Purdue vs. USC Gameday Guide: TV Info, Key Players, Preview, Prediction and More

Big Ten play begins this weekend in West Lafayette, as Purdue hosts USC at Ross-Ade Stadium. It will be the first time the two teams have played as members of the Big Ten, and the first meeting between the Boilermakers and Trojans since a 1998 clash in the Pigskin Classic.

Both teams are entering the game with 2-0 records and are hoping to begin conference play with a victory. Here's the complete gameday guide for Saturday's Big Ten clash.

Purdue (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. USC (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

What: Big Ten Conference game
Date: Saturday, Sept. 13
Kickoff time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. (61,411)
TV: CBS & Paramount-Plus
TV announcers: Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), Jenny Dell (sideline)
Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network — WAZY 96.5 FM (Lafayette); WKJG 100.9 FM (Fort Wayne); WNDE 1260 AM (Indianapolis); WGBF 1280 (Evansville); SiriusXM Ch. 138; View all listings: CLICK HERE
Radio announcers: Tim Newton (play-by-play), Mark Hermann (analyst), Kelly Kitchel (sidelines), Rob Blackmon (producer).
Spread: USC is a 21.5-point favorite vs. Purdue (via FanDuel Sportsbook)
All-time series: USC leads the all-time series vs. Purdue 3-1
Last meeting: USC defeated Purdue 27-17 in the Pigskin Classic on Aug. 30, 1998
Weather: The high is 85 degrees and the low is 60 degrees on Saturday. The temperature at kickoff is expected to be 85 degrees. It is expected to be cloudy with a 15% chance of rain. Winds are expected to be between 4 and 10 mph out of the southwest, with gusts up to 20 mph.

Purdue 2025 results

Week 1: Purdue defeated Ball State 31-0
Week 2: Purdue defeated Southern Illinois 34-17

USC 2025 results

Week 1: USC defeated Missouri State 73-13
Week 2: USC defeated Georgia Southern 59-20

Players to watch

Purdue

Ryan Browne, QB — Through Purdue's first two games, Browne has proven himself as an effective passer and runner. His arm was extremely effective in the season opener against Ball State, throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns while completing 18-of-26 throws. In two contests, Browne has thrown for 481 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. He also has 55 yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown.

Devin Mockobee, RB — Mockobee was a workhorse in Purdue's 34-17 victory over Southern Illinois. He ran the ball 32 times and piled up 126 yards and two touchdowns. It's unlikely that the senior gets that many touches again this week against USC, but he's capable of carrying a heavy workload if the Boilermakers need it. In addition to his elusiveness, Mockobee has also added a power element to his game, making him even more difficult to tackle.

Charles Correa, LB — The sophomore has really made an impact for Purdue at the linebacker spot in the first two games. He has already accounted for nine tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and a pass break-up. Correa has been a disruptor in the backfield and is capable of making plays anywhere on the field.

CJ Nunnally IV, DL — Nunnally really came alive in last week's win over Southern Illinois. He recorded a pair of sacks on quarterback DJ Williams, an incredibly elusive and skilled player under center. The question is whether the defensive end can have that kind of impact every week. He will have his hands full trying to keep USC's quarterback in check this weekend.

USC

USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) runs down the field | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Makai Lemon, WR — Early in the season, Lemon is one of the most explosive receivers in the Big Ten. He's already hauled in 11 receptions for a Big Ten-high 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 22.55 yards per reception rank No. 4 in the conference through the first two weeks of the season. Lemon can really sour the Purdue spirit with a few big plays on Saturday.

Jayden Maiava, QB — Not many quarterbacks have played better than Maiava through the first two games. He leads the Big Ten with 707 passing yards, a total that also ranks third nationally. He's thrown six touchdown passes and has completed nearly 74% of his throws. But the Purdue defense is going to present a few more challenges than Missouri State and Georgia Southern. How will Maiava handle the pressure?

Braylan Shelby, DE — Shelby was a force in USC's opener against Missouri State, totaling 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in a blowout victory. He's recorded four tackles in each of the Trojans' first two games, but didn't have nearly that same level of production against Georgia Southern. Still, Purdue's offensive line better account for the 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end, because he can cause a lot of problems for the quarterback.

Bishop Fitzgerald, S — Fitzgerald is one of three USC players who has recorded an interception this season and also ranks second on the team in tackles, tallying 10 through the first two contests. Purdue's offense needs to account for Fitzgerald, who is capable of making big plays.

The coaches

Barry Odom, Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom watches from the sidelines | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Odom is in his first year at Purdue after a successful two-year run at UNLV. The Rebels won 20 games in the past two seasons, reaching the Mountain West Championship Game each of the last two years. It was an impressive turnaround for a program that has struggled to find and sustain success over the course of its history.

Now, Odom comes to Purdue hoping to turn things around in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers ended the 2024 campaign with a 1-11 record. Although many would consider this a rebuilding project, Odom has refused to use that terminology with his team.

This year will be Odom's seventh as a college head coach. He was at Missouri from 2016-19, posting a 25-25 record and reaching a bowl game twice in that span. As an assistant coach, Odom has worked at Missouri (2003-15) and Arkansas (2020-22).

Overall record: 46-33
Record at Purdue: 2-0

Lincoln Riley, USC

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Riley is in his fourth season at USC and is hoping to get the Trojans into the College Football Playoff discussion in 2025. His time in Los Angeles started promising, leading the team to an 11-3 record in 2022. Since that time, USC has finished with fewer wins each year, going 8-5 in 2023 and 7-6 in 2024.

Before taking over at USC, Riley was at Oklahoma from 2015-21. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Bob Stoops' staff from 2015-16 and was named head coach in 2017. The Sooners were incredibly successful during that five-year window, posting a 55-10 record and winning four Big 12 championships. Oklahoma made three straight College Football Playoff appearances from 2017-19.

Riley is one of the best offensive minds in the game, especially when it comes to coaching quarterbacks and the passing attack. Riley has coached three different Heisman Trophy winners: Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma, 2017), Kyler Murray (Oklahoma, 2018), and Caleb Williams (2022).

Overall record: 83-24
Record at USC: 28-14

Preview and prediction

The first thing that pops out about this game is USC's offensive firepower. The Trojans have scored 132 points and are averaging 676 yards per game to start the year. It's impressive, even if those numbers have been inflated by playing teams like Missouri State and Georgia Southern to start the year.

Does Purdue's defense have the ability to keep Maiava and the USC offense in check? Purdue pitched a shutout in its opener against Ball State but surrendered two quick touchdowns to Southern Illinois in Week 2. While the Boilermakers have played fairly well defensively for seven quarters, that first-quarter performance last weekend makes you wonder if the Trojans can exploit some weaknesses.

Purdue does have some advantages on its side in this game. USC was 1-4 in road games last season, and 0-3 in trips across three time zones, losing to Michigan, Minnesota, and Maryland. Additionally, offensive coordinator Josh Henson worked on Riley's staff for the last three seasons, so he has some knowledge of the Trojans' personnel and tendencies.

I think the 21.5-point spread is way too high in this game. Purdue's offense will be able to take advantage of some holes in USC's secondary and score some points. But can the defense make enough plays and get Maiava and the offense off the field? That will be the deciding factor on Saturday.

Score prediction — USC 37 Purdue 31

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