By Tim Peterson
(Los Angeles)- Caleb Williams threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score to lead USC to a 42-25 win over Arizona State Saturday night before 62,133 satisfied fans at the LA Memorial Coliseum. It was the fifth straight victory for the Trojans as they improved to 5-0.
Arizona State didn’t go away easy though and after Xazavian Valladay scored on a two-yard run and then caught a pass from Emory Jones for the two-point conversion with 6:16 left in the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils were only down by 10 at 35-25.
Arizona State then recovered an onside kick but after a review a penalty for an illegal block before the ball was recovered was called against the Sun Devils and USC took possession. The Trojans cashed in three minutes later when Travis Dye scored on a one yard run to put the game on ice.
Muir’s own Calen Bullock picked off a pass on Arizona State’s next possession and the Trojans ran out the clock to start the party.
USC got started early marching right down the field on its first possession 75 yards on 9 plays. Williams scored on a one-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
Arizona State answered with an 8-play, 74-yard drive of its own to tie it. Emory Jones hit Valladay on a 29-yard touchdown pass.
The Williams to Williams connection (Caleb to Mario) was good for an 8-yard touchdown as the Trojans pieced together another 75-yard drive to go up 14-7 with 1:52 left in the first quarter.
Carter Brown kicked a 40-yard field goal for the Sun Devils early in the second quarter to cut the Trojans lead to 14-10.
On the ensuing kickoff a penalty left the Trojans at their own 6 yard line. But that didn’t deter them as they drove 94 yards on 10 plays for the score. Malcolm Epps hauled in a four-yard pass from Williams and the Trojans were up 21-10 with 6:05 to play in the second quarter.
Arizona State, refusing to go away, quickly responded with a 7-play, 75-yard drive to make it 21-17. Jones did it himself with a six-yard scramble for the touchdown. The Trojans took the lead into the half.
USC moved the ball down to the Arizona State nine-yard line in the third quarter but Williams was intercepted in the endzone by Timarcus Davis. The pass was intended for Jordan Addison but Davis jumped in front of him to make the play.
After forcing a Sun Devils punt the Trojans were back in business on a short field at the 50. Nine plays later they were in the endzone as Dye leaped over the goal line from the two. Trojans took a 28-17 lead with 1:10 left in the third quarter.
Another USC defensive stop led to a 60-yard touchdown drive. Williams threw his third TD strike of the night- this one went two yards to Kyron Hudson as the Trojans got a little breathing room leading 35-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Valladay then capped a Sun Devils drive with a two-yard run to cut it to 10 at the 6:15 mark but the Trojans withstood the challenge.
For Arizona State Jones completed 23 of 32 for 243 yards and a touchdown but did throw the pick by Bullock. Valladay had the touchdown catch and also ran for 64 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Addison was Williams’ favorite target with 105 yards on 8 catches to lead the Trojans in receiving. Brenden Rice had 3 receptions for 72 yards and Mario Williams caught 5 for 50 yards and a score.
Dye led the ground game with 62 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries while Caleb Williams used his legs for 44 yards and the TD run on 8 attempts. He accounted for four touchdowns on the night. USC racked up 485 total yards.
While the Trojans remained perfect through five games Arizona State dropped to 1-4.
Yeah but the Clippers have been beating up the lakers for about 10 years straight!
UCLA will beat u$c again this year.
They did however that game was decided long before they met, but I guess if you’re a ruin fan you gotta hang on to any little thing.
Didn’t UCLA beat u$c last year?
I would say they are more like the San Gabriel’s in the Almont league = pretenders.
The Bruins are like the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Go Bruins! Looking forward to the game at the rose bowl this year.
@Rams Fan. Yours might be the most nonsensical post I’ve ever read, and that is saying something. You truly have no idea what you’re talking about regarding institutions of higher education.
USC is not over rated, AP has them at # 6
Please don’t be so naive as to believe Universities are for higher learning. They are about revenue. Harvard has $6 billion in endowments. When was the last time you heard of they’re sports programs-never.
Universities, those that have sports programs and those that don’t are all about recruiting. Whether it’s athletic ability or a brain, Universities are after something.
Oh and by the way, for you USC haters, UCLA is 5-0 also. Why don’t you talk some smack about them? Losers.
announcers said 56 new players for usc. we are usc still but university of south carolina is closer to the truth.
@ Tommy Trojan: So much for major universities serving primarily as institutions of higher learning. However, my basic position is that many of the execs, including university presidents, have been overpaid for a long time.
What’s with the four guys hyping every play on the sidelines. USC is over rated. Over hyped
What a difference a simple $110 million contract makes. Lincoln Riley’s new beach mansion is probably better than the university president’s place, which if we’re being honest, is the way things should be.