Elijah Paige Doesn’t Hold Back on USC Offensive Line’s Week 0 Performance

No. 14 USC Trojans' redshirt-junior Elijah Paige met with the media ahead of a Week 1 matchup vs. the Fresno State Bulldogs. Paige spoke on the offensive line’s performance in Week 0, the recovery process on a short week, Jayden Maiava’s leadership in the huddle and the fan turnout following practice on Sept. 1.

What Offensive Lineman Elijah Paige Said Bfore Week 1

Offensive Line’s Week 0 Performance

USC Trojans Offensive Line Zach Hanson Elijah Paige Tobias Raymond Kilian O'Conner Hayden Treter Justin Tauanuu — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans offensive lineman Elijah Paige (72) reacts during the game against the San Jose State Spartans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“It was great. It's a blessing to get out there and play again. And obviously, it's always nice to hit somebody else,” Paige said about finally facing an opponent.

The Trojans claimed a 42-26 victory over the San José State Spartans on Aug. 29. By the start of the third quarter. USC led 35-0, which allowed a majority of the starters to rest on the sideline for the remainder of the game. The offense finished with a total of 341 passing yards and two touchdowns, with 164 yards and four scores on the ground thanks to a physical performance up front.

In the trenches, the offensive line only gave up one sack, but one could argue Maiava held onto the ball too long on that play. The unit also only allowed three pressures, per Pro Football Focus. Elijah Paige, redshirt-junior center Tobias Raymond, senior guard Alani Noa and redshirt-sophomore tackle Justin Tauanuu were selected to PFF’s team of the week as well.

Despite the success, Paige is not satisfied.

USC Trojans Breck Kolojay Zach Hanson Keenyi Pepe Injury Elijah Paige Recruiting IMG Academy Tobias Raymond Spring Practice — USC Trojans offensive lineman Tobias Raymond | USC Trojans on SI

“I think there's a lot of things to clean up. I think we did some really good things. I think we did some things that need to be cleaned up and we need to be better at.”

Paige also shouted out Raymond and redshirt-sophomore Hayden Treter for playing out of position. When Kilian O’Conner went down with a season-ending injury, Raymond slid over to center. Last season, the veteran was a swiss army knife playing both left and right guard and right tackle, his primary position, in all 13 games.

Treter on the other hand went from not seeing the field his freshman year, only playing special teams in 2025 to becoming a starting guard for the Trojans.

“I think Tobias did a great job calling the IDs, settling us all in. I think Hayden did a great job just communicating just being there and I think we're all together as one. Obviously, like I said, there's a ton of things to clean up, but I think that was a great starting point.”

Recovery on a Short Week

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Waymond Jordan Kinhg Miller Trent Mosley Kayden Dixon-Wyatt Tron Baker Mark Bowman — Sep 4, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans run on to the field for a game against the San Jose State Spartans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The Trojans have their Week 1 game slated on Sept. 4, giving them only five days to practice and bounce back. With this quick of a turnaround Paige credited the equipment in the Bloom Football Performance Center for the team’s recovery.

“100 percent, Bloom has helped tremendously with recovery. With the red light, with everything that we have,” Paige said. Obviously when you're in a shorter week, you got to cram six days of prep into five days. So that's always tough, but Coach Riley has a great plan for us and he's doing a great job.”

It appears that red light therapy has become the go-to source for the players. Senior running back Waymond Jordan and redshirt-freshman Riley Wormley have both shared that it's their favorite way to recover.

Facing the Heat and Fan Turnout in Season Opener

USC Trojans Big Ten Week 0 San Jose State Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Elijah Paige Trent Mosley — Sep 5, 2009; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans players head onto the field at the start of the second half of the game against the San Jose State Spartans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated San Jose State 56-3. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, it was hot. But I mean we were prepared for that. It was hot in this fall camp. It was hot during the week of prep, so we were used to it and we were ready to go,” Paige said about the weather. “We were just focused on the game.”

The redshirt-junior added that juice boxes were provided for players on the sideline as a fun way to beat the heat.

On game day, the temperature reached 94 degrees by noon, which was kickoff time, while the heat index was pushing 100 to 104 degrees. It was a sunny, humid day with little to no shade in the Coliseum. These factors unfortunately impacted the energy for the Trojans’ season opener.

Following the game, the university announced that there were 51,144 fans in attendance. Compared to last year’s season opener, there were 62,841 fans in the crowd for the Trojans’ 73-13 over Missouri State. The turnout became a hot topic on social media, leading Riley to take the defense.

“Yeah, we love our fans. Obviously, whoever we can get out to the game, we're very grateful for them getting a ticket and coming in the heat and watching us play,” Paige said about the fans. “So yeah, it's very important to have them there and we're grateful for them.”

Jayden Maiava's Confidence

USC Trojans Offense Jayden Maiava Lincoln Riley King Miller Waymond Jordan Trent Mosley Kayden Dixon-Wyatt Elijah Paige — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) and linebacker Taylor Johnson (50) react in the second half against the San Jose State Spartans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When asked about Maiava’s development as a leader, Paige shared that his confidence has stood out the most.

“I think his confidence kind of rubs off on us. I think when I see Jayden confident and I see him ready to go, it makes me ready to go, it gives me confidence in him. It gives me confidence in myself,” Paige said about the quarterback. “He was a vocal leader. Many times in the games when we weren't doing what we needed to do as a whole, as an O-line, anything, Jayden was that guy to tell us what we need to do. So, very grateful for Jayden.”

Maiava had a historic performance in Week 0 – completed 25 of 29 passes for 286 yards, three total touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 84.5.

High Praise for Freshmen

USC Trojans Big Ten 2026 Recruiting Class Mark Bowman Luke Wafle Tron Baker Kayden Dixon-Wyatt Trent Mosley — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (17) celebrates with tight end Mark Bowman (19) after scoring on a 9-yard touchdown pass against the San Jose State Spartans in the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The veteran lineman had high praise for two members of the 2026 recruiting class. On defense, Paige credited defensive end Luke Wafle as a tough competitor.

“Definitely, probably the most talented freshman I've went against in my time here at USC. And obviously that's a big thing to say because we've had some very talented guys,” Paige said. "Braylan Shelby, Kameryn Crawford, all those guys. So, Luke Wafle, he's a dog. I'm very grateful to go against him every day. We get each other better, and I can't wait to see what he's going to do for us in the years to come.”

Paige is also a big fan of tight end Mark Bowman and the energy he brings to the offensive line.

“Mark loves to get after. I think Mark loves to block more than he loves to catch. So, anytime you have a tight end that likes to block, you just appreciate that. He's one of us,” Paige said. “He also loves to run routes and do everything. So, grateful for Mark. I know our offense is grateful for Mark and he's doing a hell of a job.”

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