It wasn't easy, but Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans got the job done on Saturday night.
Williams threw for 411 yards and 5 touchdowns to lead No. 10 USC to a 45-37 victory over Arizona.
The Trojans were missing their top two receivers - Jordan Addison and Mario Williams - but they flashed their incredible depth as 10 different players caught passes. Tahj Washington led the way with 7 catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kyle Ford added 6 catches for 114 yards and a TD.
USC's defense was consistently gashed by Arizona. The Wildcats racked up 543 yards of offense and hit on several big plays after the Trojans' blew coverages.
Here's a recap of the game, with big-play and scoring highlights:
- PHOTO GALLERY: USC VS. ARIZONA
4TH QUARTER UPDATES:
FINAL: USC 45, ARIZONA 37
Missing their top two receivers and several key defensive players, No. 10 USC escapes the desert with an important victory.
USC 45, ARIZONA 37: Wildcats' wide receiver Dorian Singer is a great player. Singer just made another incredible touchdown catch, and now has 7 catches for 141 yards and 3 touchdowns. Arizona converted the two-point try and now needs an onside kick recovery to have a shot with 1:26 left in the game.
USC 45, ARIZONA 29: The Trojans put together a long, clock-killing drive at the right time. USC burned 5:23 of game clock on an 11-play, 83-yard drive to put them in a great position to close this game. Travis Dye scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to cap the drive. Caleb Williams now has 410 yards passing.
CALEB WILLIAMS' STATS: Williams is putting up video game numbers right now: 28 of 41 for 388 yards and 5 touchdown passes.
USC 38, ARIZONA 29: After a make-up call by the officials that kept USC's drive alive, Caleb Williams connected with Kyle Ford on a 5-yard touchdown pass to extend USC's lead to two scores with 13:38 left in the game.
3RD QUARTER UPDATES:
USC 31, ARIZONA 29: The Wildcats are not going away, and it's clear USC is going to have to score close to 50 to win this game. Arizona just knifed through the Trojans' defense again, this time on a 3-play, 57-yard touchdown drive.
USC 31, ARIZONA 23: The Wildcats strike right back, gashing USC's defense on a 4-play, 60-yard drive that culminates in a 19-yard touchdown to Dorian Singer.
USC 31, ARIZONA 16: One play after a Bryson Shaw interception, Caleb Williams throws a 47-yard touchdown pass to Tahj Washington to give USC a 15-point lead. Williams got drilled right after delivering the ball, drawing a roughing the passer penalty.
INTERCEPTION USC! Bryson Shaw picks off a pass to give USC great field position.
USC 24, ARIZONA 16: The Trojans strike quickly, needing just four plays to score, with the big play coming on a 70-yard pass from Caleb Williams to Kyle Ford. The touchdown came on a 5-yard pass from Williams to Tahj Washington, Williams' third touchdown pass of the night.
USC 17, ARIZONA 16: The Wildcats add a field goal on their opening drive of the second half. USC had them pinned deep, but they blew a coverage on third and long and gave up a 73-yard pass to Dorian Singer.
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2ND QUARTER UPDATES:
HALFTIME: USC 17, ARIZONA 13
Pac-12 football officiating ... what else is there to say. The officials completely bungle the final five seconds of the first half, letting the clock run out when USC should have easily had one play from the 10-yard line. Here's what happened: Caleb Williams completed a pass to Brenden Rice for 34 yards to the Arizona 10-yard line with five seconds left. USC raced to the line to either run a play or spike the ball. Since it was a first down, the clock is not supposed to start until the official spots the ball. The clock started to run well before the official spotted the ball, and ran out before USC could snap it. The officials briefly huddled ... and declared the half was over. Ridiculous and embarrassing.
USC 17, ARIZONA 13: The Trojans' defense mounts a goal-line stand, holding Arizona to a short field goal.
USC 17, ARIZONA 10: Caleb Williams' arm talent is ridiculous. Off his back foot, across his body, Williams throws a laser to Brenden Rice that he snags in the back of the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown pass. Williams is 14 of 18 for 168 yards and two touchdown passes.
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1ST QUARTER UPDATES:
USC 10, ARIZONA 10: The Trojans' defense bends but doesn't break, and Arizona kicker Tyler Loop boots a 42-yard field to tie the game at 10-10 with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.
USC 10, ARIZONA 7:The Trojans respond with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminates with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to former Mater Dei star Raleek Brown.
ARIZONA 7, USC 3: The Trojans' defense just got shredded. Arizona needed just eight plays to go 75 yards and score on its opening possession. Let's hope USC's defense is just rusty because the tackling was atrocious. The touchdown came on a 23-yard pass from Jayden de Laura to Dorian Singer, who made a remarkable catch.
USC 3, ARIZONA 0: The Trojans' opening drive stalls at Arizona's 28-yard line and Denis Lynch comes on to kick a 45-yard field goal.
We are underway in Tucson. Kickoff came at 4:11 p.m. The Trojans have the ball to start the game.
PREGAME UPDATES:
It's a beautiful day in Tucson, Arizona. The temperature is 80 degrees and there is not a cloud in the sky. All set for a 4:05 p.m. kickoff.
