USC vs. California: live game updates
USC 27, California 9 (final)
USC got the victory it needed to get its season back on track, but maybe it was good a large chunk of Trojans fans couldn’t watch because of a lingering cable network dispute.
They didn’t miss much in the way of well-played football.
A mostly subdued Coliseum crowd saw the Trojans commit three turnovers but get a pair of standout rushing performances from Silas Redd and Curtis McNeal during a 27-9 victory over California on Saturday.
Redd finished with 158 yards and a touchdown in 21 carries and Curtis McNeal added 110 yards in only 10 carries, though he did have a fumble.
USC quarterback Matt Barkley had two passes intercepted for a second consecutive week but also threw for a pair of touchdowns. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 192 yards.
USC 27, California 9 (5:56 left in the fourth quarter)
It could be a costly victory for USC.
Even though Matt Barkley’s second touchdown pass of the game to Marqise Lee has given the Trojans a commanding lead against California, injuries are once again a concern for the short-handed team.
USC lost center Khaled Holmes with 9 minutes 40 seconds left in the game when he susetained a leg injury and had to be helped off the field. That’s a potentially devastating blow to the Trojans if he’s out for any extended period because they struggled mightily without him last week during a loss against Stanford.
Barkley has completed 22 of 34 passes for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions -- not terrible numbers, but not worthy of some of his eye-popping performances of the last few seasons.
It’s been a better day for the USC running backs. Silas Redd has 158 yards and a touchdown in 21 carries and Curtis McNeal has 115 yards in only 10 carries.
USC 20, California 9 (14:10 left in the fourth quarter)
Andre Heidari’s comeback has been a good one.
The USC kicker made his second field goal of the game, a 41-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter that has put the Trojans two scores ahead of the Golden Bears at the Coliseum.
Heidari sat out the last two games after injuring his knee in the Trojans’ season-opening victory over Hawaii. His return was shrouded in mystery because of USC’s new policy not to discuss injuries.
He kicked before the game but was not in uniform. Now that he is in pads, he’s making his presence felt in a big way. Heidari has also converted both of his extra-point attempts.
USC 17, California 9 (5:05 left in the third quarter)
T.J. McDonald to the rescue.
With California on the verge of scoring a potential score-tying touchdown, the USC free safety stepped in front of a Zach Maynard pass and intercepted the ball at the Trojans’ seven-yard line.
Drive over. Threat averted.
It was McDonald’s seventh career interception.
USC 17, California 9 (7:58 left in the third quarter)
California just keeps chipping away.
Vicenzo D’Amato’s third field goal of the game, a 35-yarder midway through the third quarter, has pulled the Golden Bears to within 17-9 against USC on Saturday at the Coliseum.
Cal’s drive took a predictable turn. The Golden Bears moved inside the Trojans’ 20-yard line. They couldn’t go much further. Out came D’Amato, who tied a career high set against Southern Utah on Sept. 8 with his third made field goal.
Now USC gets a chance to see if it can distance itself from Cal or risk suffering a second consecutive defeat against a Bay Area rival.
USC 17, California 6 (11:56 left in the third quarter)
California seems to have its field-goal woes figured out.
But the Golden Bears are going to need to find a way to get into the end zone to win their Pac-12 Conference opener against USC at the Coliseum.
Vicenzo D’Amato’s 26-yard field goal early in the third quarter pulled Cal to within 17-6, but the Golden Bears probably should have come up with seven points after getting a first down at the Trojans’ 12-yard-line.
A three-yard gain and a pair of incomplete passes later, D’Amato came trotting onto the field. The kicker has now made two of three attempts against the Trojans after struggling mightily last week against Ohio State.
USC 17, California 3 (halftime)
It’s shaping up as a memorable day for Curtis McNeal.
Not so much for Matt Barkley.
Barkley had a second pass intercepted in the second quarter, thwarting a Trojans drive, and then fell on a third-down play inside California’s 20-yard line.
Andre Heidari then kicked a 40-yard field goal with three seconds left before halftime, giving the Trojans a seemingly commanding two-touchdown advantage.
McNeal has 113 yards rushing in only six carries, surpassing 100 yards for the fifth time in his career in only one half at the Coliseum.
Barkley has completed 15 of 22 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
USC 14, California 3 (7:01 left in the second quarter)
Matt Barkley is re-familiarizing himself with his favorite targets.
The USC quarterback connected with receivers Marqise Lee and Robert Woods four times on a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive that culminated in Lee’s nine-yard touchdown reception.
Barkley, after a somewhat lackluster first quarter in which he completed six of nine passes for 36 yards with one interception, completed all four of his passes on the Trojans’ first drive of the second quarter.
USC 7, California 3 (10:15 left in the second quarter)
Breaking news: California made a field goal!
The much-maligned Vicenzo D’Amato connected from 24 yards out, pulling the Golden Bears to within 7-3 early in the second quarter against USC on Saturday at the Coliseum.
D’Amato’s three misses proved critical last week during a loss against Ohio State, and he already missed his first attempt Saturday from 35 yards.
Cal appeared to be on the verge of a score-tying touchdown after coverting a fourth down inside USC territory and then a third-and-10 situation at the Trojans’ 21-yard line, but a tailback pass went awry and two quarterback keepers couldn’t keep the drive alive.
That brought on D’Amato, whose made field goal could prevent the need to see sports psychologists.
USC 7, California 0 (1:56 left in the first quarter)
California’s kicking struggles continue.
Vicenzo D’Amato, whose three missed field-goal tries helped seal the Golden Bears’ loss against Ohio State last week, couldn’t convert a 35-yard attempt late in the first quarter against USC.
California had stuffed Trojans running back Silas Redd on a fourth-and-one play near midfield before driving inside the USC 20-yard line when its drive stalled.
USC 7, California 0 (7:54 left in the first quarter)
USC has turned to an almost forgotten weapon: its running game.
Silas Redd cut outside for a 33-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter, giving the Trojans an early 7-0 lead over the Golden Bears at the Coliseum.
Curtis McNeal also had a nice 11-yard run on the Trojans’ 71-yard scoring drive. And in an unexpected twist, Andre Heidari returned from an injury suffered in the season opener to kick the extra point.
The Trojans’ front line seems to be holding up better than it did last week with senior Khaled Holmes back in the fold.
USC 0, California 0 (10:43 left in the first quarter)
It was not the kind of opening drive Matt Barkley was looking for.
After completing his first two passes and getting excellent field position inside California’s 10-yard line thanks to Curtis McNeal’s 62-yard run, Barkley lofted a pass toward Robert Woods in the corner of the end zone that was intercepted by Golden Bears defensive back Steve Williams.
Cal couldn’t pick up a first down on its first possession and punted the ball back to the Trojans, who will take over at their own 29-yard line.
Pregame
Good news for USC: center Khaled Holmes is on the Coliseum field in uniform participating in pregame warmups.
Bad news for the Trojans: Holmes also warmed up last week before the Stanford game and didn’t play.
Holmes was announced on the scoreboard as the starter for USC’s game against California that is about to start, so maybe he will be part of the Trojans’ attempt to bounce back after a harrowing defeat against the Cardinal.
Holmes’ absence was a big part of the Trojans’ struggles in Palo Alto, with backup Cyrus Hobbi having a tough time with play calls and Stanford’s aggressive defensive front. USC quarterback Matt Barkley was sacked four times and had two passes intercepted during the Trojans’ 21-14 loss.
California enters its first Pac-12 Conference game being widely lauded after a close loss at Ohio State last week, but that praise may have been unwarranted given the Buckeyes’ less-than-impressive showing Saturday in a 29-15 victory over Alabama Birmingham.
In other injury news for the Trojans that hopefully won’t result in any credential revocations, kicker Andre Heidari was on the field for warmups, kicking off a tee. But Heidari was not in uniform and is not expected to play as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
ALSO:
Pac-12, DirecTV war sends USC watcher into radio daze
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
