No. 13 BYU (9-2) at USC (4-6)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. MST
- Venue: LA Memorial Coliseum (77,500 capacity)
- TV: ESPN
- Livestream: WatchESPN
- Radio: KSL 1160 AM
- Series: USC leads the brief all-time series 2-1. The Trojans took the first two before BYU won the most recent meeting in 2019.
- Weather: Clear skies with temperatures in the high 50s at kickoff.
THE TRENDS
For BYU: The Cougars are riding a four-game win streak and can secure their second consecutive 10-win season with a victory Saturday.
For USC: The Trojans, on the other hand, have lost four of their last five games. With a loss in either of their last two contests, they will finish the season with a losing record.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
How motivated will these two teams be? For BYU, can it put aside any intimidation of facing the USC brand in its big stadium and beat a Trojans team it is better than?
For USC, does it still want to try to get bowl eligible (the Trojans have to win both of their last two games to get there), or has it given up on the season?
Beating a highly-ranked BYU team would certainly be big for a USC side that has had a bad year.
KEY PLAYER
Jaxson Dart, QB, USC: The Trojans’ true freshman signal caller is a Utah native who was recruited by BYU before he burst onto the national scene in the fall of 2020 and signed with USC.
He made his first career start last week in a 62-33 loss to crosstown rival UCLA and went 27 of 47 for 325 yards with a touchdown against two interceptions.
QUOTABLE
“Really excited about the matchup against USC. Tons of athleticism, speed. I mean, just great talent on the field. You see it on film throughout all their games all year long.” — BYU head coach Kalani Sitake on the Trojans
“There’s going to be a lot of things that happen in life that doesn’t truly go the way they planned them to go, and it’s going to be a challenge, and I think they’re learning how to deal with adversity, learning how to deal with challenges and continue to push forward.” — USC interim head coach Donte Williams on his team’s response to its rough season
NEXT UP
BYU’s regular season will conclude Saturday, and then the Cougars will wait to see what bowl game they end up in. USC, meanwhile, will play at Cal on Dec. 4 in a game that had to be rescheduled because of COVID-19 issues at Cal earlier this season.
BYU SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 — BYU 24, Arizona 16
Sept. 11 — BYU 26, Utah 17
Sept. 18 — BYU 27, Arizona State 17
Sept. 25 — BYU 35, USF 27
Oct. 1 — BYU 34, Utah State 20
Oct. 9 — Boise State 26, BYU 17
Oct. 16 — Baylor 38, BYU 24
Oct. 23 — BYU 21, Washington State 19
Oct. 30 — BYU 66, Virginia 49
Nov. 6 — BYU 59, Idaho State 14
Nov. 13 — BYE
Nov. 20 — BYU 34, Georgia Southern 17
Nov. 27 — at USC (8:30 p.m., ESPN)
All times MT
