Georgia Southern @ USC Game Overview
GASO vs USCRecords
GASO RecordLast 10
| Date | vs | Result | ATS | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, '25 |
@
FRES
|
L 14 - 42 | L 1 | o49.0 |
| Dec 19, '24 |
@
SHSU
|
L 26 - 31 | L -3.5 | o48.5 |
| Nov 30, '24 |
APP
|
W 29 - 20 | W -2.5 | u60.5 |
| Nov 23, '24 |
@
CCU
|
W 26 - 6 | W 2 | u59.5 |
| Nov 16, '24 |
TROY
|
L 20 - 28 | L -7 | u53.5 |
| Nov 02, '24 |
@
USA
|
W 34 - 30 | W 6 | o60.0 |
| Oct 24, '24 |
@
ODU
|
L 19 - 47 | L -1 | o51.5 |
| Oct 19, '24 |
JMU
|
W 28 - 14 | W 10 | u58.5 |
| Oct 12, '24 |
MRSH
|
W 24 - 23 | P -1 | u58.0 |
| Sep 28, '24 |
@
GSU
|
W 38 - 21 | W 3.5 | o57.5 |
GASO Next 3 Games
GASO vs USC Preview
Clay Helton's nearly six-year tenure at the helm of Southern California ended almost four years to the day of him bringing Georgia Southern into Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for Saturday's matchup.
Helton, who took over at USC in October 2015 as interim coach following Steve Sarkisian's firing, went 46-24 with a 2017 Rose Bowl championship and the Trojans' only conference title since 2008.
While he finished with a losing record just once, going 5-7 in 2018, USC repeatedly falling short of expectations resulted in his ouster following a Sept. 11, 2021, loss at home to Stanford. That marked the last time Helton was on the sidelines in Los Angeles.
Georgia Southern (0-1), meanwhile, is playing its second game in California in as many weeks. The Eagles opened the season last Saturday with a 42-14 loss at Fresno State, during which it surrendered 29 unanswered points in the second half.
Despite the loss, Helton heaped praise on quarterback JC French IV, who finished 17-of-28 passing for 158 yards with a pair of first-half touchdowns.
"He played a really mature game," said Helton, who is in his fourth season with Georgia Southern. "Overall, for his first game out, I saw a poise about him that was a lot different than game one of last year, which gave me hope and gave hope to our entire offense."
USC (1-0) came away from its Week 1 with more than just hope: The Trojans eclipsed 70 points for the first time in 20 years, destroying fledgling FBS member Missouri State 73-13.
Jayden Maiava went 15 of 18 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for a score in just over two quarters of playing time. The quarterback was one of five Trojans to who accounted for six rushing touchdowns.
Maiava's backup, Husan Longstreet, rushed for two scores while playing most of second half.
USC coach Lincoln Riley, introduced as Helton's full-time successor in November 2021, said the opportunity to play numerous Trojans in Week 1 was energizing for the team moving forward.
While speaking following Tuesday's practice, Riley also spoke fondly of his limited interactions with Helton. Riley said the two participated in a charity golf event together and "had a chance to sit down and have some really cool conversations."
"Those have been conversations I've appreciated, talking ball," Riley said. "He's been great. He's incredibly complimentary of (USC). ... The kind of human being he is, it's pretty special."
--Field Level Media
GASO vs USCInjury report
Georgia Southern's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Thompson | CB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Thompson is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| P. Green III | CB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Green III is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| J. Whitehead | DL | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Whitehead is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| K. Jordan | DL | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Jordan is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| M. Downs | DL | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Downs is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| N. Eldridge Jr. | DL | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Eldridge Jr. is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| C. Williams | OG | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Williams is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| J. Samuel | RB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Samuel is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| T. Gibbs | RB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Gibbs is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| D. Dempsey | K | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Dempsey is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| E. Walton | TE | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Walton is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| J. Long | TE | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Long is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| R. Helms | TE | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Helms is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| D. Davis | DL | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Davis is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| L. Bullard | DL | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Bullard is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
| J. Dallas | WR | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 14, '25) | Sep 14, '25 | |
| Dallas is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Eagles. | ||||
USC's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Tagoa'i | LB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Tagoa'i is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Trojans. | ||||
| H. Dalton III | RB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Dalton III is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Trojans. | ||||
| A. Graham | CB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Graham is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Trojans. | ||||
| B. Jackson | RB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Jackson is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Trojans. | ||||
| E. Paige | OG | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Paige is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Trojans. | ||||
| P. Brown | CB | Questionable - Undisclosed( Sep 27, '25) | Sep 27, '25 | |
| Brown is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the field for the Trojans. | ||||
| C. Johnson | CB | Out - Knee( Sep 16, '25) | Sep 16, '25 | |
| Johnson is dealing with a knee injury and will not take the field for the Trojans. He will miss the remainder of the 2025 season. | ||||
| C. Chittenden | K | Out - Undisclosed( Sep 13, '25) | Sep 13, '25 | |
| Chittenden is battling an undisclosed injury and will not take the field for the Trojans. He is expected to miss a few weeks. | ||||
QB Passing StatsRecent Games
| Date | Score | YDS | Att | Comp | Comp % | Y/A | TD/Int | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.French IV | Aug 30, 2025 | FRES 42 - GASO 14 | 158 | 28 | 17 | 60.7 | 5.6 | 2/1 | 124.5 |
| J.French IV | Dec 19, 2024 | SHSU 31 - GASO 26 | 212 | 33 | 20 | 60.6 | 6.4 | 1/4 | 100.3 |
| J.French IV | Nov 30, 2024 | GASO 29 - APP 20 | 166 | 19 | 16 | 84.2 | 8.7 | 1/0 | 175.0 |
| J.French IV | Nov 23, 2024 | CCU 6 - GASO 26 | 294 | 38 | 25 | 65.8 | 7.7 | 1/0 | 139.5 |
| J.French IV | Nov 16, 2024 | GASO 20 - TROY 28 | 171 | 28 | 17 | 60.7 | 6.1 | 0/1 | 104.9 |
| Date | Score | YDS | Att | Comp | Comp % | Y/A | TD/Int | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.Maiava | Aug 30, 2025 | USC 73 - MOSU 13 | 295 | 18 | 15 | 83.3 | 16.4 | 2/0 | 257.7 |
| H.Longstreet | Aug 30, 2025 | USC 73 - MOSU 13 | 69 | 9 | 9 | 100.0 | 7.7 | 1/0 | 201.1 |
| J.Maiava | Dec 27, 2024 | USC 35 - TAM 31 | 295 | 39 | 22 | 56.4 | 7.6 | 4/3 | 138.4 |
| J.Maiava | Nov 30, 2024 | USC 35 - ND 49 | 360 | 48 | 27 | 56.3 | 7.5 | 3/1 | 135.7 |
| J.Jensen | Nov 30, 2024 | USC 35 - ND 49 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0/1 | -200.0 |
| J.Maiava | Nov 23, 2024 | UCLA 13 - USC 19 | 221 | 35 | 19 | 54.3 | 6.3 | 1/0 | 116.8 |
| J.Maiava | Nov 16, 2024 | USC 28 - NEB 20 | 259 | 35 | 25 | 71.4 | 7.4 | 3/1 | 156.2 |
GASO vs USC Offense vs Defense
Key Stats League ranks in parenthesis
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 242.0 | (98) | Yards | (70) | 224.0 |
| 4.9 | (95) | Yards/Play | (85) | 3.9 |
| 84.0 | (98) | Rush Yds | (32) | 65.0 |
| 21.0 | (102) | Rush Att | (31) | 29.0 |
| 4.0 | (86) | Yards/Rush | (42) | 2.2 |
| 158.0 | (84) | Pass Yds | (106) | 159.0 |
| 28.0 | (59) | Pass Att | (90) | 28.0 |
| 17.0 | (80) | Comp | (90) | 20.0 |
| 60.7 | (110) | Comp% | (83) | 71.4 |
| 9.3 | (79) | Yards/Comp | (105) | 8.0 |
| 5.6 | (94) | Yards/Att | (102) | 5.7 |
| 124.5 | (88) | QB rating | (105) | 116.6 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 363.0 |
| 5.6 |
| 153.4 |
| 35.6 |
| 4.3 |
| 209.7 |
| 29.6 |
| 18.5 |
| 62.4 |
| 11.4 |
| 7.1 |
| - |
More Stats
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | (--) | Sacks | (9) | 5.0 |
| 0.0 | (--) | Sack Yds | (--) | 25.0 |
| 1.0 | (59) | Intercepts | (28) | 2.0 |
| 0.0 | (--) | Fumbles | (123) | 1.0 |
| 5.0 | (17) | Penalties | (24) | 6.0 |
| 58.0 | (28) | Penalty Yds | (38) | 60.0 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 1.9 |
| 12.4 |
| 0.7 |
| 0.5 |
| 5.9 |
| 50.4 |
Points
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.0 | (85) | Score | (67) | 13.0 |
| 7.0 | (53) | 1st Q | (69) | 3.0 |
| 7.0 | (82) | 2nd Q | (44) | 7.0 |
| 0.0 | (--) | 3rd Q | (125) | 3.0 |
| 0.0 | (--) | 4th Q | (--) | 0.0 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 26.0 |
| 5.8 |
| 7.9 |
| 5.7 |
| 6.5 |
Special Teams
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | (--) | Yards/Punt Ret | (--) | 0.0 |
| 16.0 | (31) | Yards/KO Ret | (123) | 17.5 |
| 0.0 | (--) | FG Att | (88) | 2.0 |
| 0.0 | (--) | FG Made | (107) | 2.0 |
| 0.0 | (--) | FG% | (96) | 100.0 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 10.6 |
| 21.5 |
| 14.0 |
| 10.8 |
| 77.5 |