USC Trojans at Purdue Boilermakers

USC overcomes 3-hour delay and slow start to hold off Purdue for 33-17 victory in Big Ten opener

The Trojans (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) got their first win in the Eastern time zone since September 2012 at Syracuse, ending a nine-game skid — albeit with an unexpected 6:45 p.m. EDT start that coach Lincoln Riley joked at halftime was more like West Coast time.

“I think this year we have a little chip on our shoulder when it comes to road games,” said receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, who had three catches for 115 yards. “We know what kind of mindset we have to have in the fourth quarter and it's not to settle.”

Maiava finished 17 of 28 with 282 yards on a day the highest-scoring team in the Football Bowl Subdivision was held to a season-low point total. Jordan ran 18 times for 77 yards. Eli Sanders had 10 carries for 75 yards.

Purdue (2-1, 0-1) lost for the first time under new coach Barry Odom, who coached Maiava two years ago at UNLV. Ryan Browne was 24 of 39 with 305 yards, one TD and three interceptions while scoring the first rushing TD against the Trojans this season on a 34-yard run when he scooped up an errant, bouncing lateral and scooted down the sideline.

USC took at 10-0 lead on Maiava's 3-yard TD run to open the second quarter and extended the margin to 17-3 on Jordan's 6-yard run late in the first half. The Trojans started the second half with two field goals, then got Jarrett's to make it 30-10 late in the third quarter. Purdue couldn't recover.

“A good team and you've got to step into the ring and into the arena and be ready for them to swing,” Odom said. “And we kept swinging, so we'll learn from today in a lot of different ways.”

The takeaway Southern California: When the Trojans couldn't rely on their video game offense for points in their first trip to Ross-Ade Stadium since 1976, they still did enough to snap a 14-game losing streak when playing in the Eastern or Central time zones. Will it be enough to make the Top 25? Maybe.

Purdue: The Boilermakers have exceeded last year's victory total and though they were competitive, it didn't feel like they passed this season's first big test. They gave up four sacks, had three turnovers on red-zone possessions, had no takeaways and didn't do quite enough to win on a day they honored former quarterback and CBS analyst Gary Danielson and the 2000 Rose Bowl team.

Weathering the storm Less than 30 minutes before the scheduled start, lightning strikes forced officials to clear Ross-Ade Stadium. Over the next three hours, nearly 1.3 inches of rain fell.

At one point, fans briefly began to re-enter the facility before being instructed to leave again because of lightning. But the front cleared out and the game was played in sunny, cool conditions.

“We were literally walking out to the field and then we had a delay," said USC safety Bishop Fitgerald, who intercepted two passes. “It's 30 minutes, turns out to be an hour, coach Riley comes back in says we've got another hour.”

Up next Southern Cal: Hosts Michigan State next Saturday.

Purdue: Faces a more daunting challenge next Saturday at No. 8 Notre Dame.