Jayden Maiava threw for 282 yards and rushed for a touchdown while defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett returned an interception for a score as Southern California opened Big Ten play with a 33-17 win over Purdue Saturday night in West Lafayette, Ind.
Maiava completed 17 of 28 passes as the Trojans (3-0, 1-0) rolled up 460 total yards and kept the ball for 34:07. Ja’Kobi Lane caught three passes for 115 yards, while Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders added 77 and 75 rushing yards, respectively.
Ryan Browne hit 24 of 39 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown for the Boilermakers (2-1, 0-1), but also tossed three interceptions. One of those was a tipped pass that the 6-foot-5, 360-pound Jarrett gathered in at the USC 30 and lugged 70 yards for a touchdown and a 30-10 advantage with 2:15 left in the third quarter.
Browne found Nitro Tuggle for a 9-yard score 43 seconds into the fourth quarter, and had the Boilermakers on the verge of another touchdown when he was picked by Bishop Fitzgerald at the 2 with 5:37 left. The Trojans converted that into Ryon Sayeri’s fourth field goal, a 19-yarder with 1:10 remaining.
The pregame storyline was a thunderstorm that swept over Ross-Ade Stadium and delayed the opening kickoff for over three hours. But once things got going, USC was able to keep Purdue at arm’s length by scoring on its first three drives.
Sayeri converted the first of his field goals, a 24-yarder, at the 7:39 mark of the first quarter. Maiava scored on a 3-yard run on the first play of the second quarter, capping an 80-yard drive.
After Spencer Porath got Purdue on the board with a 39-yard field goal with 10:49 left in the half, the Trojans marched 75 yards and chewed up over seven minutes of clock. Jordan got the touchdown on a 6-yard run and USC took a 17-3 lead into halftime.
The Trojans outgained the Boilermakers 263-134 in the first half, enabling them to overcome six penalties for 70 yards.
Tuggle (69), EJ Horton (70) and Michael Jackson III (70) combined for 209 receiving yards on 16 catches.
