Kickoff Time Set for USC - Washington State on October 8
USC will get a reprieve from late start times when Washington State visits the Coliseum to take on the USC Trojans on October 8. That game has been set for a 4:30 kickoff and will air on FOX.
That stops a run of three-straight night games for the Trojans. USC kicked off at 7:30 against Fresno State and will do so again this weekend against Arizona State in the Coliseum. This past weekend’s game against Oregon State began at 6:30.
Beyond Washington State, just one USC game time is set. The Trojans will host Colorado on Friday, November 11. That game that will kick off at 6:30 pm and air on FS1.
USC – Washington State Recent History
The Trojans have won the past three meetings against the Cougars. The past two have been lopsided. Last season’s meeting was one of the very few bright spots for USC. Though it didn’t seem so at first.
Head coach Clay Helton was fired early in the week and the Trojans fell into a 14-0 hole midway through the second quarter. USC also lost starting quarterback Kedon Slovis to injury and had to turn to true freshman Jaxson Dart.
Dart hit Gary Bryant Jr. for a touchdown at the end of the first half and the Trojans eventually ran off 45-straight points to come up with a blowout victory. Drake London caught two touchdown passes, Bryant scored again on a short run, Tuli Tuipulotu recovered a fumble in the endzone and Kyle Ford capped the scoring with a 36-yard touchdown reception.
The previous year, USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught four touchdown passes in the first quarter and the Trojans blew out the Cougars 38-13 despite USC rushing for just five yards on 20 attempts.
Going back further, USC has beaten Washington State 12 of the previous 14 games. One of those loses came in 2017, when now-USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch held that same role with Washington State.
Washington State in 2022
It looked like Washington State had wrapped up a win against Oregon this past weekend. The Cougars held a 12-point lead over the Ducks with less than seven minutes remaining in the game.
But Washington State fell apart down the stretch, allowing back-to-back Oregon touchdowns around a three-play drive of their own that used only about a minute of clock. The Cougars had a chance to mount a game-winning drive, but quarterback Cameron Ward threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Oregon escaped Pullman with a 44-41 win.
It was the first loss of the season for Washington State. The Cougars started the season with an iffy, tight win against Idaho, but then beat No. 19 Wisconsin on the road. Washington State then returned home to take care of Colorado State.
Washington State will take on Cal in Pullman this weekend. The Cougars then have a tough three-game stretch at USC, at Oregon State and home against Utah.
