Aca’Cedric Ware powered into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown run, giving USC a 28-14 lead over Oregon State to open the second half.

The opening drive of the half was made up of eight plays for 67 yards, sparked by JT Daniels’ 29-yard pass to Devon Williams. Williams leads the Trojans with 77 receiving yards in just three catches.

USC got in scoring position with two rushes by Ware, an eight-yard pass to Amon-ra St. Brown and an 8-yard rush by Vavae Malepeai. With 110 yards in 12 carries, Ware is averaging 9.2 yards per rush, leading the Trojans’ rushing effort.

With four seconds remaining on the clock. Jake Luton connected with Noah Togiai for an 11-yard touchdown pass to trail USC 21-14 at the half.

The play was Togiai’s second touchdown of the season and capped off an eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive that took 1:07. Oregon State trailed USC 21-0 before scoring two unanswered touchdowns to narrow the deficit.

Luton completed seven of eight passes in the drive, including a 43-yard pass to Isaiah Hodgins, and used two timeouts. USC had time for one final play, but the handoff to Stephen Carr was not enough to answer the Beavers’ quick score.

After faking a handoff to freshman running back Jermar Jefferson, back-up quarterback Jack Colletto sprinted untouched to the left for six yards for a touchdown, cutting USC’s lead over Oregon State to 21-7.

Quarterback Jake Luton completed four of six passes on the eight-play, 45-yard drive for Oregon State. Luton has completed 15 of 19 passes for 135 yards as the Beavers have struggled to establish their run game, with -9 rushing yards. With 11 rushing yards, Colletto is the only Beaver with more than one net rushing yard.

Oregon State has converted three of four third-downs in the second quarter, with 64 total yards in the quarter to USC’s 177 total yards.

Freshman Devon Williams darted down the left sideline and reeled in a deep pass from quarterback JT Daniels as he cruised into the end zone, giving USC a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

Williams, who is Daniels’ roommate, made the 41-yard play for his second reception of the night for 48 receiving yards. With the completion, Daniels has made nine of his 15 throws for 102 passing yards.

A 13-yard rush by Stephen Carr was the greatest gain on the drive before Williams’ explosive catch, following a sack of Daniels. The Trojans have earned 138 total yards on offense in the second quarter.

Aca’Cedric Ware broke free of the Oregon State defense, sprinting 57 yards past the Beavers to the end zone. With the score, USC takes a 14-0 lead to start the second quarter.

The Trojans gained yardage to set up the run with a 9-yard rush by Ware and Daniels’ 2-yard quarterback sneak. Ware has earned 87 yards in five carries so far, leading USC in rushing. Oregon State has struggled to string together an attack on the ground, with -14 net rushing yards.

The four-play drive took 53 seconds, boosting the momentum of a USC offense that has converted four of its five third-down attempts while earning 116 rushing yards.

Stephen Carr bolted to the end zone in USC’s opening drive, giving the Trojans a 7-0 lead over Oregon State in the first quarter. 

In USC’s first offensive drive with coach Clay Helton calling plays instead of offensive coordinator Tee Martin, the Trojans moved down the field through gradual gains over explosive plays. The greatest gain on the 86-yard drive was a 13-yard pass by JT Daniels to Amon-ra St. Brown.

Aca’Cedric Ware led the rushing effort, with 21 yards in three carries, while Daniels completed six of his nine passes for 43 yards. Half of those passes were caught by St. Brown, who leads USC receivers with 31 yards.

When things are going well for a college football program, its news value is contained to what happens on Saturdays. Even after a loss, the three or four plays that cost the team a game are dissected to a fine level until the attention naturally turns to the next weekend’s chance at swift redemption.

In the days that passed after N’Keal Harry’s 92-yard punt return sent USC to its fourth loss of the season, though, the Trojans fell into uncomfortable territory. Something had to change. Clay Helton could not deny it to himself anymore. That meant that his program spent a week being talked about for all the wrong reasons.

The fodder out of USC was juicy enough to break through the noise of a city reeling from Dodgers heartbreak and an uneasy start to a Lakers season that seemed destined for more. The uber-loyal Helton fired his offensive line coach, Neil Callaway, a man who is like family. He took over play-calling duties from his “right-hand man,” offensive coordinator Tee Martin.

USC (4-4, 3-3) at Oregon State (2-6, 1-4)

Saturday, 7 p.m., Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Ore. TV: FS1. Radio: 1110, 99.1.

Marquee matchup