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 The USC Trojans, a week after losing on a Hail Mary pass to
Arizona State, survived a 34-yard field goal attempt with 17 seconds
left to win 28-26 and hand 10th-ranked Arizona its first loss of the
season on Saturday night.
"I said to the team, 'God's got a plan, but we're not exactly what
his plan is for us yet,'" SC coach Steve Sarkisian said. "He's sure
testing our will, our resolve, our leadership, our character."
For a second consecutive week, the game was unraveling for USC.
The Trojans led by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter, but
Arizona cut the lead to 28-26 on a 2-yard run from running back
Jared Baker with 1:07 left. USC stuffed Baker on the two-point
conversion try, but Arizona recovered the onside kick, with receiver
Cayleb Jones going high to snag the bouncing ball.
The Wildcats moved to the USC 19-yard line to set up kicker Casey
Skowron for a 36-yard attempt. His initial try went through the
uprights, but there was no play as USC called timeout before the
attempt. Skowron pushed the next attempt wide right.
"I never thought it was over. Last game showed that," said USC
defensive end Leonard Williams, who had two sacks. "We learned that
we had to play every second of the game."
The late-game plays balanced out for Arizona, too. The Wildcats last
month beat Cal on a last-play Hail Mary to cap a 22-point comeback.
"Losing on a last-second play, it's not easy," Arizona coach Rich
Rodriguez said. "I'm proud of the guys the way they played hard and
competed. We didn't play well at times, but you've got to give them
some credit. That's a pretty talented team."
Arizona, which was one of seven unbeaten teams in the country at
kickoff, fell to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Pac-12. USC is 4-2 and
2-1.
Allen, a junior, had touchdown runs of 34 and 48 yards in the first
half. He topped 100 yards for the fifth time in six games this
season. His previous career high was 154 yards against Stanford last
month.
USC led 28-13 to start the fourth quarter, but Arizona made things
interesting. On fourth-and-3 from the USC 41, quarterback Anu
Solomon hit Baker on a wheel route down the right sideline. His
touchdown cut the lead to 28-20 with 10:19 left.
Skowron missed three field goal tries in the game, including a
34-yard attempt that was blocked on the final play of the first
half. That, too, came after a well-timed USC timeout that nullified
his initially good try. Skowron had made 11 of 13 attempts entering
the game.
"When I talked to him, I told him he was still my boy and I loved
him," Arizona wide receiver Austin Hill said. "Kickers tend to feel
all the weight is on them, when he should have never been in that
situation in the first place. He needs to realize more of the weight
is on the rest of the team."
Arizona was only 4 of 7 in the red zone, with two touchdowns.
Solomon was 43-of-72 passing for 395 yards. USC quarterback Cody
Kessler was 20 of 30 for 185 yards, with one touchdown and an
interception.
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USC, which led 14-6 at halftime, opened the second half with a
75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 21-yard pass from Kessler to
receiver Nelson Agholor.
Arizona finally broke into the end zone after a fumble recovery at
the USC 22. Baker scored on a 6-yard run to cut the lead to 21-13
with 6:05 left in the third quarter.
USC promptly pushed the lead back by 15 with another 75-yard drive,
kept alive by a fourth-and-1 conversion at the Arizona 41. Allen
finished the drive with his third touchdown, a 1-yard run with 35
seconds to go in the quarter.
The Wildcats controlled the early action, with Solomon attempting 20
passes in the first quarter, but they repeatedly bogged down in the
red zone. They had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Skowron
to cut the deficit to 7-6 late in the first quarter.
USC, mixing its running game with a short passing attack, got
another big play from Allen to go up 14-6 with 10:30 to go in the
second quarter. Allen took a handoff through the middle, then juked
cornerback Jarvis McCall with a quick move to the left to spring
himself for a 48-yard touchdown run.
USC thwarted another Arizona scoring opportunity late in the half
when Williams clobbered running back Terris Jones-Grigsby inside the
10, forcing a fumble that outside linebacker J.R. Tavai recovered.
Jones-Grigsby did not return to the game.
Cornerback Jonathan McKnight, the brother of former USC running back
Joe McKnight, put the Wildcats back in business by intercepting
Kessler at the Arizona 43. USC came up big again when Claude Pelon
blocked a 34-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half.
NOTES: Scouts from the Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and
Arizona Cardinals were in the press box. ... USC PK Andre Heidari
did not play because of a groin injury. Walk-on Alex Wood was his
replacement. ... Arizona QB Anu Solomon entered the game having
already set the school freshman passing record with 1,741 yards. ...
Arizona's leading rusher, freshman RB Nick Wilson, did not dress for
the game because of an ankle injury. He has rushed for 574 yards and
six touchdowns on 90 carries. ... USC QB Cody Kessler had attempted
190 passes this season without an interception before being picked
off late in the first half.
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