The No. 14 USC Trojans entered their Week 1 matchup against Fresno State with some momentum after opening the season with a 42-26 win over San Jos State. However, there was still plenty to prove.
Despite controlling most of the game, USC allowed the Spartans to score 26 points, including 23 in the fourth quarter. The late collapse raised some questions about the Trojans ' defensive depth and whether the unit could consistently play at the level expected of a team with College Football Playoff aspirations.
Friday night against Fresno State, it looked like the Trojans took that Week 0 performance personally.
Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Helmets at the line of scrimmage as Southern California Trojans long snapper Luke Brown (53) snaps the ball against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
USC put on a defensive clinic, shutting out the Bulldogs 39-0 while holding them to just 116 total yards. The last time the Trojans held an opponent to fewer than 116 total yards was in 2011 against California , making Friday night's performance one of the more dominant defensive showings USC has produced in years.
But perhaps the most interesting part of the Trojans' defensive performance came in two safeties forced during their shutout of Fresno State.
The Trojans had not forced a single safety in a game since 2019, when Drake Jackson recorded a safety against Utah. The last team to record two safeties in a game was Michigan in 2023, when the Wolverines did it against Maryland during their run to a national championship.
One safety is certainly impressive, but two in the same game says something much bigger about the way USC's defense is playing.
The first safety came in the second quarter.
Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley leaves the field against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With Fresno State backed up to its own 1-yard line after an intentional grounding penalty, quarterback Jayden Mandal faced a third-and-22 situation. Kennedy Urlacher came on the blitz, got to Mandal in the end zone and brought him down for the first safety of the night.
The second safety came later in the game. After Fresno State recovered a USC fumble at its own 7-yard line, the Bulldogs had a chance to take advantage of a sudden-change situation. Instead, Alex Graham immediately broke through and sacked Mandal in the end zone on the very next play.
USC managed to instantly turn an offensive mistake into defensive points, and that is the exact type of response that can completely change the identity of a defense.
That signature Gary Patterson aggression was on display throughout the night.
TCU coach Gary Patterson during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Oklahoma won 52-31.Ou Vs Tcu | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
USC consistently put pressure on Mandal, won at the line of scrimmage, and made it difficult for Fresno State to find any room to operate. The result was a shutout and just 116 total yards allowed.
Safeties don't just happen by accident or coincidence. They usually require an offense to be trapped deep in its own territory, a defense capable of taking advantage of that field position, and, most importantly, defenders willing to attack and play with a high level of aggressiveness and physicality.
That physical, aggressive identity that was on display on Friday night is a very different defensive mentality than the one USC has been associated with at times throughout the Lincoln Riley era. It is also exactly what Riley hoped Gary Patterson would bring to Los Angeles, and so far it looks like Patterson has instilled that same ideology in the Trojans' defense.
The last team to record two safeties in a game was Michigan in 2023. The Wolverines did it against Maryland in a 31-24 victory during their run to a national championship.
Obviously, USC's two safeties against Fresno State do not mean the Trojans are destined to follow the exact same path, but the comparison is still interesting.
Jim Harbaugh is NFL-bound after leading Michigan to three straight Big Ten titles and the 2023 national championship. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Michigan's 2023 defense built its identity around making offenses uncomfortable, winning field position, and consistently creating negative plays. That defensive identity became one of the biggest reasons the Wolverines were able to navigate a daunting schedule and ultimately win a national championship.
USC is still a long way from proving it can do that, but this is the type of defensive football the Trojans need to play if they want to get there.
Fresno State doesn't same level of talent USC will see once Big Ten play begins, but the Trojans still played with the type of physicality that will be needed to find success in conference play.
Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the San Jose State Spartans in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
USC still has plenty to prove before anyone can seriously call this a championship defense.
But after a 42-26 season-opening win that exposed some of the same concerns that have followed the Trojans in recent years, the response against Fresno State could not have been much better.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC Trojans Defensive Dominance Akin to Recent National Champions .
