Good morning, Trojan Family! “He has some very, very impressive throws for a true freshman. He does a great job seeing the field.” Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn evaluates USC football’s new signal caller’s next matchup on the latest edition of Quick Hits with Keely Eure.

What else can you find in today's edition of The Three Torches?

🏈 Trojans set for Homecoming Weekend battle
⚽️ Women of Troy ready for a first-round matchup
⚔️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Making Moves. Two traditional powerhouse teams will duke it out in a historic setting at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday at 1 p.m. as USC and Nebraska both remain in the hunt for bowl eligibility. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiva will make his USC debut as the program’s first Polynesian quarterback to start. Last time out, running back Woody Marks led the Trojans with 22 carries for 123 yards and a score while Zachariah Branch led the Trojans in receiving yards with 102 on 6 receptions.

🔼 Let The Games Begin. The No. 1 seeded USC women's soccer team will face off against Sacramento State in its first-round matchup of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Carson. The Trojans and Hornets have met once before in 1995, when the Trojans won in dominating fashion, 7-0 in a nonconference matchup. This season against common opponents (Portland and Oregon) the Trojans are 2-0, while the Hornets are 0-2 against the Pilots and Ducks.

🔼 Running Shoes. Today, USC women's cross country will compete at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country West Regional at 11 a.m. The Trojans are sending five of its runners including Helena Teixeira-Dasilva who recently led the team at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships and was honored with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

#TrojanFamily, enter the Sprouts Super Fan Sweepstakes below for your chance to win exclusive prizes! Sprouts Farmers Market! Open seven days a week, visit your neighborhood Sprouts for good-for-you groceries and great prices on the freshest produce.

🔼 Rivalry Weekend. The No. 4-ranked Trojans wrap up the regular season on the road this weekend, paying a visit to crosstown rival UCLA. The Trojans, sitting at 18-4 this season, square off against the top-ranked Bruins for a 1 p.m. meeting on Saturday. USC is coming off a win last weekend against UC Santa Barbara where Luka Brnetic matchup his career-high in goals scored with a hat trick.

🔼 Battled It Out. The Women of Troy fall to 17-8 overall and go to 9-6 in the Big Ten following the team’s three-set loss to Wisconsin on Thursday night. The Trojans finished with 28 kills in the match, led by Ally Batenhorst who recorded eight.

🔼 Top Talent. The USC volleyball team is bringing in three of the top-rated prep athletes to be part of the 2025 freshman class. The program has signed Quinn Loper, Reese Messer and Abigail Mullen, head coach Brad Keller announced earlier this week.

🗣️ “Since I arrived on campus, we have been working towards re-establishing a championship program and the addition of these three incredible athletes brings us closer to sustaining and growing what we've been building at USC." - Brad Keller

📚️ Read more about the Trojan trio joining the team in 2025

Today’s Top Tier Performance presented by ARCO goes to USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Gottlieb achieved her 300th career win in the 124-39 victory over CSUN earlier this week in a record-setting offensive outing.

This season, Abbott and the Big Ten are pitting school against school in the largest blood donation competition of our lifetime to fight the largest blood shortage in a generation.

Want USC to win? Then don't give up. Give blood. Every donation scores one point for your school on the leaderboard.

The winning school will receive $1 million to advance student or community health. Individual donors will be offered a free one-month subscription to B1G+ and will be entered to win a trip to the 2024 Discover® Big Ten Football Championship Game on December 7, 2024. Learn More and Give Blood Today.

Today’s trivia question is brought to you by Smart & Final. With more than 3,000 club-sized items and an assortment of quality, value-priced products, including farm-fresh produce, dairy, deli, meat and seafood, as well as grocery and household essentials. Smart & Final has your every need covered — all without a membership fee!

Nothing New. USC soccer heads into postseason play this weekend as the team faces off against Sacramento State as a No. 1 seed fresh off a Big Ten Regular Season title after going 15-1-3 during the 2024 season.

Our question today: how many NCAA Postseason appearances have the Women of Troy made in program history?

Think you got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

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📅 THE WEEKEND AHEAD

Friday, November 15
👟 Cross Country @ NCAA West Regional in Colfax, WA
🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Santa Clara @ Noon in Los Angeles, CA | B1G+ | Listen

Saturday, November 16
🤽‍♀️ Women’s Water Polo @ Alumni Game @ 10 a.m. in Los Angeles, CA
🤽‍♂️ Men’s Water Polo vs. UCLA @ 1 p.m. in Westwood, CA | Watch
🏈 Football vs. Nebraska @ 1 p.m. in Los Angeles, CA | Tickets | Watch | Listen

Sunday, November 17
🏐 Volleyball vs. Oregon @ 1 p.m. in Los Angeles, CA | Tickets | B1G+
⚽️ Soccer vs. Sacramento State @ 2 p.m. in Carson, CA | Tickets | ESPN+
🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. California @ 6:30 p.m. in Los Angeles, CA | Tickets | BTN | Listen

⚔️Click here to view the full USC Trojan Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 23!

This year marks the 23rd NCAA Postseason appearance and 11th straight for USC soccer but is the first time in history that it will compete as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

⚔️ Have a great weekend, everyone!