USC vs. Hawaii: Live in-game report

USC 49, Hawaii 10 (12:58 in fourth quarter)

If this is to be Matt Barkley’s Heisman Trophy-winning season, then he is beginning it in style.

Barkley has thrown for 377 yards and four touchdowns, completing 23 of 38 passes.

His latest score was an 11-yard toss to tight end Randall Telfer, capping a 13-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 6:42.

USC 42, Hawaii 7 (10:00 in third quarter)

Hawaii won’t leave the Coliseum as the victims of a season-opening shutout.

But Hawaii didn’t have much time to celebrate its first points of the night, which came on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Sean Schroeder to Scott Harding.

Because USC receiver Marqise Lee returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.

Lee was down the right sideline the whole way. He picked up a key downfield block from freshman receiver Nelson Agholor that helped Lee trot into the endzone with ease.

Andre Heidari hit the extra point.

USC 35, Hawaii 0 (halftime)

Andre Heidari hit a 28-yard field goal to push USC’s lead even more heading into intermission.

A few halftime stats:

Matt Barkley is 17 for 30 with 309 passing yards and three touchdowns. Marqise Lee has caught eight passes for 176 yards and a touchdown, and Robert Woods has caught five passes for 29 yards and two touchdowns. Silas Redd is USC’s leading rusher, with 42 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Hawaii has gained 83 yards on 37 plays, an average of 2.2 yards per play.

Which is to say that the Trojans’ defense has done very well.

To the second half we go...

USC 32, Hawaii 0 (5:00 in second quarter)

Matt Barkley has thrown for 258 yards and three touchdowns.

And there are five minutes left to play before…halftime. Halftime!

Yes, Mr. Heisman Trophy favorite is having quite the afternoon, feeding his star receivers for big gains and touchdowns, the latest a two-yard scoring pass to Robert Woods, who has caught four passes for 25 yards and two touchdowns thus far.

The drive was short: two plays, 32 yards, 39 seconds. It came after a long punt return by Nickell Robey, who set USC up with good field position.

After the score, USC failed to convert a two-point conversion attempt for the third consecutive time in this game.

USC 26, Hawaii 0 (13:31 in the second quarter)

Silas Redd made up for his first-quarter turnover with a second-quarter touchdown.

And with that, the former Penn State running back, once a star of the Nittany Lions who transferred USC, has his first points as a member of the cardinal and gold.

On fourth and two from the 31-year-line, Redd started toward the left, then cut back right and found plenty of open grass before him. A Hawaii defender kept chase, but couldn’t catch him, and Redd scored, capping a five-play, 70-yard drive that lasted 2 minutes 40 seconds.

Once again, USC failed on the two-point conversion attempt.

USC 20, Hawaii 0 (3:20 left in the first quarter)

The rout is on ... though one could argue it was on from play one.

USC linebacker Hayes Pullard returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown, giving the Trojans a bit more breathing room even though they had plenty to spare.

The pass was tipped by USC cornerback Nickell Robey and Pullard was Johnny-on-the-spot with the pick, Hawaii quarterback Sean Schroeder’s first of the game.

Pullard rumbled down the left sideline for an easy score, but the Trojans failed on their two-point conversion.

The turnover and score came after a USC turnover. Running back Silas Redd caught a pass and turned upfield, gaining 41 yards before Hawaii linebacker Kamalani Alo punched the ball out of Redd’s grasp from behind. Hawaii defensive back Ne’Quan Phillips recovered the fumble.

USC 14, Hawaii 0 (5:33 left in the first quarter)

Robert Woods and Marqise Lee are considered the most dangerous receiving duo in all of college football. Or so all of those college football preview magazines claim.

Well, perhaps those mags were onto something, because the first quarter of USC’s season wasn’t halfway finished before each of Woods and Lee had scored touchdowns.

Woods caught a 20-yard touchdown pass to cap an eight-play, 99-yard drive to give Matt Barkley his second touchdown pass of the game. Barkley is six for nine passing with 145 yards and two scores; the other came on the first play of the game when he hit Lee for a 75-yard touchdown.

Speaking of Lee, Barkley hit the speedster again on a quick pass to the flat and Lee made a defender miss, allowing him to speed 41 yards down the sideline. The catch gave Lee three catches for 122 yards and a touchdown, which, most would say, isn’t too shabby.

USC 7, Hawaii 0 (11:46 left in the first quarter)

And the very first play goes for... a touchdown.

Wait, wasn’t that what UCLA did in its season opener Thursday against Rice, when freshman quarterback Brett Hundley ran 72 yards to the house on UCLA’s first snap of the season?

Why, yes, it was, but USC matched its cross-town rival Saturday by scoring a long touchdown on the first play of its season, a 75-yard touchdown pass from Matt Barkley to Marqise Lee.

The quarterback hit Lee on an out route, and the athletic receiver made a few moves to elude nearby defenders before speeding down the sideline, with his shadow trying to keep pace.

Pregame

Greetings from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the top-ranked USC Trojans will open their season against the Hawaii, led by former USC coordinator and first-year Coach Norm Chow.

Settle in and get cozy. We’ll be here all game long, bringing you live updates until the final buzzer sounds. And be sure to pick up a copy of the paper tomorrow for in-depth coverage.

As for now, here’s what you need to know heading into the game, which should kick off soon and will be televised live on Fox. Many folks will be keeping there eye on the Trojans’ Heisman Trophy favorite quarterback Matt Barkley and the powerful offense he commands, featuring a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. But there’s also ex-Penn State running back Silas Redd, who ran for more than 1,000 yards last season. He’ll be making his USC debut.

A few tidbits:

--USC is 7-0 all-time against Hawaii and is 88-23-8 in season openers, with 36 shutout victories.

--Chow was USC’s offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2004 and won a pair of national championships with the Trojans. Hawaii running back coach Keith Uperesa was USC’s offensive line coach in 2001 and 2002.

--USC returns 18 starters (nine on offense, seven on defense, plus the placekicker and punter) from a team that finished 10-2 last season.

That’s enough for now. Stay tuned and stick around for more.