WEST LAFAYETTE — What began as a rainy afternoon in West Lafayette turned into a beautiful night of football, as USC grabbed a 33–17 win over Purdue for its first Big Ten victory of the season.
The Trojans set the tone early, piling up chunk plays and riding the legs of quarterback Jayden Maiava, who scored on a sneak in the second quarter. Running back Waymond Jordan added a touchdown, and despite piling up over 100 yards in penalties, USC built a 17–3 halftime lead behind more than 250 yards of total offense.
The second half saw Purdue fight back. Ryan Browne connected with Nitro Tuggle for a touchdown and later ran one in himself, showing flashes of improvement despite costly turnovers. USC’s defense was the difference, picking off three passes, including a highlight 70-yard rumble to the house from big man Jamaal Jarrett that sealed the game.
Maiava, facing his former UNLV coach Barry Odom, finished 17-of-28 for 282 yards, with Ja’Kobi Lane hauling in three grabs for 115 yards. Jordan paced the ground attack with 77 yards and a score, while Eli Sanders chipped in 75 more.
Odom praised his team’s fight afterward: “A good team and you’ve got to step into the ring and into the arena and be ready for them to swing. And we kept swinging, so we’ll learn from today in a lot of different ways.”
With the win, USC improves to 1–0 in Big Ten play and returns home to face Michigan State. Purdue, now 0–1 in the league, gets a tough test next week at Notre Dame—but the Boilers left the field showing plenty of fight and growth.