Game Breakdown: USC makes it out of Tucson with a 45-37 victory

Missing a big batch of their most important playmakers on both sides of the ball, the No. 10-ranked Trojans found themselves locked in a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair through four quarters at Arizona.

Though the offense hummed along smoothly behind the brilliant play of quarterback Caleb WIlliams, the defense struggled to contain the dynamic Arizona passing offense, allowing QB Jayden de Laura and company to stay within striking distance for most of the night.

The Wildcats made a late push, but USC did enough down the stretch on offense to put the game away, including Williams' conversion on fourth-and-1 with 1:12 remaining to allow the Trojans to run out the rest of the clock on a 45-37 win in Tucson, Ariz.

Williams completed 31 of 45 passes for a career-high 411 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. It was his second straight game with 5 TDs and 0 INTs.

The Trojans (7-1, 5-1 Pac-12) were without their top two receivers Jordan Addison and Mario Williams, the latter of which more of a surprise. They were also without two of their main three inside linebackers in Eric Gentry and Ralen Goforth, starting left guard Andrew Vorhees and rotational rush end Korey Foreman.

Despite missing three offensive starters, the Trojans put up a season-high 621 yards against one of the Pac-12's worst defenses, including a career-best 6 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown from Kyle Ford and 7 catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns from Tahj Washington for his best game as a Trojan.

The Trojans also had to overcome an officiating blunder at the end of the first half after Williams connected with Brenden Rice for a 34-yard gain down to the Arizona 10-yard line. The clock stopped with 5 seconds left for the first down, and USC hustled to the line, presumably to spike the ball and kick a field goal. But the clock started rolling again before the officials finally set the ball with 1 second left, as time then ran out.

Coach Lincoln Riley was furious and pleaded his case to the officials, who he says later admitted they messed up. In what was a tenuous 17-13 USC lead at the time, it was an egregious error.

"We talked, they admitted that they messed it up. Still, my question was, if you messed it up why wasn't it just stop play and review it?" Riley said. "The explanation given to me at the beginning of the third quarter was that they obviously didn't handle it properly, which I mean, anybody knows that watching."

On defense, Ohio State transfer Bryson Shaw made his first real impact with a third quarter interception.

Arizona (3-5, 1-4) 543, led by 380 passing yards and 3 TDs from de Laura.

First Quarter

USC, 10:56: D. Lynch 45 yard FG. 3-0 USC

Arizona, 7:01: D. Singer 23 yard TD rec from J. de Laura. 7-3 Arizona

USC, 2:57: R. Brown 6 yard TD rec from C. Williams. 10-7 USC

Arizona, 0:49: T. Loop 42 yard FG. 10-10

Second Quarter

USC, 12:33: B. Rice 2 yard TD rec from C. Williams. 17-10

Arizona, 6:59: T. Loop 25 yard FG. 17-13, USC

Third Quarter

Arizona, 12:07: T. Loop 29 yard FG. 17-16, USC

USC, 10:58: T. Washington 5 yard rec TD from C. Williams. 24-16 USC

USC, 5:08: T Washington 47 yard rec TD from C. Williams. 31-16 USC

Arizona, 3:58: D. Singer 19 yard rec TD from J. de Laura. 31-23 USC

Arizona, 1:42: M. Wiley 10 yard rush TD. Failed 2 Pt. Conversion. 31-29

Fourth Quarter

USC, 13:38: K. Ford 5 yard rec TD from C. Williams. 38-29, USC

USC, 6:24: T. Dye 2 yard rush TD. 45-29, USC

Arizona, 1:26: D. Singer 5 yard TD. 2 Pt. Conversion Good. 45-37, USC

In middle of the third quarter USC looked to finally have a shot to pull away, only for a missed field goal and a few big plays to swing momentum the other way for Arizona. Near midfield, the Wildcats appeared poised to tie up the game as de Laura dropped back to pass on a first down. As the Arizona quarterback fired on a short crosser, Trojans safety Bryson Shaw read his eyes and leapt in front of the receiver to snag an interception and wrest control of the football back for USC.

Shaw’s big play set the stage for a USC touchdown on the very next play of the game, a 47-yard strike to Tahj Washington, pushing the lead to 31-16.

QB Caleb Williams

Williams was excellent for the Trojans once again, this time leading the offense without either of his top two receivers. With Addison and Mario Williams out, the quarterback did an excellent job of spreading the ball around, finding 10 different receivers with the football just through the first half.

Williams was calm and accurate with the football, making good decisions and using his legs when necessary. He had the usual smattering of “wow” moments throughout the game, including a gorgeous moon-ball completion of 46 yards to Washington and a highly-difficult cross-body laser in the red zone to locate Rice for a touchdown. Williams did well as a downfield passer in this game, hitting 5 deep shots of over 30 yards to help the Trojans flip field position instantly.

Despite the absence of his top receiver duo, he was totally in control all night as he led USC to one scoring drive after another to keep the Wildcats at bay. Williams finished the night with 411 yards, 5 touchdowns and another week with 0 interceptions -- his best statistical showing of the year.

CB Mekhi Blackmon

Blackmon had his hands full in this contest as he matched up with the talented Arizona receiving corps out wide. Despite the difficulty of his assignment, Blackmon held his ground against Tetairoa McMillan and Dorian Singer for much of the night, battling down the sideline on numerous 50/50 balls. Though he gave up a few completions, he hardly allowed separation as the cornerback won the majority of his targets and forced 4 incompletions. Blackmon’s poise at the top of the route really stood out, as he maintained his position over the receiver consistently on each of those attempts in his direction. His high level of play on the boundary helped stymy the Wildcats passing game on a number of drives, on a night where the defense desperately needed each stop.

Following Shaw's interception, the Trojans had a golden opportunity to stretch the lead out to two scores for the first time all game. More than halfway through the third quarter, Williams and the offense set up shop near midfield looking to capitalize on that chance. Williams dropped back to throw, settling deep in the pocket only for a rusher to fly straight into his face at the base of his drop. With the defender already striking him high, Williams heaved the ball deep, somehow driving the ball over 20 yards down the field right on the money to a wide-open Washington. Nearly 20 yards of grass and a defender remained between him and the end zone, but the receiver accelerated into the space, making the man miss with a shake and waltzing into the end zone for a critical touchdown.

Once again, the Trojans offense simply proved too much for the opposition to hang with over the course of four quarters. It wasn't for a lack of trying, or ability: Jayden de Laura and the Arizona passing offense were sensational for much of the game, putting up 37 points on the night. Nonetheless, the pure production volume of the USC offense kept the team afloat, as Williams and company consistently matched Arizona's scores with touchdowns of their own. The absence of USC's top two receivers didn't slow things down one bit; if anything, it led Caleb Williams to spread the ball around better than he has for much of the year. The defense didn't have a night to remember, but the secondary and pass rush stepped up in key moments to stop just enough of the Wildcats' drives for USC to escape Tucson with a win.

Passing:

Caleb Williams: 31/45, 411 yards, 5 TD

Rushing:

Travis Dye: 20 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD

Michael Jackson III: 1 carry, 53 yards

Austin Jones: 5 carries, 27 yards

Josh Falo: 1 carry, 5 yards

Receiving:

Tahj Washington: 7 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD

Kyle Ford: 6 receptions for 114 yards and 1 TD

Brendan Rice: 5 receptions for 62 yards and 1 TD

Terrell Bynum: 3 catches for 29 yards

Michael Jackson III: 3 catches for 19 yards

Kyron Hudson: 2 catches for 26 yards

Travis Dye: 2 catches for 19 yards

CJ Williams: 1 catch for 14 yards

Raleek Brown: 1 catch for 6 yards

Josh Falo: 1 catch for 4 yards

Defense

Max Williams: 9 tackles, 0.5 TFL

Bryson Shaw: 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU

Calen Bullock: 7 tackles, 2 PBU

Shane Lee: 5 tackles, 1 sack

Nick Figueroa: 2 tackles, 1 sack