Football Loses to No. 11 USC

Saturday, September 19

Piscataway, N.J.

3:30 PM

Rutgers

0-3 , 0-1

USC

4-0 , 1-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Southern California	10	10	15	7	42
Rutgers	7	7	14	7	35

Photo by: Dakota Moyer

Sep 19 | Football

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No. 11 USC 42 (4-0, 1-0), RUTGERS 35 (0-3, 0-1)
SHI STADIUM • PISCATAWAY, N.J.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2026 • ATTENDANCE: 43,045

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football (0-3, 0-1) lost to No. 11 USC (4-0, 1-0), 42-35, on Saturday at SHI Stadium.

QB Dylan Lonergan passed for 252 yards and tossed touchdown passes to WR Vernon Allen III, WR Elias Coke and WR KJ Duff. RB Antwan Raymond finished with 161 total yards (122 rushing, 39 receiving) and a rushing touchdown, while RB Clay Thevenin added his first rushing score as a Scarlet Knight.

DL Zaire Angoy tallied a sack in the first half. DB Kaj Sanders led the defense with nine tackles and a pass breakup.

FIRST QUARTER
The Trojans scored the first 10 points of the game before Rutgers responded with a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Lonergan connected with Duff Jr. on an 11-yard strike, capped by a one-handed touchdown grab at the end of the quarter to trim the deficit to 10-7.

SECOND QUARTER
With eight minutes left before halftime, the Scarlet Knights mounted their second scoring drive of the day. Facing fourth down inside their own territory, P Jakob Anderson converted a fake punt with a 40-yard pass to DB Jessie Ofurie. RU's offense took advantage, as Lonergan found Coke for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Trojans' lead to 17-14 with under two minutes remaining in the half. USC answered with a late field goal to take a 20-14 advantage into the break.

THIRD QUARTER
The Trojans scored first out of the break, but Rutgers continued to counter. Raymond ripped off a 49-yard run before Thevenin punched in a 17-yard touchdown rush with 8:52 left in the quarter. Thevenin's first touchdown as a Scarlet Knight made it 27-21 USC.

Both teams continued to trade scores down the stretch. On RU's next possession, Raymond carried six times, capped by a two-yard touchdown run to make it 35-28. Rutgers' defense held USC off the board for the remainder of the quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER
RU's defense held strong on the opening drive of the quarter. Facing a fourth down at its own 17-yard line, DB DK Gilley and DB Kevyn Humes tackled the USC running back short of the line to gain, turning the ball over on downs and giving possession back to Rutgers at the 13:22 mark.

The Trojans added a touchdown as the Scarlet Knights continued to fight down the stretch. Lonergan threw his third touchdown of the night, finding Allen III for a 28-yard score to cap a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Allen III's first career score made it a one-score game with just over four minutes to play.

Ultimately, USC was able to run out the clock in the fourth quarter and kneel out the victory.

NOTES
• Rutgers scored 35 points, its most against a ranked opponent since posting 52 in a win over No. 17 Pittsburgh in 2008.
• QB Dylan Lonergan totaled 252 passing yards, his seventh career game reaching 200, and threw three touchdowns for his third game achieving the mark.
• RB Antwan Raymond reached 100 rushing yards for the second straight week and seventh time in his career. The 122 rushing yards put him at 1,996 career rushing yards. Raymond scored a two-yard touchdown, his 22nd career rushing touchdown, one shy of moving into the program's top-10 list.
• WR KJ Duff posted seven receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. He is now 12th in program history with 1,928 career receiving yards. It was his fourth straight game with a receiving touchdown dating back to last season. Duff Jr. now has 14 career receiving touchdowns to take sole possession of 10th most in program history.
• WR Vernon Allen III, WR Elias Coke and RB Clay Thevenin all scored their first touchdowns as Scarlet Knights.
• DB DK Gilley registered a career-high eight tackles.
• DL Zaire Angoy recorded his first career sack.
• P Jakob Anderson completed his first career passing attempt for 40 yards to connect with DB Jesse Ofurie on a fake punt.
• Consecutive games played: LB Ty Morris (39), DL Zaire Angoy (33), OL Kwabena Asamoah (31)

UP NEXT
Rutgers continues its three-game homestand hosting Howard Friday, Sept. 25, presented by GGL Injury Lawyers. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

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