LOS ANGELES — Using timely plays — and timely penalties — to capture the advantage, USC gradually pulled away in the second half to turn back visiting Washington State in Pac-12 football Saturday night.
The sixth-ranked Trojans held WSU off the scoreboard and churned out a few lengthy scoring possessions after halftime to stay unbeaten and deny the Cougs an elusive victory in Los Angeles.
USC outscored WSU by 13 in the second half of a 30-14 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Cougars fell to 6-42-2 overall at USC’s home venue.
“It was a hard-fought game,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “Our guys left it all out there. … We just didn’t quite get to the point where we could get control of the game.”
WSU (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) erased a 10-0 deficit and captured a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter, but USC (6-0, 4-0) reclaimed the lead — for good — with a methodical scoring series just before the break.
The Trojans leaned on the ground game and marched on an 11-play, 65-yard drive over 6 minutes, 19 seconds. WSU’s defense was tagged with back-to-back penalty calls on third-and-long situations inside its red zone — including a questionable pass-interference penalty on a third-and-13 — and standout USC running back Travis Dye finished the drive with a short touchdown carry.
WSU came into the game with 23 penalties this season. The Cougars were hit with 11 Saturday — many of them debatable, and a few of them changed the momentum of the game.
“We’re not gonna use it as an excuse,” Dickert said. “We made some mistakes in key, critical situations that really hurt ourselves. … I’ll get a chance to look at a bunch of those and the operation of the game and the refs. We’ll kinda sort that out as we go.”
The first four drives of the second half went nowhere as both defenses clamped down. The Trojans broke through late in the third period after nearly turning the ball over for just the second time this season. Quarterback Caleb Williams was picked off by WSU cornerback Chau Smith-Wade near the sideline, but officials determined that Smith-Wade had put his hands on the intended target too early and called pass interference.
Three plays later, Williams found Mario Williams over the middle for a 24-yard score and a 24-14 lead. The Cougs found some holes on the ground with freshman tailback Jaylen Jenkins, but they struggled through the air in the second half and couldn’t finish possessions.
Jenkins totaled 130 yards on 13 carries.
“Really proud of Jaylen, really proud,” Dickert said. “I told him today, coming into the game, ‘You’re going to make a big play.’ … You just see the type of game-breaking speed he has in open field.”
WSU quarterback Cameron Ward finished 19 of 32 for 172 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. He completed 14 of his first 18 passes. The Cougars played the second half without starting slot receiver Renard Bell and No. 1 running back Nakia Watson, both of whom suffered injuries. Dickert didn’t have any updates on the two after the game.
WSU’s defense fared well in containing USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who connected on 15 of 29 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
“I would definitely give him kudos because at the end of the day, he got the win,” WSU linebacker Daiyan Henley said of the Trojans’ star. “We came out with a game plan to get him off-schedule. I’d say, for the most part, we were able to do so.”
The Trojans asked tailback Travis Dye to shoulder the load, and he responded with 149 yards and a score on 28 carries.
USC went into the locker room protecting a 17-14 lead after a well-matched first half. At first, it appeared the Trojans might have a considerable advantage against a Cougar defense that surrendered four “big plays” — passes of 15-plus yards and rushes of 10 or more yards — on USC’s first two possessions. The Trojans managed six big plays the rest of the way.
Williams fired a 38-yard scoring strike on third-and-16 to receiver Mario Williams, who found himself all alone in the corner of the end zone after WSU’s secondary lapsed in coverage. Standout USC defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu registered two sacks to wreck WSU’s second series and the Trojans’ offense marched into the red zone with three explosive plays, but the Cougars’ defense held inside its own 10-yard line and held USC to a short field goal.
Trailing 10-0 early on, WSU’s offense found a spark in Jenkins, who broke off runs of 28 and 21 yards to set up a 12-yard scoring catch from slotback Robert Ferrel — his third touchdown grab in four WSU games — on the first play of the second quarter. The Cougs’ defense settled down and forced USC into two consecutive three-and-outs.
Strong safety Jordan Lee, back in the fold after missing the past three games with an injury, blew up a third-and-1 sweep play to give WSU momentum early in the second quarter. Ward then tossed a dangerous pass deep downfield toward Jenkins, who adjusted his route to the ball in flight and hauled in a 45-yard reception as his legs were taken out. Watson scored on a goal-line pass to put the Cougars ahead 14-10.
The Trojans went ahead to stay with a long series late in the first half. USC capitalized after WSU was tagged with two consecutive penalties on third-and-long plays.