-30 on the night and threw for 229 yards and a touchdown. He was replaced by Jayden Maiava late in the game.
Four different Trojans had at least one rushing touchdown, including Quinten Joyner who had two, and 13 different USC players recorded a reception.
The Trojans led 27-0 at halftime and never looked back.
"They proved why they're one of the best teams in the country," interim head coach Nate Dreiling said of USC.
In the second quarter, Aggies junior cornerback DJ Graham II caused a fumble, and linebacker Clyde Washington recovered it for one of the only highlights of the night for the team.
The Aggies had the opportunity to put points on the board late in the fourth quarter, but were pushed back due to a couple of negative plays. Elliott Nimrod's 52-yard field goal attempt missed, prompting a celebration from the Trojans bench.
Despite the shutout loss, the Aggies relayed a message that they were proud of the team's effort.
"From the first drive to the last drive, everybody was giving their all," Barnes said. "There was a lot of toughness. There was just no quit in anybody. Those are the biggest things that we're going to be able to carry throughout the season."
The game was twice delayed due to partial power failures at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The second delay came in the fourth quarter with about 10 minutes left. Dreiling said there was talk of calling the game at that point.
"I asked (USC coach) Lincoln Riley, 'Does that go as a draw for both teams or what?'" Dreiling said, joking. "He didn't think it was as funny as I did."
Utah State hosts undefeated No. 11 Utah next week in an in-state rivalry game at Maverik Stadium.
