ROLLING OUT — After a couple of big wins on the road, Aiden Davis, right, Ca’Juan Bryant and the Big Red football team return to Harding Stadium for the first time since opening night Friday to host Pittsburgh USO. - Andrew Grimm

STEUBENVILLE — A quick glance at Big Red’s schedule prior to the season would have shown the first three weeks in particular as a challenge.

Reno Saccoccia’s group has been up to those challenges.

Despite trailing at one point in all three of those games, Big Red came back to win all three of them and sit 3-0. The most convincing victory yet for the hall of fame coach’s team came last week against Cardinal Mooney.

After falling behind 14-3 early, Big Red rattled off 28-straight points thanks to Aiden Davis factoring into four touchdowns and rolled to a 31-21 victory at YSU.

“I’m really happy with the effort that we’re giving,” Saccoccia said. “We’ve got to fix a few little things both offensively and defensively, even on special teams, but there isn’t anything we’re doing that can’t be fixed and we’re working hard to do that.

“But, as long as the effort is there like it has been, I’ll be happy to work with our players and the effort actually has been beyond anything I could imagine.

“They have showed they want to compete, they like competing and they won’t quit. That is a great thing to see from our team.”

Now, after two challenging weeks on the road, Steubenville is back in the friendly confines of Harding Stadium Friday night for a 7 p.m. kick against the next challenge in the form of Pittsburgh University Prep/Sci-Tech/Obama Academy (USO).

“I’m sure that our players are ready to come home, especially coming home to homecoming, that’s always a good week for us,” Saccoccia said.

USO is a familiar opponent on Big Red’s slate. Friday’s game is the ninth all-time meeting between the schools. Steubenville has won each of the previous eight, including a 43-20 Big Red victory a season ago.

They are 0-2 entering the match up, with a close 22-18 loss at Allison Park (Pa.) Hampton in their opener and a 40-14 defeat at undefeated Hickory out of Hermatidge, Pa.

Depsite the early setbacks, USO is coming off a 7-4 campaign a season ago. The trip to Big Red is their third of four-straight road games to start their season. MaxPreps ranks their strength of schedule among some of the tougher slates in Pennsylvania Class AAAA. USO is the equivalent of a Division II school in Ohio.

“Last year was probably one of the better teams they’ve brought down here and they have a lot of skill positions back this year,” Saccoccia said. “They’re 0-2, but they play a pretty tough schedule. They have some dynamite on offense that woke us up last year. Hopefully we remember what we learned last year and are ready for them.”

Big Red, meanwhile, after trips to New Philadelphia and Youngstown the last two weeks, has just one more game away from Harding Stadium the rest of the way, a Week 6 trip to Wheeling Park, closing with six of the last seven of the regular season at home.

In the first Ohio Associated Press High School Football poll released on Tuesday, Steubenville was ranked No. 5 in Ohio Division III. Joe Eitel has Big Red No. 3 in Region 11. There are still seven unbeaten teams in the region, including next week’s opponent — Dover.

Thus far for Big Red, Davis has factored into nine of 10 touchdowns, five rushing and four passing. He’s completed better than 72 percent of his passes for 511 yards and added another 148 yards with his feet.

Jalen Minniefield leads the ground attack with 219 yards and one end zone trip, while Tre’Von Wiggins has 129 yards receiving, averaging more than 34 per catch. He’s one of four different receivers to catch a TD so far.

Cole Bowers is 2 of 2 on field goals and 4 of 4 on extra points. Kyjuan Hopkins leads the defense with 24 tackles through three games, while the defense as a whole has forced seven turnovers.