At the start of the season, this game had interested me as it was set to be the first test for the Trojans team before their tough stretch in the schedule with their road trip to Notre Dame. The game would feature a next-generation battle of Rice, son of Jerry Rice possibly lining up against Shilo Sanders, one of Coach Prime’s sons. Although injuries to Shilo and Travis Hunter caused them both to miss the game, Shedeur Sanders delivered a gritty performance for his team.
The game started with Caleb Williams leading the Trojans to a commanding 21-0 in the second quarter and a 34-14 lead at halftime. With the help of Rice had a solid game with 81 yards and two scores on five catches, USC was up by four scores late in the third quarter (48-21). Sanders kept his poise and battled back, finding a new favorite target in freshman Omarion Miller, seven catches for 196 yards and a touchdown, the Buffaloes dug deep and clawed back to make it 48-41 late in the fourth quarter. After recovering the onside kick, the Trojans were able to run out the clock and escape with a victory.
Shedeur finished the game going 30 for 45 (66.7% completion) for 371 yards four touchdowns and an interception. He also added 50 yards and a score rushing. Showing a resolve to be able to be a game changer similar to his father. Although he came up short today, he will learn and improve from it. As for Rice, although he didn’t have the eye-popping numbers in the game, he made the catches that mattered, showing off some of the same body control and route running that his dad made a staple of during his playing career.
Make no mistake, although Colorado took the loss today, their second of the season, this team is building something special. With Hunter and Shilo hopefully returning within the next week or two, the Buffaloes will look to rebound against the Sun Devils of Arizona State on October 7th.
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