GAME REPORT

FIRST QUARTER

Arizona State 3, USC 0

THE SCORING: * ASU--Mike Barth, 36-yard field goal at 8:30. 36-yard drive, nine plays.

TURNING POINT: Arizona State ran, fumbled and recovered the opening kickoff at midfield. The Trojans’ Lonnie Ford forced quarterback Jeff Krohn to fumble on the game’s first play, with Mike Pollard recovering at the USC 49. But Arizona State sacked Carson Palmer twice in three downs; when USC punted the ball back, the Sun Devils had lost only six yards in field position. Arizona State then drove for its score. Palmer would be sacked three times in the quarter; the Trojans would finish the quarter with minus-13 yards on offense.

NOT IN THE SUMMARY: Arizona State lost a touchdown when receiver Shaun McDonald’s juggling catch in the end zone was ruled out of bounds.

STAT WATCH: USC tailback Sultan McCullough rushed four times for eight yards, the only Trojan to post positive yardage. ASU running back Mike Williams had 29 yards in five carries. Krohn completed one pass for nine yards.

SECOND QUARTER

USC 21, Arizona State 10

THE SCORING: * USC--Kori Dickerson, 21-yard pass from Palmer at 9:24. 41-yard drive, three plays. PAT--David Davis (kick). * USC--Charlie Landrigan, 20-yard pass from Palmer at 5:07. 65-yard drive, six plays. PAT--Davis (kick). * USC--Sunny Byrd, three-yard run at 0:47. Three-yard drive, one play. PAT--Davis (kick). * ASU--Skyler Fulton, four-yard pass from Matt Cooper at 0:11. 82-yard drive, four plays. PAT--Barth (kick).

TURNING POINT: With 9:41 left in the half and a first down at the Sun Devil 41, Palmer scrambled for 20 yards, helped by an inadvertent block by umpire Walt Wolf. The play got USC’s offense untracked; three plays later, the Trojans scored the first of their three touchdowns on Palmer’s pass to Dickerson.

NOT IN THE SUMMARY: The catch was Dickerson’s first career touchdown reception. The senior tight end spent his previous three seasons at linebacker. Byrd, a community college transfer, not only got his first career touchdown, but also his first career carry at USC. And Fulton’s reception gave him his first touchdown as a Sun Devil. Early in the quarter Krohn sustained an ankle injury and was replaced by Matt Cooper.

STAT WATCH: Palmer completed six straight passes at one stretch and finished the half with nine completions in 12 attempts for 138 yards. He also became USC’s leading rusher, with 17 yards in six carries. ASU running back Tom Pace, who had eight yards on his first three carries, added 37 yards on two more runs. Cooper completed five of nine passes (one interception) for 62 yards.

THIRD QUARTER

USC 35, Arizona State 17

THE SCORING: * USC--Alex Holmes, four-yard pass from Palmer at 12:48. 80-yard drive, six plays. PAT--Davis (kick). * ASU--McDonald, six-yard run at 3:50. 93-yard drive, 14 plays. PAT--Barth (kick). * USC--Byrd, two-yard run at 1:41. 65-yard drive, five plays. PAT--Davis (kick).

TURNING POINT: If Arizona State had stopped USC on its opening drive, it might have continued the momentum the Sun Devils captured briefly at the end of the first half. But on second and eight from the Trojan 22, Palmer--who was successful in throwing fade patterns to Kareem Kelly in the second quarter--floated another ball for the speedy wide receiver. Kelly caught the ball at the USC 48 and kept running until tackled at the ASU 22. Five plays later, Palmer connected on the four-yard scoring pass to Holmes.

NOT IN THE SUMMARY: McCullough, who sustained an abdominal injury, watched the rest of the game in street clothes. Krohn stayed in uniform but watched the rest of the game on crutches.

STAT WATCH: Palmer kept his hot hand, completing seven of 10 passes for 138 yards. Receivers Kelly and Keary Colbert combined for 10 receptions and 212 yards. ASU’s Pace and Delvon Flowers combined for 107 rushing yards on 20 carries.

FOURTH QUARTER

USC 48, Arizona State 17

THE SCORING: * USC--Davis, 36-yard field goal at 14:07. Eight-yard drive, four plays. * USC--Davis, 30-yard field goal at 12:11. Five-yard drive, four plays. * USC--Darryl Poston, seven-yard run at 1:01. 66-yard drive, 16 plays. PAT--Davis (kick).

TURNING POINT: Both field goals were set up by interceptions, by Frank Strong and Kevin Arbet. USC had three interceptions in the game (all on passes by Cooper), giving the Trojans eight in six games. USC had seven interceptions last season.

NOT IN THE SUMMARY: On the Trojans’ final drive, which ate up 9:19 of the final 10:20, Byrd carried the ball 13 times for 40 yards. Poston, a freshman from Huntington Beach Edison High, replaced him and became the fourth Trojan to score his first USC touchdown Saturday, joining Dickerson, Byrd and Holmes.

STAT WATCH: Byrd wound up the Trojans’ leading rusher, with 63 yards in 20 carries. Palmer (295 yards) just missed his fifth career 300-yard passing game.