LOS ANGELES — USC football coach Lincoln Riley dialed up his most creative trick play of the season at the start of the second quarter against Northwestern on Friday night.
The No. 20 Trojans lined up in punt formation on a fourth-and-6, but Sam Johnson wasn’t lined up at punter. Instead, it was third-string quarterback Sam Huard, who had officially changed his jersey number to 80 – which matches Johnson’s – for the game.
Huard, who wore No. 7 earlier this season before the team quietly made the change, stepped forward as if to punt, but quickly changed course and dropped back for a 10-yard pass to Tanook Hines.
Huard, who is a couple of inches shorter than the 6-foot-3 Johnson, grinned widely as he high-fived his teammates on the way off the field. He is a former five-star recruit who began his college career at Washington.
Two plays later, starting quarterback Jayden Maiava scrambled right and stiff-armed a defender for a 6-yard touchdown with 11:27 on the clock. Ryon Sayeri hit the PAT after to give USC a 14-7 advantage.
It’s the second straight trick play the Trojans have pulled off since a failed flea-flicker at Notre Dame. Last week against Nebraska, running back Bryan Jackson faked a run, then tossed the ball to Maiava for a 43-yard pass to receiver Jaden Richardson.
OFFENSIVE LINE CONSISTENCY
USC had some rare consistency on the offensive line in Friday’s return to the Coliseum.
The combination of Elijah Paige, Tobias Raymond, J’Onre Reed, Alani Noa and Justin Tauanuu took the field for the second week in a row for the end-of-week game against Northwestern.
“Continuity is bad. The ability to overcome it has been really good,” Riley told reporters on Tuesday. “I can’t remember many years where we’ve just played with a hodgepodge of lineups, really, all year. I give (offensive line) coach (Zach) Hanson and the group credit. They’ve been resilient.”
Elijah Paige was playing in his second game since returning from injury and Noa returned to play after leaving last week’s game against Nebraska early due to an apparent injury.
USC’s depth chart verbiage for the starting center was “J’Onre Reed OR Kilian O’Connor.” The latter hasn’t played since Week 5 at Illinois due to an apparent left knee injury.
Receiver Tanook Hines started Friday night but was listed as questionable on the Big Ten Conference’s official availability report that was released prior to the game. It’s the first time he’s been listed on the availability report.
Running back Waymond Jordan, who is out due to an ankle injury, was seen walking on the sideline just before kickoff and celebrated with the team on the sidelines when Jayden Maiava connected with Makai Lemon for the first touchdown of the evening.
GAME CAPTAINS
Long snapper Hank Pepper, linebacker Eric Gentry, quarterback Jayden Maiava, wide receiver Asante Das and offensive lineman Tobias Raymond were each announced as game captains on Saturday.
It’s Das’ first time as a captain this season. He was named a core value player of the week in early June, a recognition that acknowledges players who represent USC’s core values of unify, sacrifice and championship culture.
The Georgetown transfer played in USC’s season opener against Missouri State.
SHRINE BOWL SELECTIONS
Safety Kamari Ramsey and linebacker Eric Gentry both received invitations to the East-West Shrine Bowl on Thursday.
Ramsey has been a key part of the defense and has played at multiple spots in the secondary. He had a season-high seven tackles against Notre Dame.
Gentry ranks first in the Big Ten in forced fumbles (five) and is 18th in total tackles (57). He also has three sacks and seven tackles for loss.
The Shrine Bowl selects roughly 100 of the top college football players from across the nation and almost all of them are either drafted, signed after the draft or attend a rookie mini camp.
The game will take place on Jan. 27, 2026 at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas.