USC’s Mosley Picks Up Where He Left Off Before Injury

At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, USC true-freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley made a much bigger impression on the field in the 31-23 win over Penn State in the annual White-Out game.

Coming off an injury against Louisiana that caused him to miss three games, Mosley showed no signs of rust. It felt like he had never left as he caught nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against the Nittany Lions. He was USC’s leading receiver in the game.

It was Mosley’s third game of the season with over 100 yards receiving. He wasted no time making his presence felt in the game as USC took the ball first.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava drove his team down the field and found Mosley for a 19-yard touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead.

Maiava targeted Mosley 13 times on Saturday night, against a Penn State pass defense that ranked third nationally in pass defense. The Nittany Lions had allowed just 119 yards per game through the air coming into the game. It did not take long for Maiava and Mosley to make a mockery of those defensive stats.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley praised Mosley in his post-game interview.

“He's one of the best players on our team,” said Riley. “So, just like anything, you get one of those guys back, it's huge. And especially some of the other injuries that we had. So, no, he's a baller. He didn't flinch. We got a lot of trust in him. I mean, he's just a flat-out difference maker on the field.”

Mosley has burst on the college football scene as a Top 50 prospect at his position in the prep ranks, No. 34, according to 247 Sports.

During his senior year at Santa Margarita Catholic, in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, Mosley played in nine games and caught 58 passes for 831 yards and six touchdowns. In addition, Mosley rushed for 204 yards and 10 touchdowns.

For that outstanding effort, Mosley was named the Los Angeles Times Football Player of the Year. He also was named Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Football, and the Trinity League Co-MVP.

In his first college game against San Jose State, Mosley gained 118 yards on seven catches and scored a touchdown. He averaged over 16 yards per catch against the Spartans in a 42-26 win.

Mosley followed up that performance with four catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-0 shutout of Fresno State. For the season, Mosley has 366 yards and five touchdowns, and averaging 16.64 yards per catch.

Mosley and the No. 19 Trojans (6-1) now head into their bye week to rest before they travel to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers on Oct. 24.

Wisconsin will present a challenge to Mosley and the Trojans passing offense. The Badgers are ranked No. 9 nationally in pass defense, allowing 152 yards per game.

They have allowed just three TD passes and have intercepted three passes this season.