Trojans’ win took a fleet of reserve receivers, poise when a call went against them
TUCSON, Ariz. — They trekked to the desert in search of renewal, ready to finally move forward and put the pain of their first heartbreak in the rearview.
USC had spent the last two weeks working through its devastating defeat to Utah in early October, refocusing and retooling and rebuilding confidence where it could, readying for a fresh start to a final stretch run. But when the Trojans arrived in Tucson, there was nothing fresh about them. USC was as rundown by injuries as it had been all season, down its top two receivers, one of its top offensive lineman, its leading tackler and two of its regular rotational defenders.
It wasn’t always pretty. USC still managed to slip out of the desert with a 45-37 victory over Arizona. But little about Saturday’s back-and-forth affair left anyone feeling renewed and rejuvenated about the Trojans. Other than the fact that USC no longer has to leave Los Angeles the rest of its regular season.
Once again, USC’s escape would require the umpteenth heroic showing from quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for five touchdowns for the second game in a row, despite being without his leading targets, Jordan Addison and Mario Williams. He completed 31 of 45 passes for a career-high 411 yards and five touchdowns.
USC also had to escape another troubling defensive effort that saw the Wildcats rack up 543 yards, a week after USC allowed 562 to Utah. It was the first time the Trojans have allowed 500-plus yards in consecutive weeks since 2013.
The Trojans even weathered more costly officiating, as an end-of-half debacle cost them a chance to add at least a field goal.
USC ultimately wouldn’t need it, not with its offense moving the ball at will. With its receiving corps dominated by reserves and its offensive line shuffled, the Trojans still tallied 621 yards, their most since November 2019.
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It wasn’t quite enough to glide to victory, as Arizona refused to fold. Even after two fourth-quarter touchdown drives appeared to put the Wildcats away, quarterback Jayden de Laura continued to fight back, scrambling his way into big plays. He threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which would cut USC’s lead to just eight points with 1:26 remaining.
But as best he tried, USC’s big plays were too much to match. The Trojans had eight plays of 20 yards or more, half of which went for at least 45 yards.
USC opened the game with consecutive 10-play drives, grinding its way methodically down the field without its usual full complement of pass-catchers. Instead, Caleb Williams worked the perimeter with the likes of Kyle Ford, Terrell Bynum, CJ Williams, Michael Jackson and Kyron Hudson, the five of which had combined for just 11 catches coming into Saturday.
Tajh Washington emerged as the most dangerous target, catching seven passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. In all, Caleb Williams utilized 10 receivers.
Still, Caleb Williams had little issue finding his rhythm with the fleet of reserves. By the end of the first quarter, he’d already completed 12 of 15 passes for 159 yards and involved seven receivers. He hit freshman Raleek Brown for a six-yard touchdown on a swing pass in the first quarter and laced a bullet pass to Brenden Rice in the back of the end zone at the start of the second.
Arizona stayed close behind, even pulling ahead early after its first scoring drive. But the Wildcats watched two near-scores slip out of their grasp — one a drop, the other an out-of-bounds catch — forcing them to settle for field goals. Another drive ended in USC territory with a turnover on downs.
USC was unable to take advantage. Though, many would argue it was robbed of a chance to do just that by the referees.
With time running down in the half, Caleb Williams found Rice for a 34-yard gain. Rice was brought down at the 10-yard line, with the clock stopped at six seconds. But before the ball could be spotted officially, seconds were already ticking away. By the time Caleb Williams hurriedly snapped the ball, the clock had already hit zero.
A furious Lincoln Riley railed into several referees, as Arizona’s sideline emptied. The refs offered no answers, sending both teams instead to their respective locker rooms.
USC would instead ride that fury to victory in the second half, escaping with a win that never quite felt comfortable throughout.
USC grinds out the clock to hold on for a 45-37 victory over Arizona
Needing a first down to clinch the game, USC leaned on senior running back Travis Dye.
Dye gained five yards on first down from the Arizona 46 after USC recovered an onside kick. Arizona called time out.
Dye gained four yards on second down. Arizona called its second time out.
Dye was upended on third down for no gain. Arizona called its third time out.
Trojans coach Lincoln Riley went for the first down and this time . . . Caleb Williams faked a handoff to Dye and dashed for the first down. Dye made a key block after the fake.
Final score: USC 45, Arizona 37
Williams completed 31 of 45 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns.
Arizona pulls to within eight points with 1:26 to play in regulation
No quit in these Wildcats. Quarterback Jayden de Laura scrambled and scrambled and cut loose on a desperation pass into the end zone, where Dorian Singer — yep, him again — made a catch just as he was drilled.
The touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion pass cut the USC lead to 45-37 with 1:26 to play.
De Laura is 26 of 33 for 380 yards and three touchdowns — all to Singer, who has seven catches for 141 yards.
Jacob Cowing caught the two-point conversion, stretching the ball just over the goal line before being thrust out of bounds.
USC begins to pull away by winning the physical game up front
USC went the smashmouth route to score with 6:24 to play and extend its lead to 45-29.
The Trojans ran for all but six yards of an 83-yard, 11-play drive that chewed up nearly five and a half minutes. Travis Dye’s 22-yard ramble took the ball to the Arizona two, and Dye scored on the next play on a plunge over the middle.
USC has amassed 611 total yards — 410 passing from Caleb Williams and 201 rushing, with Dye accounting for an even 100.
Key unsportsmanlike conduct penalty fuels USC scoring drive early in fourth quarter
Caleb Williams threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game two minutes into the fourth quarter shortly after Arizona was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
USC’s lead is 38-29 after Williams connected with Kyle Ford on a slant pattern for the score. Williams has completed 28 of 41 passes for 388 yards.
Travis Dye takes over as the third quarter draws to a close
Most of USC’s damage has been done through the air, but after Arizona pulled to within 31-29 with a minute to play in the third quarter, Trojans running back Travis Dye got the nod.
Dye, a graduate transfer from Oregon, ran for nine, eight and 13 yards on consecutive plays to push the Trojans into Arizona territory as the quarter ended. Dye has rushed for 76 yards in 14 carries.
Arizona seizes momentum, pulls to within 31-29
After a USC punt, Arizona continued to move the ball with ease, scoring on three plays that netted 56 yards. The touchdown came on a 10-yard run by Michael Wiley around the right side that pulled Arizona to within 31-29 with 1:42 to play in the third quarter.
A pass to the back of the end zone on a two-point conversion try was incomplete, allowing USC to lead, 31-29.
Receivers Tahj Washington of USC and Dorian Singer of Arizona are having big games
USC receiver Tahj Washington has 118 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches after his 47-yard catch and run extended USC’s lead to 31-16 nearly 10 minutes into the third quarter.
Without Mario Williams or Jordan Addison, USC has spread the ball around. Nobody has benefited more than Washington, who transferred to USC from Memphis after the 2020 season and had 54 catches last season.
Caleb Williams is now 24 of 34 for 366 yards and four touchdowns.
Arizona came right back with a score that pulled the Wildcats within 31-23 with four minutes to play in the third quarter. Their 60-yard, four-play drive took only 70 seconds and was capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jayden de Laura to Dorian Singer.
Singer has 118 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.
Trojans answer Arizona field goal with a huge play and a short TD reception
USC’s defense held Arizona to a short field goal to end the first drive of the third quarter, then the Trojans embarked on a touchdown drive to extend their lead to 24-16 four minutes into the quarter.
Caleb Williams hit Tahj Washington with a five-yard bullet in the end zone for the score. The key play was a 70-yard catch and run by tight end Kyle Ford that moved the ball to the Arizona five. The touchdown came three plays later on third and goal.
Arizona went 74 yards after taking the second-half kickoff, but the drive stalled and Tyler Loop made his third field goal of the game.
Williams is 23 of 31 for 319 yards and three touchdowns.
USC frustrated at the end of first half but lead entering the third quarter
USC leads at halftime 17-13 after the offense of both teams slowed during the second quarter. The Trojans felt that the clock started prematurely after they moved to the Wildcats’ five-yard line with five seconds to play.
The clock expired before USC could snap the ball.
With time running down in the half, Caleb Williams found Brenden Rice for a 34-yard gain. Rice was brought down at the 10-yard line, with the clock stopped at six seconds. But before the ball could be spotted officially, seconds were already ticking away. By the time Williams hurriedly snapped the ball, the clock had already hit zero.
A furious Lincoln Riley railed into several referees, as Arizona’s sideline emptied. The refs offered no answers, sending both teams instead to their respective locker rooms.
USC would instead ride that fury to victory in the second half, escaping with a win that never quite felt comfortable throughout.
Williams completed 21 of 28 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the half. He connected to 11 receivers, with only Tahj Washington (five) and Brenden Rice (four) catching more than two.
Travis Dye rushed for 46 yards in 10 carries for USC, which outgained Arizona in total yards 294-188.
Quarterback Jayden de Laura completed 10 of 20 passes for 106 yards and led the Wildcats with 32 yards rushing.
Arizona loses challenge, settles for a field goal
After losing a challenge on whether a receiver’s foot was in or out of bounds when he made a catch, Arizona settled for a short field goal that cut the USC lead to 17-13 with seven minutes left in the first half.
Arizona used 5:34 to march 67 yards in 13 plays. mixing in seven running plays for 41 yards after rushing for only 15 yards until that drive.
Caleb Williams threads the needle with a lead-capturing TD pass
Facing a third-and-goal situation, USC quarterback Caleb Williams faked a handoff, rolled to his right and threw across his body to Brenden Rice, who made a leaping catch and got one foot down for a seven-yard touchdown before exiting the end zone.
The play put USC ahead 17-10 with 12:33 to play in the first half after Denis Lynch made the conversion kick.
Williams connected with Tahj Washington for 46 yards to the Arizona 22-yard line on the last play of the first quarter to set up the score.
Williams was 12 for 15 for 159 yards in the quarter to five receivers.
Arizona settles for a field goal to even the score 10-10 late in the first quarter
The Trojans finally slowed Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura and the Wildcats settled for a 42-yard field goal to tie the score 10-10 with 49 seconds to play in the first quarter.
The kick by Tyler Loop finished a 50-yard, seven-play drive highlighted by a 33-yard completion from De Laura to Tetairoa McMillan.
The quarter ended with USC quarterback Caleb Williams connecting with Tahj Washington for 46 yards to the Arizona 22-yard line. Williams was 12 for 15 for 159 yards in the quarter to five receivers.
Trojans bounce back quickly from Arizona’s jaw-dropping touchdown reception
USC rebounded from the one-handed catch in the end zone by Dorian Singer of the Wildcats by driving 75 yards for a touchdown in 10 plays — including nine consecutive passes.
The final one was a touchdown toss of six yards from Caleb Williams to freshman running back Raleek Brown that put USC on top 10-7 with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter.
Arizona takes 7-3 lead on spectacular catch by walk-on receiver Dorian Singer
Walk-on wide receiver Dorian Singer made a spectacular one-handed 23-yard touchdown reception to put Arizona ahead 7-3 with 3:55 to play in the first quarter.
Quarterback Jayden de Laura completed four of five passes for 51 yards on the eight-play, 75-yard drive.
Singer, a sophomore from St. Paul, Minn., entered the game with a team-high 41 catches for 605 yards. He was recently added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list.
Trojans cap first possession with a field goal to take 3-0 lead
A keeper by Caleb Williams on third and three failed and USC capped the game’s first possession by settling for a 45-yard field goal by Denis Lynch.
The Trojans chewed up 47 yards and four minutes in 10 plays. Williams was three-of-four passing for 32 yards and Travis Dye rushed for 21 yards in four carries.
Lynch, a freshman from Newbury Park High, has made nine of 11 field-goal attempts, and he equaled his longest of 45 yards.
Andrew Vorhees among three USC starters out vs. Arizona
TUCSON — USC will be down three starters in the desert Saturday night, as wideout Jordan Addison, left guard Andrew Vorhees and inside linebacker Eric Gentry are all out against Arizona.
All three have missed practice since USC last played two weeks ago, and neither Addison (leg) nor Gentry (ankle) were expected to play. Vorhees’ absence, however, was unexpected, after coach Lincoln Riley suggested he was fine in spite of missing time this week with an undisclosed injury.
Instead, USC was forced to shuffle its thin offensive line, with Justin Dedich moving from right to left guard, Jonah Monheim kicking into right guard from right tackle and freshman Mason Murphy stepping in at right tackle.
With Gentry out, USC will be down to its third option at inside linebacker, as Ralen Goforth also did not dress because of a hand injury. The Trojans are expected to turn to a combination of redshirt junior Tuasivi Nomura and sophomore Raesjon Davis.
USC will also be without edge rusher Korey Foreman, who Riley said earlier this week was dealing with an array of nagging injuries.
USC coach Lincoln Riley knows how to go from October loss to College Football Playoff
In each of his first three seasons as Oklahoma’s coach, Lincoln Riley entered October with an unblemished record and a top-10 ranking … only to drop a game unexpectedly.
In 2017, it was Iowa State that upset the third-ranked Sooners. A year later, Texas knocked No. 7 Oklahoma off its throne with a game-winning field goal. A year after that, Riley’s Sooners were once again upended in October, this time by Kansas State.
Each of the three defeats at the time appeared to doom any hope of Oklahoma making the College Football Playoff. But in all three cases, Riley’s team didn’t lose another game for the rest of the regular season. All three ended up earning places in the Playoff.
It’s no wonder then, as USC enters its bye week, that no one, least of all Riley, is panicking after the Trojans suffered their first loss of the season last Saturday at Utah.
Key injuries leave USC with ‘a high level of concern’ about linebacker depth
Soon enough, he’d be relegated to crutches, his left ankle covered with a temporary cast. But before the uncertainty over his status could set in, Eric Gentry burst unexpectedly out of the injury tent in Salt Lake City and onto the field, hopping as best he could on one leg to bark one last bit of instructions to his fellow USC defenders.
It was a tone-setting moment for a Trojans defense that has tried heartily to change its culture and reestablish a reputation for toughness that had been lacking in recent seasons. The transfer linebacker and his fiery passion had been a major part of that effort. “It fueled us,” fellow linebacker Shane Lee said.
But in Gentry’s absence at Utah, USC’s defense struggled to conjure that same fire in the second half. It gave up 291 yards and Utah never punted on its way to a 43-42 win. Coach Lincoln Riley called it the worst tackling performance of the season.
Meet USC’s most fashionable and viral sensation: kicker Denis Lynch
The spelling on the shirt didn’t matter, only that it looked cool. So Denis Lynch bought it.
The red-headed redshirt freshman’s thinking behind a soon-to-be viral outfit is as simple as the slogan printed on the black T-shirt he wore into a game against Fresno State. The straight-forward phrase easily captures the USC kicker’s unique influence on campus.
“I’m Dennis doing Dennis things.”
With his meme-able fashion statements and consistent kicking, Lynch has grown into an unexpected favorite on a championship-contending team. The roster has enough multi-starred recruits to fill the sky during a Pac-12 after dark game, yet fans are celebrating an unassuming 5-foot-8 kicker with freckles and a curly mop of red hair every week in hopes of getting Lynch a scholarship.
With status of Jordan Addison uncertain, USC’s reserve receivers face test of their progress
Michael Jackson III had played just a single snap through USC’s first six games, waiting and waiting and waiting for his turn until two Saturdays ago, when the sophomore receiver was called upon at the most critical moment of the season.
It was third and eight, with just over six minutes remaining, and the Trojans stood on the doorstep of the red zone, deadlocked late with Utah. USC star receiver Jordan Addison, having suffered a leg injury, was relegated to crutches on the sideline. So Lincoln Riley sent Jackson to fill the void left by the 2021 Biletnikoff Award-winning wideout. He didn’t disappoint.
While Utah unleashed a blitz, Jackson exploded forward for a few steps, before retreating suddenly toward the line of scrimmage, where a screen pass awaited. Tahj Washington threw a block. A lane opened. And Jackson, who hadn’t caught a pass since last December, made a defender miss before striding into the end zone, turning his first catch into a 20-yard, go-ahead touchdown.
Bringing back the ‘swagger’: Four things to watch for in USC vs. Arizona
Even as the tears welled up and their pain laid bare in the Utah visitors’ locker room, Caleb Williams said he could sense a different energy looming beneath the heartbreak of USC’s first defeat.
“There was a certain confidence, a certain swagger,” the Trojans quarterback recalled this week. It was right then, Williams said, that he was certain USC would bounce back after its bye.
The chance to prove it comes Saturday in the desert, where the Trojans have lost just twice to Arizona in the last three decades. The two-week wait, after such a charged postgame, has been an excruciating one, Lincoln Riley said.
“This game can’t get here soon enough,” the coach said.
USC vs. Arizona: Betting odds, lines and picks against the spread
No. 10 USC (6-1, 4-1 in the Pac-12) has been installed as 15.5-point road favorites at Arizona on Saturday afternoon.
The Trojans, coming off a bye week, are a half-game behind Oregon (4-0 in the Pac-12) in the conference race and a half-game ahead of No. 12 UCLA (which they face for the Victory Bell in the annual crosstown rivalry game on Nov. 19) and No. 14 Utah (which beat USC 43-42 two weeks ago to hold the tiebreaker if they tie for second place).
Arizona (3-4, 1-3 in the Pac-12) has had a tough season with its only conference win coming against lowly Colorado and getting routed 49-22 by Oregon in its only other game vs. a ranked team. The Wildcats did, however, cover as 14.5-point road underdogs in their 49-39 loss at Washington in their last game before also having a bye week.
Early bettors are jumping on the favored Trojans as 82% of the bets and 71% of the money has been on USC at DraftKings’ nationwide sportsbooks. For the most up-to-date betting trends, see VSiN’s college football betting splits page.