Zachariah Branch made an early statement in his collegiate career on Saturday as the Trojans defeated the San Jose State Spartans 56-28 at home on Saturday. Branch caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Caleb Williams in the middle of the third quarter.

Branch also took a kickoff return 96 yards for a touchdown.

As Jon Gold wrote, a star was born in the Coliseum.

“You know it was always a dream for me to be at a prestigious university and to be around an elite staff and elite players, so all day they were juicing us up from morning all the way up to the game, I was really excited,” Branch said. “Our coaches always told us to trust our instincts, trust our process and go out and execute. Once I touched the end zone, the crowd turned me up a little bit.”

Branch came to USC as the seventh-ranked high school prospect and the top-rated wide receiver and player from the state of Nevada in the 2023 national recruiting class.

Branch finished his first-ever collegiate game with 232 all-purpose yards and two scores.