USC rallies from 13 down to stun Arizona State
In the final three minutes of a game that began with Southern California’s earliest kickoff in decades, the Trojans finally did a few things worth getting up early to see.
And a couple that had to be seen to be believed.
Drake London caught a 21-yard touchdown pass with 1:20 to play, and USC rallied from a late 13-point deficit for a 28-27 victory over Arizona State on Saturday in the Pac-12′s longdelayed season opener.
For the first 57 minutes of play after that 9 a.m. kickoff, the Sun Devils appeared to be grinding out a solid victory largely by forcing mistakes from the Trojans. USC gave up a handful of big plays by the Sun Devils, committed four turnovers of its own and turned the ball over twice on downs in ASU territory.
But at perhaps the last possible moment to mount a two-score comeback, the Trojans did just that.
“I don’t care how old I get,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “I’ll never forget this game.”
Bru McCoy caught a deflected 26-yard TD pass with 2:52 left, and McCoy then recovered the ensuing onside kick as well. USC’s next drive stalled — but on fourth-and-9, Kedon Slovis fired a desperation pass down the middle to London, and the two-sport athlete beat double coverage to haul it in for an electrifying score.
USC’s defense then stopped Arizona State on downs near midfield with 50 seconds left to preserve an astonishing comeback for the perpetually embattled Helton and his talented team.
“Well, it reminds you of 2020, doesn’t it?” Helton said. “A year of adversity and finding a way to overcome hard situations. I’m proud of our football team. We made it.”
Slovis passed for 381 yards with a school-record 40 completions for USC, while Stephen Carr and Markese Stepp made scoring runs in the first half. London also caught eight passes for 125 yards, none bigger than his winning TD reception.
“That play was a play we run all the time,” Slovis said. “There was three steps and a hitch ball, and Drake did the rest for me.”
While the Trojans celebrated, the Sun Devils opened their season with a crushing loss.
Freshman DeaMonte Trayanum rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while Rachaad White had a 55-yard TD reception in a similarly strong debut for the Sun Devils, who got agonizingly close to an impressive road win for coach Herm Edwards and new offensive coordinator Zak Hill.
Jayden Daniels passed for 134 yards and ran for 111 more, but the Sun Devils’ star quarterback threw four straight incompletions to end their last-ditch drive.
USC racked up 556 yards of offense and outgained the Sun Devils by 164 yards. Yet until their rally, the Trojans were struggling for poise and precision in a game that began at breakfast time. USC agreed to its earliest kickoff in at least 70 years for a national television audience — and both teams certainly put on a show, for better and worse.
A No. 6 Cincinnati 38, Houston 10: Gerrid Doaks rushed for a career-high 184 yards and one touchdown, Desmond Ridder ran for three scores and threw for another, and the host Bearcats rolled past the Cougars.
Doaks ran for the most yards by a Bearcats player since Mike Boone’s 212 in 2014 against South Florida. It was Doaks’ best total since he had 149 on Nov. 4, 2017, at Tulane.
The Bearcats (6-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) extended their school-record home winning streak to 18 games. Houston (2-3, 2-2) had 187 total yards in the first half, and 65 came on one drive.
A No. 14 Oklahoma
State 20, Kansas State 18: Jason Taylor II returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and the Cowboys stopped the host Wildcats 2-point try that would have tied it with
2:08 to go, allowing Oklahoma State (5-1, 4-1 Big 12) to escape with the victory.
The Wildcats (4-3, 4-2) were forced to try for a 2-point conversion after Will Howard’s short TD run because of their odd decision to attempt a 2-point try to stretch a 12-0 lead in the first half. Howard was incomplete on that one, and he never got a pass off on the second — he fumbled the ball as the pocket collapsed around him.
A No. 16 Marshall 51, Massachusetts 0: Grant Wells threw three touchdown passes, Brenden Knox ran for two scores and the host Thundering Herd (6-0) pummeled the Minutemen (0-2).
A No. 18 SMU 47, Temple 23: Shane Buechele threw four touchdown passes, two to Tyler Page, and the visiting Mustangs (7-1, 4-1 American Athletic Conference) broke away from the undermanned Owls (1-4, 1-4), who were missing 15 players who were in COVID-19 protocol.
A No. 19 Oklahoma 62, Kansas 9: Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns as the host Sooners (5-2, 4-2 Big 12) routed the winless Jayhawks (0-7, 0-6).
A No. 22 Texas 17, West Virginia 13: Texas stopped West Virginia on fourthdown passes into the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, enabling the host Longhorns to escape. Texas (5-2, 4-2 Big 12) overcame an offense that produced nearly 100 yards and 27 points fewer than its average. Jarret Doege was 35 of 50 for 317 yards for West Virginia (4-3, 3-3).
A No. 25 Liberty 38, Virginia Tech 35: Alex Barbir hit a career-long 51-yard field goal with 1 second remaining to lift the Flames (7-0) over the host Hokies (4-3).