Darnold, Jones lead USC over Cal 45-24

Ronald Jones just needed an opportunity to show he was still the running back that became Southern California's most prolific freshman rusher a season ago.

With starter Justin Davis sidelined because of injury and the Pac-12's worst run defense trying to stop him, coach Clay Helton knew that the sophomore was "ready to explode."

Jones rushed for a career-high 223 yards, Sam Darnold threw five touchdowns passes and USC downed California 45-24 on Thursday night.

Darnold threw for 231 yards, with Darreus Rogers making six catches for a career-high 97 yards, as the Trojans rolled up a season-high 629 yards of total offense. Aca'Cedric Warecontributed a career-high 130 yards rushing to USC's total of 398, the fourth time this season the Golden Bears have allowed more than 300 yards on the ground.

"We looked like a tired, beat-up football team and we were," Cal coach Sonny Dykes said.

USC (5-3, 4-2 Pac-12) scored on three of its first four possessions, with Darnold finding Rogers, Jones andDeontay Burnett for touchdowns. Rogers added a second touchdown catch with 28 seconds left, but two fumbles by Darnold allowed Cal (4-4, 2-3) to maintain a modicum of hope despite allowing 451 yards on 46 plays in the first half.

Defensive tackle James Looney returned a fumble to the USC 22, where Tre Watson took a screen pass into the end zone. Webb, the Texas Tech transfer, found his rhythm on Cal's next drive, with throws of 23 and 32 yards to set up Matt Anderson's field goal.

Webb threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns, throwing a ball up for grabs that was intercepted by safety Marvell Tell in the first quarter. Webb also rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter that cut USC's lead to 28-17 before Jones had a 37-yard touchdown run and Daniel Imatorbhebhe caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Darnold.

Melquise Stovall, a freshman who originally committed to attend USC as a recruit, had nine receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Cal's best chance to take the lead came on its fourth play from scrimmage, but freshman Demetris Robertsondropped a potential 64-yard touchdown that hit him in the hands. After Webb quick kicked on fourth-and-1 from the Cal 45, Jones ripped off a 61-yard run on the next play and the Cal defense was on its heels for the rest of the half.

"I think we were prepared when we got here," Webb said. "It's on us. That's how it should be. It's a player's game."

Jones had 149 yards on eight first-half carries.

RECORD RETURNS

USC cornerback Adoree Jackson set a new school record for career kick return yardage, breaking the previous mark of 1,723 yards held by Curtis Conway.

Jackson had 56 yards on two kick returns, giving him 1,779 yards in his three seasons at USC. The electric Jackson also had two spectacular punt returns, though one was called back because of a holding penalty.

THE TAKEAWAY

Cal: The Bears have now lost 13 in a row to the Trojans since handing Pete Carroll's 2003 national championship team its only loss in triple overtime that season. Cal was always going to have trouble defending Darnold and USC's plethora of skill players, and that task was even tougher with a short week to prepare and mounting injuries. But with three home games left, Cal has a good chance at becoming bowl eligible if it can maintain its strong play in Strawberry Canyon.

USC: The Trojans are white-hot, with Darnold leading the way. The freshman quarterback has now thrown 16 touchdown passes in leading USC to four consecutive wins, playing with a fearlessness and fire that the team was missing at the start of the season, though his ball security must improve. They need help to win the Pac-12 South, but the Trojans are more than capable of turning the conference race upside down when they travels to No. 4 Washington on Nov. 12.

UP NEXT

Cal: The Bears host the Huskies on Nov. 5, a potential trap game for Washington while completing its only back-to-back road games this season.

USC: The Trojans host faltering Oregon on Nov. 5, seeking their first five-game winning streak since interim coach Ed Orgeron won five straight in 2013.

Darnold throws or 5 scores, USC routs Arizona 48-14

 Sam Darnold threw for five touchdowns - three to Julu Smith-Schuster - to lead USC to a 48-14 rout of Arizona on Saturday, the Trojans' third straight Pac-12 victory.

Darnold, a redshirt freshman who didn't start until the fourth game of the season, completed 20 of 32 attempts for 235 yards and ran for 54 yards in six carries before sitting out the fourth quarter. He threw for 186 yards and four scores as USC built a 34-7 halftime lead.

Smith-Schuster finished with nine catches for 132 yards.

The Trojans (4-3, 3-2 Pac-12) rolled for 575 yards and remained a half-game out of first place in the Pac-12 South. Arizona (2-5, 0-4) lost its fourth in a row.

Wildcats true freshman Khalil Tate completed 7 of 18 passes for 58 yards in his first collegiate start. Playing in place of injured Brandon Dawkins, Tate threw an interception and fumbled the ball away, leading to two USC touchdowns. He ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

THE TAKEAWAY

USC: The Trojans are rolling and in the thick of the wide-open scramble in the Pac-12 South. After opening conference play with losses to Stanford and Utah, USC has beaten Arizona State, Colorado and Arizona. California and Oregon are next before a Nov. 12 matchup at No. 5 Washington.

ARIZONA: Rich Rodriguez' Wildcats have been hit by injuries, particularly at quarterback, and are in a tailspin that began with an overtime loss to then-No. 9 Washington.

UP NEXT

USC: After their first road win since coach Clay Helton had the interim tag removed, the Trojans don't play again until Oct. 27 against California.

ARIZONA: The Wildcats get their first bye since the 2014 season and they could use it to get Dawkins and others healthy. Arizona is home against Stanford on Oct. 29.

USC overcomes turnovers, finishes off No. 21 Colorado 21-17

 Tyler Petite caught his second touchdown pass from Sam Darnold with 8:28 to play, and Southern California overcame four turnovers to earn a 21-17 victory over No. 21 Colorado on Saturday.

Daniel Imatorbhebhe also caught a TD pass from Darnold, who passed for 358 yards and three scores along with two fumbles and an interception. USC (3-3, 2-2 Pac-12) shredded one of the nation's top defenses for 539 yards, but Colorado's takeaways kept an otherwise one-sided game close.

In the Buffaloes' first game as a ranked team since Nov. 7, 2005, receiver Bryce Bobo threw a 67-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and caught a tying TD pass with 10:20 to play.

Colorado (4-2, 2-1) kicked a field goal with 4:49 left after Petite's tiebreaking score , but the Trojans coolly ran out the clock.

"All Pac-12 wins are tough, especially when you turn the ball over like we did," USC coach Clay Helton said. "We really had a ton of yards, but just a bunch of turnovers."

Justin Davis rushed for 83 yards before leaving with an ankle injury early in the second half for USC, which improved to 11-0 against Colorado in the schools' history.

The Trojans' offense picked up right where it left off last week in a 41-point performance against Arizona State, while the defense held Colorado's potent offense to 371 yards - just 127 in the first half.

Steven Montez passed for 197 yards in the freshman's third straight start. Colorado career passing leaderSefo Liufau also played briefly, but neither quarterback had sustained success against USC's improving defense.

"Today was just a testament to how much work we have left," Montez said. "It's a humbling experience to show that we weren't what we thought we are, and have so much work to do. I think it will help us in the long run. It will keep us hungry and get us focused."

Bobo threw the 67-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Lindsay on a trick play for Colorado's first points in the third quarter, and he caught a 10-yard throw from Montez to cap an 84-yard tying drive.

Darnold fumbled twice in Colorado territory, including a goal-line fumble on the opening drive. Davis also fumbled deep in Buffs territory in the second half.

Bobo shushed the USC crowd after his tying TD catch, but the Trojans got rolling on their tiebreaking drive when Darreus Rogers reached over Colorado cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon and wrestled an interception away from him for a 46-yard gain.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Colorado: The Buffaloes' return to the AP Top 25 after an 11-year absence could be over after one week after losing to a .500 opponent, but they'll have a chance to return quickly.

THE TAKEAWAY

Colorado: The Buffaloes have plenty of work to do if they want to stay on top of the Pac-12 South standings. USC exposed deficiencies on both sides of the ball, but the Buffs' opportunistic defense kept it close and suggested that this long-downtrodden program can hang with anybody.

USC: After going 1-3 in a brutal September schedule, USC has been largely outstanding against two Pac-12 opponents in October. Coach Clay Helton surely will emphasize ball security in the upcoming week, because it's the only thing that kept this win from being a second straight blowout of a division foe.

UP NEXT

Colorado: The Buffs are back in Boulder to host Arizona State in another key Pac-12 South showdown. The Trojans routed the Sun Devils last week.

USC: The Trojans head out for their only road game of October, traveling to Arizona. USC rallied from a big early deficit to beat the Wildcats 38-30 last season.

Darnold propels USC to rebound win over Arizona State, 41-20

Sam Darnold passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns in his first home start, and Southern California emerged from its rough September with a 41-20 victory over Arizona State on Saturday night.

JuJu Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 123 yards and a career-high tying three TDs for the Trojans (2-3, 1-2 Pac-12), who emphatically avoided their first 0-3 start to conference play since 2001 with a blowout of the previously unbeaten Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1).

USC racked up 34 consecutive points to take a 41-6 lead during the middle two quarters, and Smith-Schuster scored on catches of 5, 3 and 67 yards. Justin Davis had a 37-yard TD run among his 123 yards rushing for the Trojans.

Arizona State lost starting quarterback Manny Wilkins shortly before halftime when he was hurt while getting sacked by Rasheem Green. After averaging 48.8 points in their first four games, the Sun Devils didn't reach the end zone against USC's inspired defense until Brady White threw a 13-yard TD pass to Raymond Epps with 8:37 to play.

Darnold was confident and exciting in front of the Trojans' home fans, rushing for a 3-yard score while going 23 for 33 with no interceptions. The freshman replaced Max Browne as USC's starter last week at Utah.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arizona State: The Sun Devils came crashing back to reality with this embarrassment, and Wilkins' long-term health could be an even bigger problem. They struggled to move the ball with either quarterback, and the defense was thoroughly overmatched - not for the first time this season, either. Arizona State has work to do.

USC: Just in time, the Trojans put together a comprehensively strong performance against a quality opponent. Their talent repeatedly shone through, and Darnold injected confidence and fun into a sometimes tentative team. USC still must scrap to get back in the Pac-12 race while keeping Helton's job safe, but the Trojans are in position make a run with three of their next four games at home.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: The Sun Devils return to Tempe to host UCLA. They beat the Bruins in Pasadena last year.

USC: The Trojans stay home to face surprising Colorado, which jumped to 4-1 with a blowout win over Oregon State. The Buffaloes are 2-0 in Pac-12 play after losing 40 of their first 45 league games.

Williams leads No. 24 Utah to 31-27 rally over USC

Troy Williams grew up 15 miles from Southern California's campus but said he wasn't recruited by the Trojans despite being ranked the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country by Rivals. On Friday night, the Utah quarterback showed the storied program what it missed.

Williams threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in No. 24 Utah's 31-27 comeback victory over USC.

The Utes roared back in spectacular fashion with Tim Patrick catching an 18-yard touchdown pass at the pylon with 16 seconds remaining to cap a 15-play, 93-yard drive. Patrick had his third 100-yard receiving game of the season.

"USC, that's my hometown," said Williams, who is from Carson, California. "Growing up watching Reggie Bush, Carson Palmer and Mike Williams and all those dudes, just sitting at home watching on TV and imagining maybe one day I'll play with them or against them. Today was that day."

The Trojans controlled most of the game and had a 27-17 fourth-quarter lead, but Utah (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) scored 14 straight points. Coach Clay Helton decided to punt on fourth-and-3 from the Utah 37-yard line on the possession before the winning drive. USC fell to 1-3 for the first time since 2001.

"I thought it was tonight," said Helton when asked about getting over the hump. "I'll be honest with you. I thought the attitude and the competitiveness was great. I'm heartbroken for them. If they compete like they did tonight, they're going to win a lot of games."

Utah attempted to control the game on the ground early against the No. 98 run defense in the country, but USC tightened up and forced the Utes to win through the air.

USC's Sam Darnold threw for 253 yards and ran for a touchdown in his first career start after replacing Max Browne.

"Refused to quit, just kept fighting the entire 60 minutes," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "Made play after play after play at the end there when we had to make plays.

"Nobody panicked. Just kept doing our thing."

THE TAKEAWAY

USC: The Trojans are in serious trouble. There were already whispers that Helton was on the hot seat, but blowing a 10-point lead in the final quarter may solidify that. Darnold was an upgrade, but USC is now 0-2 in conference.

UTAH: Friday was the first true test for the Utes and they passed - barely. The run game started hot with 132 yards in the first half, but faded fast and continued to have ball-control issues with two fumbles. The defense allowed the most yards it has all season (466), but bowed up in the fourth quarter when the team absolutely needed it.

INJURY UPDATE

Utah starting cornerback Dominique Hatfield played in his first game of the year. He'd been sidelined with an undisclosed leg injury.

The Utes lost 2015 first team All-Pac-12 tackle Lowell Lotulelei to an unknown injury before halftime and did not return.

FANCY

The Utes wore new black helmets that were individually hand painted by an artist. The design mimics a granite texture and no two are identical as each has its own serial number painted on the helmet.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

USC: The Trojans will continue to stay out of the poll. They didn't receive a single vote last week.

Utah: The Utes could move up a couple spots depending on what happens in front of them because of a 4-0 start. A win over USC, however, won't get a lot of points from voters.

QUOTABLE

"Watching them drive the ball down kind of crushed our soul," USC receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said.

UP NEXT

USC: The Trojans return home to host Arizona State (3-0, 0-0) in a Pac-12 South showdown Oct. 1.

UTAH: The Utes travel to face California (2-1, 0-0) in Pac-12 action on Oct. 1.

McCaffrey and No. 7 Stanford methodically mash USC 27-10

This was typical Stanford. A heavy dose of methodical mashing, a bit of everything from Christian McCaffrey and a couple little wrinkles that caught Southern California totally off guard.

McCaffrey slipped out of the backfield for a 56-yard touchdown reception and dived over the pile for a 1-yard score as the seventh-ranked Cardinal beat USC 27-10 on Saturday night.

The Cardinal (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12) have now won seven of nine against the Trojans, the best nine-game stretch for the Cardinal in the history of a rivalry that covers 96 games and more 111 years. Stanford has also beaten USC three times within the last calendar year.

"We don't use anyone but us to set our standards," Cardinal coach David Shaw said.

McCaffrey, the AP player of the year and Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2016, had a routine 260 all-purpose yards. Stanford ran it 47 times for 295 yards, threw 15 passes and held the ball for 34:14.

The Cardinal drew most of the USC defense into the box with a steady dose of inside runs before receiver Michael Rector went 56 yards for a touchdown on a reverse with 3:26 left in the third quarter to make it 27-10.

"I thought (the Trojans) were chasing," said Shaw, adding that he told Rector: "Stay wide and run fast. Great, brilliant coaching by me."

At that point, the Cardinal just played the keep-away game they love so much.

"I think our MO is pretty much set in stone," Shaw said. "If we get a two-score lead in the second half, we're going to run it. We're going to be physical. We talk about intellectual brutality, we're trying to end the game with the ball in our hands."

USC (0-1 Pac-12) is 1-2 for the first time since 2000, when the Trojans started 1-4 in Pete Carroll's debut season as coach. The Trojans weren't as thoroughly dominated as they were in the opener against Alabama, but in the end they have been outscored 79-16 by the Crimson Tide and Cardinal.

"I hope we play that team again, I really do," USC coach Clay Helton said about a possible rematch in the Pac-12 title game. "This is going to be a good football team. We've played two very good teams and we need to find a way to win those games."

THE TAKEAWAY

USC: The Trojans look like the antithesis of Stanford, a team still trying to find an offensive identity and lacking creativity. Their best player, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, had three catches for 34 yards. Max Browne (18 for 28 for 191 yards) was solid, but the Trojans did little to stretch the field and played it safe on several third-and-longs. Mobile freshman quarterback Sam Darnold's only extended playing time came late in the fourth quarter.

"We spread the ball around," Helton said. "I can never be right. I can throw to one guy or throw to the guy who is open."

Stanford: The Cardinal pounded away against a USC defensive line that lacks depth and experience. McCaffrey was the workhorse between the tackles, carrying 30 times for 165 yards.

"We had a couple of missed assignments, but their offensive line works for him," USC linebacker Cam Smith said.

McCaffrey went over 200 all-purpose yards for the eighth straight game.

"Sometimes when the game's on the line, we're OK getting 5, 5, 5, 12, 5, 4 yards a pop if that's what it takes to win and that's what they're giving us," he said.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Only one team lost in front of Stanford so expect a modest gain for the Cardinal in the AP Top 25. Frankly, beating USC at home just doesn't warrant that big of a bump.

UP NEXT

USC: The Trojans have a short week of preparation to get ready for another road game against a smash-mouth team. USC plays at Utah on Friday night.

Stanford: This was the start of the toughest stretch of the season for the Cardinal. UCLA is up first next week. Stanford has owned the Bruins lately, winning eight straight meetings. After that, Stanford has its own quick turnaround road game on a Friday night at No. 8 Washington.

USC bounces back with 45-7 win over Utah St

Southern California's humiliating loss to Alabama didn't linger.

Max Browne and Sam Darnold passed for two touchdowns apiece, Adoree Jackson returned a punt 77 yards for a score, and USC rebounded with a 45-7 victory over Utah State on Saturday.

JuJu Smith-Schuster caught two TD passes as the Trojans (1-1) showed no hangover from their 52-6 loss to the top-ranked Crimson Tide last week in Texas, the biggest season-opening loss in school history and their most lopsided defeat since 1966.

"We needed that," said receiver Darreus Rogers, who had a career-high seven catches for 82 yards. "It's big to build our confidence back up. We had it in our mind to come out strong early and execute."

While the offense had several solid drives for both quarterbacks, the USC defense shut out the Aggies (1-1) until Kent Myers' 6-yard TD pass to Wyatt Houston on the last play of the third quarter.

Browne was mostly sharp in his first career victory as a starter, completing 23 for 30 with one interception. Darnold threw his first touchdown pass for USC in the second quarter, hitting Deontay Burnett on his first play.

Jackson picked up a bouncing punt late in the third quarter and sliced through Utah State for the third punt-return TD of his career.

"This week, it was a team that really wanted to perform, and really wanted to get back out and play," USC coach Clay Helton said.

The Trojans overcame the ejection of left tackle Chuma Edoga on the opening drive for making contact with an official.

THE TAKEAWAY

UTAH STATE: The Aggies didn't get embarrassed by the Trojans, but their defense got a reality check after stifling Weber State in a 45-6 win last week. They'll also have to check their injury losses after a punishing game at the Coliseum.

USC: The Trojans avoided their first 0-2 start to a season since 1997. USC also ended a three-game skid dating to last season's victory over UCLA while getting coach Clay Helton's first victory of his first full season in charge.

INJURY REPORT

Utah State starting cornerback Daniel Gray was taken from the field on a stretcher late in the first quarter. The senior transfer from Tennessee didn't get up after tackling USC's Steven Mitchell Jr. for a loss. Players from both teams kneeled on the sideline, and the entire Aggies roster came onto the field to wish Gray well as he was wheeled off.

Devante Mays, the Aggies' top running back, also watched the second half from the sideline, sometimes resting on crutches.

HE SAID IT

USC's defense shut out the Aggies until Kent Myers' TD pass to Wyatt Houston on the last play of the third quarter.

"I don't even know if I got to very many third-and-short or third-and-medium calls, `cause it was like we were in third-and-long almost the whole time," Utah State coach Matt Wells said. "We just kept getting bogged down."

BIG BLOCK

Smith-Schuster had a bounce-back game from his one-catch performance against Alabama, but he also got the Trojans' fans out of their seats with a block. The junior absolutely leveled Utah State's Dallin Leavitt late in the first half, freeing Burnett to take his catch inside the Aggies 5.

HE'S BACK

USC's Jabari Ruffin played in the second half after sitting out the first half for stomping on the groin of an Alabama player in the opener.

UP NEXT

UTAH STATE: The Aggies host Arkansas State.

USC: The Trojans travel to Stanford, which clobbered them in the Pac-12 title game last season. USC has lost four straight away games.

No. 1 Alabama rolls with freshman QB to beat No. 20 USC 52-6

While Nick Saban wants to see improvement, top-ranked Alabama was pretty impressive in the opening of its national-title defense - without a proven quarterback and with Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Derrick Henry in the NFL.

That Crimson Tide defense, down four players taken in the first two rounds of the NFL draft last spring, is still physical and dominating, too.

On the season's first Saturday, when two top-five teams lost, freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes to ArDarius Stewartand ran for two more scores in a 52-6 victory over No. 20 Southern California on Saturday night.

"We got off to a little bit of a shaky start in the first quarter, especially on offense," Saban said. "We scored a lot of points, made a lot of big plays, but still our consistency in execution needs to be much improved. ... My focus with our team right now is what can we do better."

At least the Tide is 1-0, unlike No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 5 LSU after their losses Saturday. And No. 16 UCLA lost as well.

USC coach Clay Helton sees Alabama a little different than Saban after the Trojans were held to 194 yards in their most lopsided loss since a 51-0 setback to Notre Dame in 1966.

"Obviously one game does not make a season. We played a very good team," said Helton. "They played to their potential. The cold hard truth is we did not play up to ours."

Stewart was wide open in the end zone behind the secondary when Hurts hit him for a 39-yard score midway through the second quarter that made it 7-3 and put Alabama ahead to stay. They hooked up on a 71-yard touchdown right after halftime for a 24-3 lead, and Hurts later had TD runs of 7 and 6 yards.

"Hopefully it's a statement we're still going to fight, still going to play," Stewart said about the team's performance.

The season-opening win came at AT&T Stadium - the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys - was also where the Crimson Tide started their 2012 and 2015 national championship seasons with victories.

The Tide are 10-0 in season openers under Saban, including seven non-conference games at neutral sites against Power Five teams that they have won by an average margin of 23 points.

THE TAKEAWAY

USC: The Trojans may be targeting their first Pac-12 title since 2008, but they weren't ready to compete with the defending national champions.

USC was held without a touchdown in a game for the first time since 1997, and for the first time in a season opener since 1960. It was the fewest points since a 10-6 loss to Utah in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl.

Junior quarterback Max Browne waited three years for his first start, and had a tough time against the overwhelming Alabama defense. He was 14 of 29 for 101 yards with an interception. It certainly didn't help him that receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had 89 catches for 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, had only one catch for 9 yards when targeted five times.

ALABAMA: While the Tide are still unproven at quarterback after playing two freshmen, the biggest hole on offense was left by Henry's absence. Sophomore Damien Harris showed the ability for some big plays with runs of 46 and 73 yards. He finished with nine carries for 138 yards.

STOMP AND YOU'RE GONE

Southern Cal defender Jabari Ruffin was ejected from the game late in the first half when at the end of a punt return he stomped his foot into the groin area of Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was on the ground. The play happened right in front of referee Reggie Smith, who immediately threw a flag. When announcing the penalty, Smith said, "No. 40 has disqualified himself from the game."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

USC: The Trojans will almost certainly be unranked before playing their next game. They still have a lot to prove to voters.

ALABAMA: There shouldn't be any questions about Alabama staying the No. 1 team when the new poll comes out Tuesday.

UP NEXT

USC: Before facing another top 10 team, the Trojans are home next week against Utah State. They go to No. 8 Stanford for their Pac-12 opener on Sept. 17.

ALABAMA: The Crimson Tide play their home opener next week against defending C-USA champion Western Kentucky, a week before their SEC opener at No. 11 Ole Miss.