Saturday, September 24, 2011

Arizona State 43, USC 22 (final)

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No championships were won for Arizona State on Saturday night, but Sun Devils football Coach Dennis Erickson got a Gatorade shower anyway.

USC's dominance of Arizona State is over.

The Trojans, who had won 11 straight over the Sun Devils -- the last loss, 26-15 in 1999 -- were crushed under the weight of their own mistakes in the second half.

USC sputtered on offense in the first half, managing just three field goals. And while the Trojans moved the ball at will for much of the second half, they had a lot of trouble keeping it.

Turnovers on three consecutive possessions -- two fumbles and an interception -- led to 22 unanswered points by Arizona State after USC had taken a 22-21 lead.

USC's five possessions to start the second half:

Six plays, 65 yards for a touchdown.

Nine plays, 80 yards for a touchdown.

Two plays, 24 yards ending in a fumble.

Ten plays, 73 yards ending in a fumble.

One play -- an interception returned 41 yards for an Arizona State touchdown.

Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler was terrific, completing 25 of 32 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Cameron Marshall did the ground work, rushing for 141 yards and three touchdowns in 25 carries.

Matt Barkley completed 21 of 33 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown for USC. But he also lost a fumble and had two passes intercepted -- one that was returned 41 yards for a touchdown by Corona Centennial High product Shelly Lyons.

Marc Tyler led USC in rushing with 149 yards and a touchdown in 22 carries, but he also lost a fumble.

Robert Woods had eight catches for 131 yards.

Arizona State 43, USC 22 (6:37 left in the fourth quarter)

The Sun Devils have used USC's third turnover of the second half to turn a close game into a rout.

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