Wake-up call: Trojans rally in season opener

Drake London caught a 21-yard touchdown pass with 1:20 to play, and No. 20 USC rallied from a late 13-point deficit for a 28-27 victory over Arizona State on Saturday in the Pac-12’s long-delayed season opener.

Bru McCoy caught a deflected 26-yard TD pass with 2:52 left for the Trojans (1-0), and Max Williams recovered the onside kick. On fourth and 9, Kedon Slovis fired a 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 (0-1) on downs near midfield with 50 seconds left to preserve an astonishing comeback for perpetually embattled coach Clay Helton’s 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.”

Until their rally, the Trojans were struggling for poise and precision in a game that began at 9 a.m. USC agreed to its earliest kickoff in at least 70 years for a national television audience, but it looked like another embarrassment for Helton and his Trojans — before it abruptly turned into a thrilling triumph.

USC racked up 556 yards of offense and outgained the Sun Devils by 164 yards, but the Trojans were nearly finished because they committed three turnovers and turned the ball over on downs two more times — all inside ASU territory.

Slovis passed for 381 yards 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.”

Liberty wins on reprieve: Alex Barbir hit a career-long 51-yard field goal with 1 second remaining to lift No. 25 Liberty to a 38-35 victory over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.

Barbir’s kick punctuated a wild ending for the Flames, who rallied from a 20-14 halftime deficit and moved to 7-0 for the first time in program history.

Barbir had a 59-yard attempt blocked with 8 seconds left, and Virginia Tech’s Jermaine Waller returned it to the end zone for what appeared to be the game-winning score for the Hokies (4-3). But officials ruled that Virginia Tech had called a timeout before the attempt.

Liberty then elected to go for it on fourthand-6 from the Virginia Tech 41. Malik Willis found CJ Yarbrough for an 8-yard gain at the Virginia Tech 33 with 5 seconds left, allowing Barbir to come out for a shorter 51-yard attempt, which he drilled.

Willis led the Flames, who knocked off their second ACC opponent this season and won their eighth straight game going back to last season. He threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards and a score.

Hendon Hooker paced Virginia Tech, throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown.

SMU surges: Shane Buechele threw four touchdown passes, two to Tyler Page, and No. 18 SMU broke away from undermanned Temple 47-23 in Philadelphia.

The game was pushed back from its original Thursday date while Temple dealt with virusrelated issues. The Owls were missing 15 players who were in COVID-19 protocol.

SMU led 20-16 before Buechele connected with Kylen Granson on a 24-yard TDpass on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Mustangs (7-1, 4-1 AAC) scored four touchdowns in the first 7 1⁄ minutes of the period.

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Temple (1-4, 1-4) scored on the first play of the game, with wide receiver Randle Jones going 75 yards on a screen pass from Trad Beatty.

Page, who came into the game fifth on the Mustangs this year in yards receiving, caught nine passes for 131 yards. Buechele was 24 for 35 for 355 yards.

Tayvon Ruley’s 3-yard touchdown run helped Temple build a 13-10 halftime lead.

Buechele put SMU ahead for good when he found Page with a 44-yard strike on the first drive of the second half.

Longhorns hold on: No. 22 Texas stopped West Virginia on fourth-down passes into the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, enabling the host Longhorns to escape with a 17-13 victory.

The Longhorns (5-2, 4-2 Big 12) overcame an offense that produced nearly 100 yards and 27 points fewer than its average.

Sam Ehlinger, typically the Longhorns’ offensive star, completed just 15 of 31 passes for 184 yards, but he connected with Brennan Eagles for a 7-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and with Jake Smith for a 33-yard TD strike in the third.