Georgia Southern Eagles at USC Trojans

USC routs Georgia Southern 59-20 in former coach Clay Helton's return to the Coliseum

Waymond Jordan rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown, and Ja’Kobi Lane made an exceptional one-handed TD catch as the Trojans (2-0) racked up 755 total yards. Walker Lyons also caught a TD pass, while Eli Sanders ran for two scores.

“Teams that win the explosive play battles typically win games, so it’s good,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. "I mean, we’re making some big plays on all sides, which is great. It doesn’t mean it will always be like that, so we’re also looking to play clean and very efficient as well ... but we’re certainly not disappointed about the big plays."

Helton spent parts of eight seasons as the head coach at USC, winning a Rose Bowl and a Pac-12 title. He also failed to achieve the national championship contention demanded of USC coaches before he was fired two games into the 2021 season.

“I’m very grateful that I got be a Trojan for 12 seasons,” Helton said. “I will always hold this place near and dear to my heart. It’s one of those special places. You get to be a part of it, and you know it’s not going to last forever. You hope it does, but I got to be a part of it.”

The Coliseum did the rare honor of welcoming Helton by name while he led Georgia Southern onto the famed field Saturday, although he was greeted mostly with boos. Helton laughed it off.

“They were great,” Helton said. “It's the beauty of LA. It's a championship city. They compete like heck here. The beauty of fans is they produce great passion, and there was great passion out there today.”

Camden Brown caught two TD passes in the first half for the Eagles (0-2), who have begun Helton's fourth season with road losses to Fresno State and USC by a combined 101-34. Georgia Southern still racked up 377 yards of offense in their coach's former home.

In his second game at USC, juco transfer Jordan rushed for more yards than any tailback in Riley's four-year tenure. Maiava's 412 yards passing were the 14th-most in USC history, boosted by four pass plays longer than 50 yards. Lemon finished with 158 yards receiving — all in the first quarter.

But Georgia Southern led less than two minutes after the opening kickoff when Jordan fumbled and Brown caught a 32-yard TD pass from Weston Bryan on the first career throw by the freshman quarterback.

USC answered with that one-handed TD catch by Lane, who hauled in Maiava's throw despite defensive pass interference.

“I think it’s just the constant repetition of catching the ball, just being able to recognize where I’m at on the field and the position I’m in," said Lane, who made a similar catch in high school. "Just trying to make any play I can.”

Lemon turned a short reception into a 62-yard TD romp through the Eagles' secondary on the next possession, and he made a 74-yard scamper less than five minutes later.

Jordan made a 36-yard TD run early in the second half. King Miller added a 41-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

Turner's turn Helton’s son, Georgia Southern quarterback Turner Helton, went 4 of 9 for 24 yards in the fourth quarter. The product of nearby Palos Verdes High School transferred from his uncle’s program at Western Kentucky last spring to join his father.

Turner Helton practically grew up at the Coliseum, running around on the field before games and spending time in the locker room.

“We hugged right before his first series,” Helton said. “You blink your eyes, and your children get old. He's a good player, but I'm even more proud of the man he is.”

Takeaways USC's offense looks potent, racking up seven plays longer than 35 yards after scoring 73 points against Missouri State last week. The defense isn't nearly as impressive, with Georgia Southern consistently driving into USC territory and revealing flaws that better opponents can exploit.

“There’s plays we made last week and probably some this week that, you know, if we’re not cleaner against more talented teams, the results probably aren’t going to look like that," Riley said. “We’re still a long ways off from our best.”

Up next Georgia Southern finally gets its home opener against Jacksonville State on Sept. 13.

USC visits Purdue for its Big Ten opener on Sept. 13.