National Analyst Landon Tengwall Breaks Down USC’s Offensive Line in San José State Win

USC offensive line coach Zach Hanson was not shy this offseason when it came to talking about what he wanted his unit to be this season, bullies.

From media availability with the assistant coaches in February and April, to the start of fall camp, the mentality and message from Hanson has not changed. If the Trojans want to take that next step as a program, it starts at the line of scrimmage and Hanson understands that.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Landon Tengwall College Football Zach Hanson Elijah Paige Hayden Treter Week 0 Mark Bowman — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the San Jose State Spartans in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s an offensive line that returns four starters from last season in tackles Elijah Paige and Justin Tauanuu, guard Alani Noa and center Tobias Raymond. Guard Hayden Treter is the only new starter, but he did make his first career start in the Alamo Bowl to end last season.

USC has the size and experience to become a dominant front in the Big Ten and a week 0 win over San José State this past Saturday was the first opportunity to see how they could stack up in 2026.

To review their performance, former Penn State offensive lineman and national college football analyst Landon Tengwall broke down what the film revealed.

What the Film Showed About USC’s Offensive Line

USC coach Lincoln Riley returned to roots last season as a more balanced play-caller and continued that trend in the season opener. The Trojans leaned on their offensive line from the jump, calling nine runs on their 13-play opening drive. The plan was simple and precise, run it down their throat.

“This was an incredibly physical offensive line. I think that is one of the big differences I noticed from last year and years past,” Tengwall said. “It's clear they came out with a mentality that we are going to be physical and we're going to run the ball vertical. Out of the 40 runs, it seemed like 30 or more inside zone.

“We're just going to go mano a mano, and we're just going to try to bully you. I think that's something that we haven't seen a ton out of from USC offenses in years past. So I think there's a bit of a mentality change here, where it's 'Hey, we're gonna be bullies up front.' Paige had some pretty dominant blocks where he pancaked the defensive lineman and put them in the dirt."

For Treter, last season essentially served as his true freshman year after missing all of 2024 with an injury. His stock has been rising since the spring and it reflected in the Trojans first game.

“I was really impressed with his tape," Tengwall said. "I thought he was pretty physical and he had some really nice blocks. He just went mano a mano against defensive tackles with no help, and pushed them two, three yards down the field. He's a guy that plays with a really good base, and his feet never stop moving. It does seem like the fundamentals of this offensive line are coinciding with the nastiness and the physicality that it's clear they want."

Raymond’s versatility was incredibly valuable for USC last season as they dealt with injuries down the stretch. He kicked out to left tackle when necessary but the plan in 2026 was to keep him inside. Hanson has put a premium on creating position versatility. Treter started off last season playing offensive tackle before moving to guard.

For Raymond, Hanson added to his repertoire by having him take reps at center in the spring. That move became permanent when projected starter Kilian O’Connor suffered a season-ending injury early in fall camp. Raymond made his first career start at center in week 0.

“I was really impressed. With someone that's played all over the offensive line, I thought he was in command,” Tengwall said. “And maybe in terms of technique, the most solid out of anybody on the offensive line, which once again is so impressive because he's played every single position. It seems like a really dependable guy that you're going to be able to count on. I like how he accelerates in the run game.

“He really runs off of the ball, and it's hard for the center because they're over top of the ball, so they don't get as much space as the guards or even the tackles get. I thought that was a big reason you were getting so much push when you look at the first couple plays from scrimmage. Both times it's a combo block between Raymond and Treater where they take the defensive tackle eight yards off the football, and then two plays later Raymond and Noa take the defensive tackle eight yards off the football.

“There was a reason that Raymond was a part of both of those. You get a center that really just wants to accelerate and get movement off of the ball. I think that interior push is going to be vital, especially because USC clearly wants to run a ton of inside zone this year.“

Working in Unison and Emergence of Freshman Mark Bowman

The offensive line has to work in unison. And for a Trojans front that has taken as many reps as they have together, it reflected on tape.

“Offensive line is the only position in any sport where four guys do a great job and one guy has a bad play, it's a bad play,” Tengwall said. “It's so important that an offensive line that generally has all played together is on the same page. And I think you saw that on the combo blocks, how they always got hip to hip. There was not a lot of combo blocks getting split.

“There was a lot of confidence and knowing where the guy to the left and right of me is going to be and trusting that he's going to do his job. It looked like a group that has played together for a while. It's clear that they have reps under their belt, and they all know that the guy to the left and the right of them is going to be where they're expected to be.”

Five-star freshman Mark Bowman started at tight end. He may not have had an impact in the pass game, but his presence was felt in the run game.

“You might have one of the better blocking tight ends already in the Big Ten with Bowman,” Tengwall said. “I'm talking serious ability to accelerate into blocks, and once again keeps a base, feet keep moving, gets a really good hand placement. I think Mark Bowman is going to be a huge piece of what this run game is going to be for USC.”

Bowman, who had reclassified from the 2027 to the 2026 class, arrived at USC pretty physically developed. He added 10 pounds of muscle over the summer and looked even more like a veteran Big Ten tight end.

“I really was impressed because normally the biggest transition for a tight end or offensive lineman to college ball is the physicality," Tengwall said. "You got 22, 23, sometimes 24-year-old guys now that you've got to go against. It looked like Mark Bowman was a third-year tight end. He's physically impressive, but a lot of times when you're a young guy, you lack that full confidence to play 100 miles per hour because you're not fully sure.

“You didn't see any of that in Mark Bowman's game. It was full on accelerate, and there was zero hesitation. It's I know what I need to do on this play, and he loves to just block the man across from. He doesn't care who he is. He's going to give 100 percent, and he is going to finish through the whistle.”

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