​USC Trojan WR Trent Mosley (4) runs with the football during an NCAA football game against the San Jose State Spartans on August 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.LOS ANGELES — Trent Mosley had never played a college football game before Saturday afternoon. By the time things were all said and done, it was hard to tell.The true freshman wide receiver lit up the stat sheet, catching seven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. He even made his presence felt through special teams, adding a 41-yard punt return for good measure. With his 118-yard display, Mosley became the first USC true freshman wide receiver since JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2014 to top 100 receiving yards in his college football debut. His auspicious debut performance helped the Trojans roll to a season-opening 42-26 victory over the San Jose State Spartans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans led by as much as 32 points, taking a 35-3 advantage into the fourth quarter before easing off the gas pedal.For a player who spent much of his spring earning high praise from fellow teammates and the USC coaching staff, the debut looked less like a freshman finding his footing and more like a continuation of what he’d already been showcasing for months. “He did well. I mean, he kind of just does what he does in practice,” head coach Lincoln Riley said after the victory. “I don’t think anybody here is very surprised. That’s kind of what it looks like most days there, right outside of Bloom.”It’s clear from Riley’s comments that the practice fields outside of Bloom Football Performance Center weren’t a mystery to Mosley. They served more as a preview for what was to come. Riley labeled him as “a consistent player, an explosive player,” and commended the way he approached his first real game snaps for the Trojans.”I thought he came in and attacked it, didn’t play hesitant,” Riley said. “It was a good weapon for us, both obviously offensively and on the [special] teams unit.”The two-way impact didn’t wait long to show up in front of the home fans. USC handed Mosley reps in the return game for the first time in his career, and he instantly turned the first punt of the day from the Spartans into a 41-yard gain, setting up his squad with excellent field position.Mosley wasn’t the lone bright spot in the receiving room, either. Fellow true freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt caught his first career touchdown en route to a 36-yard showing, part of a wideout group that looks considerably different than the one USC probably had penciled down during camp. Sophomore Tanook Hines and NC State transfer Terrell Anderson, both presumptive starters, were unavailable to play, thrusting Mosley and Dixon-Wyatt into much more significant roles for the season opener.Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who operated precisely and finished 25-29 through the air with 286 passing yards, reiterated Riley’s claim that what fans saw on Saturday wasn’t a surprise inside the building. USC Trojan QB Jayden Maiava (14) runs with the foot