LOS ANGELES – Trying too hard to make the perfect connection was the way USC coach Steve Sarkisian described the near-misses that senior quarterback Cody Kessler and sophomore wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster experienced in the Trojans' opening-week victory over Arkansas State.

So, literally back to the drawing board the two players went in practice in preparation for Saturday night's game against Idaho.

"Practice makes perfect," Smith-Schuster said.

With Kessler throwing for a career-high 410 yards, which included three touchdown passes, and Smith-Schuster enjoying a career-best night with 10 receptions and 192 yards, eighth-ranked USC had all the offense it needed and then some in a rousing 59-9 victory over visiting Idaho.

"These type of games can be difficult when you're supposed to win by a bunch of points," Sarkisian said. "I thought our guys came in really focused and with great energy."

A partisan crowd of 72,422 on a sticky evening at the Coliseum saw the Trojans gobble up yards in great chunks while smothering literally everything the Vandals tried to get done on their offensive side.

Kessler completed 26 of 31 pass attempts which included touchdown passes of 50 and 41 yards to his favorite target, Smith-Schuster. Kessler also tossed a 28-yard scoring pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Isaac Whitney.

"I thought Cody was better tonight than last week," Sarkisian said. "I like that he threw the ball deep and put air under it. Last week, he overthrew some deep balls."

Sarkisian noted that Kessler was more accurate and more decisive on his coverage reads than he was the previous week. A much better performance by the offensive line no doubt factored in that. Kessler was sacked five times last week by Arkansas State. The Vandals were unable to put him on the ground Saturday.

What pleased Sarkisian more than anything was the fact that he was able to get every eligible player in the lopsided game. Sarkisian stated that it's not something that happens every game but that when it does it is great for team morale. He pointed out that Smith-Schuster was just as happy with fourth-year junior Christian Tober catching a late-game 4-yard pass as Smith-Schuster was in hauling in his touchdown grabs.

"They have a really good scheme and (Kessler) has good weapons around him," Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. "He's experienced and accurate, and a very good player."

Only a nitpicker would point out that USC only was 1 of 6 on converting third-down plays.

Acknowledging that, Sarkisian noted that USC only had six third-down plays in the game, which meant that the Trojans were pretty explosive on first and second down plays. USC's 737 total offensive yards would attest to that.

Nevertheless, Sarkisian admitted that USC must shore up its third-down efficiency rate next week when Pac-12 foe Stanford visits.

USC wasted little time in roughing up the Vandals, streaking to a 21-0 first-quarter lead on touchdown runs of 1 and 7 yards by Justin Davis, and Kessler's 50-yard post route strike to Smith-Schuster.

"He's big and strong," Petrino said, in describing Smith-Schuster. "Being a receiver coach most of my life and having studied all types of receivers, I think he looks just like (NFL receiver) Anquan Boldin – a big, strong, powerful football player."

Idaho, bottled up for virtually the entire first half, got a 20-yard field goal with 4:13 left in the second quarter from Austin Rehkow. But USC padded the lead and took a 38-3 halftime advantage when Tre Madden scored on runs of 7 and 9 yards, and Alex Wood kicked a 24-yard field goal.

"We came out fast," USC linebacker Anthony Sarao said. "We executed early in the game. It was good to come out in the first half and do what we did."

NOTES: Idaho WR Dezmon Epps caught a career-high 15 passes for 160 yards in the Vandals' opening-week loss to Ohio University. Epps was in uniform Saturday but did not play because of a game suspension. Idaho officials called it a coaches' decision. ... Despite the lopsided defeat, Vandals coach Paul Petrino said that there were some positives that Idaho could take out of this game, notably the Vandals' opening drive of the second half when they chewed up more than five minutes of the clock and scored a touchdown on a 13-play, 75-yard march. ... USC's 737 offensive yards were the most the Trojans have amassed since gaining 745 yards against Washington State in 2005. ... USC true freshman tailback Ronald Jones II continues to be impressive. Jones II led a gallery of seven ball carriers the Trojans played with 83 yards on eight carries. That featured a nifty 44-yard run. Davis, who did not play last week, ran for 74 yards on five carries. ... Trojans two-way sophomore Adoree' Jackson caught a career-best four passes for 62 yards while also holding down his cornerback spot.