USC's final score hid a controlled scrimmage.
Context
USC led San Jose State 35–3 after three quarters, then used the fourth quarter to get Jonas Williams and other backups meaningful snaps. Jayden Maiava completed 25 of 29 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, and the offense posted a 72% success rate while spreading the ball around.
The final 42–26 margin therefore tells less of the story than it appears to. San Jose State still found moments against the USC secondary, so the defensive-organization question survives, but the opener did not meaningfully weaken the Trojans' playoff-adjacent case.