BOULDER — Brenden Rice was up early Saturday morning.
Technically, everyone on the USC football team was. The Trojans had to play a game at 9 a.m., Los Angeles time, against the Colorado Buffaloes.
But this was a different deal for Rice, who was one of Colorado’s best players in 2021 before leaving the program to join Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams & Co.
“I was up an hour earlier, went to work out and burn off some steam because I wanted to come in here and I kind of had butterflies,” Rice said after USC’s wild 48-41 victory. “I just wanted to settle myself in.”
Rice was a freshman in Boulder during the COVID-19 pandemic-altered season in 2020, then was a bright spot the following year for a Buffs team that went 4-8. He had 21 receptions and a team-high three touchdown catches.
The son of arguably the greatest pass catcher in football history, Jerry Rice, couldn’t resist the opportunity to transfer to the Trojans. A lot has changed at his former program, and it was all on display Saturday.
“Just being back in Folsom, it was crazy for me,” Rice said. “It was amazing. It was everything I had dreamt it to be. Just being out there and playing in front of (54,032) fans. It was packed out. Shoot, they did it for our home games even when we were losing when I played. It was very cool for the fan base. I didn’t hear too much chatter boxing. Just more people cheering me on, which I was thankful for that.”
Rice’s first year with USC was solid but unspectacular until a monster performance in the Cotton Bowl — six catches, 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns. With Jordan Addison now in the NFL, Rice is emerging as one of Williams’ top targets in a deep and talented receiving corps.
He had five catches for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns against his former team Saturday. Rice now has seven touchdown receptions in five games.
“I put in the work in the offseason,” Rice said. “I went through some days where I didn’t want to get up. I came in, got some extra work with Caleb. Did some extra background work with the coaches and stuff like that. Got in the film room. To see it all coming together now … to say I’m surprised? No. But am I thankful? Most definitely.”
His first touchdown was a catch-and-run along the left sideline that included a soaring lunge for the end zone late in the second quarter. Rice nearly caught a second touchdown midway through the third quarter, but Colorado freshman cornerback Cormani McClain was able to knock the pass down.
Rice moved to the other side of the formation on the next play and corralled a slant pass from Williams to put USC up 41-14 before a furious rally from the Buffaloes. He was upset with himself about missing the first end zone opportunity and one other pass earlier in the game, saying he “left money on the field.”
It proved to be a productive trip for Rice, complete with some nostalgic feelings about his days here. There aren’t a lot of former teammates left on the team, but he did have a moment with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders on the field afterwards.
“When I first came to Colorado, coming over that hill and looking into all of Boulder, thatap what I really loved,” Rice said. “Thatap what made me fall in love with Boulder. Then it was the fan base and the college town and everything. Those were big factors for me.”
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