LOS ANGELES - Trailing by 18 with less than 17 minutes to play, Fresno State pushed USC to the end, scoring twice in the final quarter before falling short, 31-23, on Saturday night at LA Memorial Coliseum.
In a homecoming for the Los Angeles area product Jorge Reyna, the senior finished with 344 total yards, throwing for 256 and two touchdowns while adding 88 yards on the ground on 20 carries in his first start as a Bulldog. Kicker Cesar Silva accounted for the nine of Fresno State's points going 3-for-3 with a long of 46 yards in his first game as a Bulldog.
The defense kept Fresno State in striking distance, forcing four turnovers, and were led by four Bulldogs registering double-digit tackles in Mykal Walker (15), Chris Gaston (12), Juju Hughes (11) and Justin Rice (10).
A critical 100-yard kick off return by Trojans' Velus Jones in the third quarter proved to be arguably the back-breaker in the third quarter after Fresno State pulled within four, and was quickly extended to the 18 points the 'Dogs still nearly overcame.
How It Happened
The Trojans opened the game by marching 81 yards down the field in 13 plays. JT Daniels capped the drive by connecting with Stephen Carr from eight yards out. After a fumble from Reyna at the Fresno State 47-yard line ended the Bulldogs' opening drive, USC doubled its lead to 14-0 five plays later with a 14-yard run up the middle from Carr with 7:45 on the clock in the quarter.
The Bulldogs got the ball moving on their next possession, driving into USC territory, but on a third-and-23, Reyna got loose in the open field but would be stopped two yards short of the marker. The effort though set up a 45-yard field goal from Silva to make it a 14-3 score line. The Trojans would regain their 14-point advantage early in the second quarter thanks to a 38-yard field goal from Chase McGrath. 
Starting just inside Trojan territory, Derrion Grim would pull the Bulldogs within seven with 7:54 remaining in the quarter. Facing a third-and-10 from the 34-yard line, Reyna connected with Grim across the middle of the end zone. USC would threaten on its ensuing possession but after moving 56 yards down to the nine-yard line, Justin Rice stepped in front Daniels' pass at the goal line to give the ball back to Fresno State.
With momentum on their side, the Bulldogs opened the second half by moving the ball inside the 10-yard line, but Reyna's second fumble of the night would halt the drive and give the ball back to the Trojans. The 'Dogs would return the favor though as Arron Mosby jarred the ball loose from Tayler Vaughns and Jaron Bryant would come up with the recovery. The turnover turned into three points as Silva's strike from 46 yards out was true to bring the score to 17-13 with 8:25 on the clock in the third quarter. USC wasted no time answering the Bulldog score with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown from Jones.
After a Fresno State three-and-out, the Bulldogs would see its deficit quickly rise to 31-13 with just under 17 minutes left in the game as the Trojans quickly moved the ball 80 yards on six plays. Vavae Malepeai would punch the ball in from two yards for USC's final score of the night in the third quarter.
Despite a second-straight three-and-out from the Bulldog offense, a deep shot from Kedon Slovis on the next play would drift long and find the awaiting hands of Jaron Bryant. Reyna wasted little time finding Grim deep across the middle of the field for a 52-yard gain on first down. The drive would stall though at the USC 11-yard line and the 'Dogs would be forced to settle for Silva's third field goal of the night. The defense then stood tall on the Trojans' following possession forcing a three-and-out. Reyna and the offense then engineered a 12-play drive that ended with an eight-yard strike to Chris Coleman to bring the 'Dogs within eight at 31-23 with 6:53 remaining.
As USC attempted to bleed the clock, a fourth-and-1 decision arose. Electing to go for it at the Fresno State 44-yard line, Mykal Walker blew up the play and tackled Slovis in the backfield to give the 'Dogs one more chance. After a 36-yard completion to Coleman on fourth down got the Bulldogs down to the 15-yard line, Reyna's shot at the end zone on the next play would find the hands of Isaiah Pola-Mao as the Trojan safety stepped in front of Ronnie Rivers to seal the game.
Quotes
Jeff Tedford, Fresno State Head Coach
On his overall feeling after the loss...
"Not very good. We came here to win a football game and we didn't get that done. I am proud of the team for the way that they competed and fought until the very end, but at the end of the day, it is all about winning the game and we didn't get that done. There was a lot of great learning experiences for us in that game. We had a lot of new players against a really good USC football team. We give them credit, they did a really nice job. We will go back, look at this and learn from it. We look to improve off of it."
On the turning point...
"The kickoff return was a big play. We had a bit of momentum there and we let them get loose. They made a big play and we didn't execute very well. Any time you get a kickoff return for a touchdown, that's a big play of the game."
On Jorge Reyna learning from this start...
"No question. He will definitely build off of this. He had his first start against a very aggressive and good team. We missed some balls but next time out, he will know what to do with it. He missed a couple of big ones tonight, but again, he is under duress. I thought he competed really well. At the end, he put the ball right on him. That happens sometimes, when you see a guy so wide open, you have to give the safety some credit, he made a lot of ground and made a great play on the ball. It was a great learning experience for his first time out, but I thought Jorge competed really well and really hard. He ran the ball and made some key plays for us with his legs. I think it is a great step for him to be under fire against a really good football team like USC."
Jorge Reyna, QB, Sr.
On his first start...
"Being out there felt good, especially being out there with my family an keep attacking. We're going to look back at the film. I had a lot of mistakes. We had a lot of opportunities. I just need to watch the tape and evaluate everything."
On what he learned about himself tonight...
"I've always had a tough journey. It's never been easy for me with family life, football and academics. I just wanted to show the Red Wave that I can fight, no matter what happens and lead."
Mykal Walker, LB, Sr.
On what he'll take from this game...
"Just use it as a learning experience. Hopefully I'll be able to continue my football career after this year. It's so important to prepare, you use these games as preparation tools. You look back on the plays you could have had and the mistakes you made. Everyone dreams about playing USC, it's a game I'll always remember. "
On winning the turnover battle...
"These guys were ball hawks. That's what we do every day, we're taught to go get the ball back. At the end of the day, winning the turnover battle is going to be huge for us. As long as we keep winning that, I see good things coming in the future."
Up Next
Fresno State will return to Bulldog Stadium to host Minnesota on Sept. 7 in its home opener. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. PT and broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
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