TEMPE, Ariz. -- USC was in the game until late in the fourth quarter Saturday night at Arizona State, but that doesn't make this one any less frustrating.
A back-breaking sequence midway through the fourth quarter helped doom the Trojans as the Sun Devils closed out a 31-16 win.
First, USC cornerback Chris Steele was flagged for a holding penalty away from the play after the Trojans had stopped scrambling ASU QB Jayden Daniels well short of the marker on third-and-long. The penalty extended the drive and two plays later Sun Devils running back Rachaad White broke through a gaping hole in the line to go 50 yards untouched for a touchdown that pushed the lead to 8 points.
It was the second such run of the day for White, who had put ASU up 14-10 earlier in the game on an untouched 47-yard White touchdown run a play after he reeled off a 26-yard gain on a screen, making half the USC defense miss on tackle attempts.
On USC's ensuing possession after White made it 24-16, wide receiver Kyle Ford -- who many have hoped would step into a larger role following the loss of Drake London -- dropped a big pass over the middle that would have started the drive with a nice gain. On third down, Slovis looked to Ford again but sailed the pass high and Ford wasn't able to elevate for it, as the Trojans went three-and-out.
They didn't threaten again.
White tacked on a 7-yard TD run later in the game to put it out of reach. He rushed for 202 yards and 3 TDs overall while Arizona State totaled 288 rushing yards as a team.
With exception to safety Xavion Alford’s two interceptions, it was a rough day for both the USC offense and defense with few other highlights to note as the Trojans drop to 4-5 overall and 3-4 in the Pac-12.
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