At first, it seemed like an odd combination. A West Coast power known for its flashiness paired with a conference known for its mass and corn-fed muscle. Two years of condescending questions about toughness and physicality from the rest of the Big Ten Conference had suggested this about USC, which hadn’t offered much reason to believe they belonged in such a weight class where the notion of three yards and a cloud of dust was sacrosanct.

But never were the doubts about USC more misplaced than on Saturday, when the Trojans dominated the running game and the defense was dominant in every sense of the word. While the Big Ten’s mightiest were crushed on Saturday, USC rose from the rubble and looked like a conference heavyweight. In its final dress rehearsal before the start of its Big Ten schedule, USC managed to push itself to the top of the College Football Playoff conversation with a 48-0 victory over Utah State, its first shutout since November 2011.

For the second week in a row, the Trojans’ amazing transformation on defense under new coordinator D’Anton Lynn was clear to see. USC held Utah State to just 190 yards, their lowest total since 2014. They allowed just two third-down conversions. And only once did the USC defense allow Utah State to cross the 40-yard line into Trojan territory.

“It was very important to see this group really come together and play as a unit here at the beginning of the year,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “We’re excited about it. There’s just a long way to go, man.”

But just how far the Trojans’ defense has come was particularly evident Saturday when it trampled Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes. A year ago in this building, Barnes took the reins of Utah’s offense as a backup, scored four touchdowns and led Utah to a last-minute win over USC. The loss left the Trojans reeling, as they lost three of their final four games to end the regular season.

Read more: Reggie Bush and Caleb Williams’ jersey numbers are no longer assigned by USC

This time, however, Barnes could barely move the ball, throwing for just 103 yards and finishing with -8 yards on the ground as USC’s defense didn’t allow him an inch where they might have granted him a mile last season.

“It was about keeping him under control, applying constant pressure, but also maintaining disciplined running routes,” said USC defensive end Jamil Muhammad.

The Trojans accomplished this feat without the help of one of their best linebackers, Mason Cobb, who sat out the game due to injury. In his place, linebacker Eric Gentry delivered an outstanding performance, leading USC with seven tackles and a sack.

He wasn’t the only one, though. Easton Mascarenas-Arnold had seven tackles and an interception of his own, while Kamari Ramsey, another new addition to the USC defense, had a sack and a forced fumble from his safety position. In the fourth quarter, with the game already decided, the Trojans brought in a number of substitutes. And yet they managed to maintain the shutout, allowing just 89 yards in the second half.

It was exactly the kind of defensive performance USC could only dream of during the offseason – and it’s exactly how the team needs to play if it wants to compete in its first season in the Big Ten.

By Saturday evening at the latest, the path to the titles in both the conference and the College Football Playoff was clearly paved.

Michigan, the defending champion and USC’s next opponent, was chased out of the Big House by Texas as it struggled to move the ball with a new quarterback. Notre Dame lost on a game-winning kick to Northern Illinois, a team that paid $1.4 million to play in South Bend, Indiana. Penn State needed a late comeback to overcome its defensive woes and beat Bowling Green, while Oregon narrowly missed out on Boise State.

All week, Riley had been telling his team not to overlook the Aggies.

Instead, they were trampled by the Trojans.

USC also made it a priority all week to establish the run after having little room to run against LSU. And from the first drive on Saturday, USC had little trouble imposing its will. Woody Marks rushed for 49 yards on his first three carries, while Quinten Joyner’s first three carries brought in 53 yards. Led by this running back duo, who ultimately combined for more than eight yards per carry, USC amassed 249 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

It didn’t hurt that both had big holes to run through thanks to a strong performance from the USC offensive line.

“We just needed a little gap, and they gave us that all night,” said Marks, who rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries. Joyner rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

The running attack was so dominant that quarterback Miller Moss didn’t have to do much to get USC going. Moss still threw for 229 yards and a touchdown in an efficient performance before being replaced by his backup late in the third quarter.

By this point, victory was assured. All that was left was to keep the shutout. A power outage at the Coliseum knocked out some of the stadium’s lights in the fourth quarter, and questions were raised about whether the game should even be played to the end.

Read more: Why USC sold the Coliseum field to DirecTV: It’s a ‘adapt or die’ scenario

The lights were eventually fixed. The defense, now comprised mostly of freshmen and substitutes, continued to hold up well. A last-minute field goal attempt by Utah State that would have ended the shutout went wide.

That was a strong statement as USC now enters its Big Ten season. But after USC’s most dominant performance in years, the feeling Saturday was that this type of loss is just starting to take hold.

“We are still far from being as good as we could be,” said Mascarenas-Arnold.

Get the day’s best, most interesting and weirdest stories from the LA sports scene and beyond from our newsletter, The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.