No. 20 Oregon Tops No.12 USC 41-27 at the Coliseum
USC Trojans #14 Jayden Maiava (QB) threw for 326-yards , two touchdowns, and one interception against the Oregon Ducks’ defense. This photo is by Olumade Cacauley/TGSportstv1 September 26, 2026.
LOS ANGELES - The #12 USC Trojans fell short to the #20 Oregon Ducks, 41-27, Saturday evening at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
“It was a heavyweight battle out there,” said USC head coach Lincoln Riley.
Jayden Maiava went 23-of-42 through the air for 326 yards. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt was his top target, catching seven for 114 yards. On defense, Deven Bryant and Christian Pierce each racked up seven total tackles.
USC's offense clicked early, with Maiava finding freshman standout Dixon-Wyatt for an 18-yard gain that had the Trojans inside the red zone. Oregon's defense stiffened inside the red zone, forcing USC to settle for a field-goal attempt, but the kick sailed wide.
Oregon answered with a 45-yard burst to open their possession and drove to second-and-goal, but the USC defense dug in and held. The Ducks were forced to kick, and Oregon converted a 30-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 3:34 left in the quarter.
USC struck first in the second, scoring a 31-yard touchdown, and Caden Chittenden's extra point gave the Trojans a 7-3 lead.
Oregon matched USC's energy throughout the quarter, even though it was overshadowed briefly by an injury to Oregon's quarterback Dante Moore. The Ducks responded a minute later, scoring a touchdown to reclaim a 10-7 lead.
USC tied it back up at 10-10 with a field goal at the 5:32 mark. A flurry of timeouts from both sides with under 30 seconds left in the half set up one more possession, and the Ducks capitalized, kicking a field goal to take a 13-10 lead into the break.
Coming out of the locker room, Oregon ripped off a 62-yard drive that ended in a touchdown to push their lead to 20-10.
The Trojans answered back when Maiava kept the ball himself, punching it in for a rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to three, 20-17.
USC's defense lost its footing midway through the quarter, and Oregon capitalized with another touchdown to push the lead back to double digits. With a little over 1:30 left, Chittenden connected on a field goal to trim the gap to 27-20, which is how the third quarter ended.
To start the fourth quarter, the Trojans came out strong, moving the ball efficiently down the field. Tanook Hines tied the game at 27-27, and the Coliseum crowd came alive.
“That was honestly the rowdiest I’ve ever heard the crowd, maybe since I’ve been here,” said Riley.
The momentum didn't last, though. Oregon answered right back with a touchdown to retake the lead, 34-27, and added one more late score to seal it, 41-27.
USC returns home to the Coliseum on Oct. 3 to face the Washington Huskies.