PISCATAWAY, NJ — USC fell from No. 9 to No. 21 after suffering a major early-season setback, falling 23-7 to unranked Rutgers at SHI Stadium.

The victory marked the first time the Scarlet Knights defeated the Trojans in two all-time meetings. Their only previous matchup came in 2024, when USC rolled to a 42-20 victory.

This time, Rutgers’ defense controlled the game.

Senior quarterback Jayden Maiava threw a touchdown pass in the first quarter, but the USC offense went quiet the rest of the afternoon. The Trojans were held to just 213 yards of total offense, went 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts and committed seven penalties for 70 yards.

Rutgers junior quarterback AJ Surace threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Antwan Raymond kept the offense moving with 125 rushing yards on 21 carries. Senior kicker Jai Patel added three field goals to help the Scarlet Knights steadily build their advantage.

The win kept Rutgers unbeaten at 3-0 overall and gave the Scarlet Knights a 1-0 start in Big Ten play. USC dropped to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

The road doesn’t get any easier for the Trojans. USC hosts No. 10 Oregon in Week 4 looking to avoid a second straight loss. The Ducks defeated the Trojans 42-27 at Autzen Stadium last season, and another USC defeat could deal a significant early blow to its hopes of earning a CFP bid.

Rutgers gets an FCS opponent next before facing a ranked Indiana team in Week 5.