Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

1 day ago

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

1 day ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

1 day ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

1 day ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

2 days ago

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

2 days ago

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

2 days ago

State Department Approves $30 Million for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

2 days ago

Cargo Ship That Caught Fire Carrying Electric Vehicles Sinks in the Pacific

3 days ago

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

3 days ago
Special Teams, Missed Opportunities End Bulldogs' Upset Bid
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
September 3, 2019

Share

LOS ANGELES — When J.T. Daniels left the field unable to put weight on his right leg, the quarterback’s Southern California teammates understandably fell into a funk that lasted through halftime.
Velus Jones Jr.’s magnificent kickoff return finally roused the Trojans to persevere for a gritty opening win in a season that looks uncertain.
Vavae Malepeai rushed for a career-high 134 yards and Jones returned a kickoff 101 yards for a score in a 31-23 victory over Fresno State on Saturday night.

Daniels Passes for 215 Yards in First Half

Daniels passed for 215 yards before getting hurt on a blitz 27 seconds before halftime.
Coach Clay Helton called the injury “gut-wrenching, when you see a kid that’s poured so much into the game and into this team” after the game. On Sunday, Helton said that Daniels has suffered an ACL injury and a meniscus tear and will miss the remainder of the season.
Freshman backup Kedon Slovis passed for 57 yards in his debut for the Trojans (1-0), who opened a high-pressure season for Helton with a major injury overshadowing strong performances across the rest of the Air Raid-style offense installed by new coordinator Graham Harrell.
Stephen Carr caught a TD pass and rushed for another score, while Malepeai scored a touchdown and ground out plenty of tough yards in the second half. Tyler Vaughns had 11 catches for a career-high 150 yards for the Trojans, whose point total was hurt by two red-zone turnovers by Daniels before his injury.
“It was just amazing to come out here and show everybody what this offense can do,” Carr said. “It was a sad sight to see J.T., but he came up to me on the sideline and said, ‘Hey, let’s turn it up.’ He was still pumping us up.”

Tedford: ‘We Didn’t Execute Very Well’

USC led by 18 points entering the fourth quarter, but needed a strong defensive finish to hang on. Isaiah Pola-Mao made an interception in the end zone with 1:45 to play.
Jorge Reyna passed for 256 yards and ran for 88 more for the defending Mountain West champion Bulldogs (0-1), who had won 21 of their last 25 games under coach Jeff Tedford. The Bulldogs trimmed USC’s lead to 17-13 right before Jones’ 101-yard return.
“(The) kickoff return was a big play for sure, because we had a little bit of momentum going right there, and we let him get loose,” Tedford said. “Again, they made a big play and we didn’t execute very well.”
Fresno State trimmed its deficit to 31-23 on Chris Coleman’s 8-yard TD catch with 6:39 to play. USC then turned the ball over on downs at midfield, but Pola-Mao picked off Reyna’s throw to the end zone before Malepeai and the Trojans ran out the clock.

Reyna’s First Start

Reyna, a Los Angeles-area native, went 19 for 39 while taking over for Marcus McMaryion, one of eight Bulldogs offensive starters who must be replaced this fall. Reyna ran well, but glaringly missed a handful of key throws.
“He will definitely build off of this, his first start against a very aggressive good team,” Tedford said. “We missed some balls, but next time out he’ll know what to do with it.”
One of Reyna’s high school coaches and his coach from West Los Angeles College were in the stands.
“My journey has never been easy — family life, football life, academics,” Reyna said. “But I just wanted to show you guys that I can fight, and I’m going to keep on fighting on matter what happens.”

Early Success

Harrell’s highly anticipated offense had a fairly sharp start with Daniels, who completed 13 of his 14 passes on the first two drives. USC racked up 308 total yards in the first half, but Daniels threw a goal-line interception in the second quarter before losing a fumble while getting injured.

USC’s Unheralded Backup

With big plays on defense and special teams, the Trojans hung on in the second half behind the 18-year-old Slovis, an unheralded recruit from Scottsdale, Arizona, who unexpectedly beat out Jack Sears and Matt Fink for the backup job in camp. Slovis went 6 for 8, but threw an interception that sparked the Bulldogs’ comeback hopes.
“You never like to see your teammate go down,” Slovis said. “But that’s my role. I’ve just got to be as good as him.”

The Takeaway

Fresno St: The Bulldogs couldn’t pull an upset at the Coliseum despite 206 yards rushing and decent moments of defensive play. It’s too early to gauge the quality of this loss, but Reyna’s inconsistency in important moments raises flags.
USC: A win feels good, but Helton and Harrell have a huge amount of work to do in the next week. If Daniels is out long-term, they must decide whether Slovis is ready to take charge during the Trojans’ brutal early-season stretch of games, or whether they go back to Fink or even Sears, who entered the transfer portal after missing out on the starting job.

Up Next

Fresno State welcomes Minnesota to Bulldog Stadium next Saturday for the first visit from a Big Ten team since 2014.
USC opens Pac-12 play with a visit from Stanford next Saturday in the California private schools’ annual way-too-early meeting.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

DON'T MISS

University of Virginia President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump Administration

DON'T MISS

How Did the Supreme Court Rule? Here’s a Look at the Big Cases

DON'T MISS

Mamdani’s NYC Primary Win Sparks Surge in Anti-Muslim Posts, Advocates Say

DON'T MISS

Trump Sends in DOGE to Slash Federal Gun Regulations by July 4

DON'T MISS

Tensions Flare at Announcement of Major Fresno County Gang Takedown

DON'T MISS

Measure C ‘Blackmailed’ As Fresno Enviro Coalition Gets Huge Say on Transportation Tax

DON'T MISS

Despite $49M Deficit, Fresno Unified Gives Top Brass 5% Raise, 3% One-Time Bonus

DON'T MISS

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

UP NEXT

Measure C ‘Blackmailed’ As Fresno Enviro Coalition Gets Huge Say on Transportation Tax

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

UP NEXT

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

UP NEXT

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

UP NEXT

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

UP NEXT

Calwa Park Sitting on $7.4M in Grants. Where is New Pool, Other Upgrades?

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Teisha Zonnette Thomas

UP NEXT

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

UP NEXT

Fresno Advocates Want Respect for Immigrants, Defend Miguel Arias

UP NEXT

Clovis Police Searching for At-Risk Missing Man Last Seen in Fresno

Mamdani’s NYC Primary Win Sparks Surge in Anti-Muslim Posts, Advocates Say

15 hours ago

Trump Sends in DOGE to Slash Federal Gun Regulations by July 4

1 day ago

Tensions Flare at Announcement of Major Fresno County Gang Takedown

1 day ago

Measure C ‘Blackmailed’ As Fresno Enviro Coalition Gets Huge Say on Transportation Tax

1 day ago

Despite $49M Deficit, Fresno Unified Gives Top Brass 5% Raise, 3% One-Time Bonus

1 day ago

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

1 day ago

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

1 day ago

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

1 day ago

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

1 day ago

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

1 day ago

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

Like a lot of people of center-right/center-left political leanings, I’ve spent the past few decades detesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netan...

13 hours ago

2022 Election Rally for Netanyahu
13 hours ago

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

University of Virginia President James Ryan Resigns
13 hours ago

University of Virginia President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump Administration

14 hours ago

How Did the Supreme Court Rule? Here’s a Look at the Big Cases

Zohran Mamdani Speaks to Supporters
15 hours ago

Mamdani’s NYC Primary Win Sparks Surge in Anti-Muslim Posts, Advocates Say

American Flag Revolver
1 day ago

Trump Sends in DOGE to Slash Federal Gun Regulations by July 4

Rob_Bonta_Speaking_At_Press_Conference_1280x720
1 day ago

Tensions Flare at Announcement of Major Fresno County Gang Takedown

Garry_Bredefeld_Sandra_Celedon_Mesure_C_1280x720
1 day ago

Measure C ‘Blackmailed’ As Fresno Enviro Coalition Gets Huge Say on Transportation Tax

Fresno_Unified_Raises_1280x720
1 day ago

Despite $49M Deficit, Fresno Unified Gives Top Brass 5% Raise, 3% One-Time Bonus

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend