USC
2-4 , 1-3
Arizona St
3-2 , 0-2
Team Stats
ASU 3, USC 0
ASU - BARTH,Mike 36 yd field goal 9 plays, 36 yards, TOP 4:17
ASU 3, USC 7
USC - DICKERSON, Kori 21 yd pass from PALMER, Carson (DAVIS, David kick) 3 plays, 41 yards, TOP 0:21
ASU 3, USC 14
USC - LANDRIGAN, C. 20 yd pass from PALMER, Carson (DAVIS, David kick) 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 2:27
ASU 3, USC 21
USC - BYRD, Sunny 3 yd run (DAVIS, David kick), 1 plays, 3 yards, TOP 0:07
ASU 10, USC 21
ASU - FULTON,Skyler 4 yd pass from COOPER,Matt (BARTH,Mike kick) 4 plays, 82 yards, TOP 0:36
ASU 10, USC 28
USC - HOLMES, Alex 4 yd pass from PALMER, Carson (DAVIS, David kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:12
ASU 17, USC 28
ASU - MCDONALD,Shaun 6 yd run (BARTH,Mike kick), 14 plays, 93 yards, TOP 5:57
ASU 17, USC 35
USC - BYRD, Sunny 2 yd run (DAVIS, David kick), 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 2:09
ASU 17, USC 38
USC - DAVIS, David 36 yd field goal 4 plays, 8 yards, TOP 2:06
ASU 17, USC 41
USC - DAVIS, David 29 yd field goal 4 plays, 5 yards, TOP 0:51
ASU 17, USC 48
USC - POSTON, Darryl 7 yd run (DAVIS, David kick), 16 plays, 66 yards, TOP 9:19
Men Of Troy Triumphant Over ASU, 48-17
October 13, 2001 | Football
Oct 13, 2001
By KEN PETERS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES - As the first 15 minutes ticked off the game clock at the Coliseum, Southern California's offense looked like it was going to be in for another long afternoon.
Held to minus-13 yards in the first quarter, the Trojans came to life in the second, scoring three touchdowns on their way to a 48-17 victory over Arizona State on Saturday that ended a four-game losing streak.
"We're really gelling," the Trojans' Carson Palmer said after throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns. "It seems that things are clicking right now.
"We still have a chance for a bowl and that's what we're shooting for."
Palmer completed 18 of 26 passes and was not intercepted as the Trojans (2-4, 1-3 Pac-10) won for the first time since their Sept. 1 opener against San Jose State.
"It was a long wait," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "It was interesting how we struggled early but then found a way to move the ball. It changed the whole game for us."
The Sun Devils (3-2, 0-2) lost quarterback Jeff Krohn, second in the country in passing efficiency with a 180.9 rating, to an ankle injury on the first series of the second quarter.
Backup Matt Cooper, a junior who was 7-of-12 with two interceptions in mop-up duty this season, took over as Krohn watched the second half on crutches. Cooper went 9-of-17 for 117 yards and one touchdown, but was intercepted three times.
Cooper said his performance was "not good enough, I guess that explains it."
"Horrible reads, bad sets, bad footwork," he added.
Palmer threw scoring passes of 21 yards to Kori Dickerson and 20 yards to Charlie Landrigan in the second quarter, then added a 4-yard scoring toss to Alex Holmes as USC went up 28-10 in the third.
Landrigan said the Trojans weren't celebrating much after the victory.
"We're still figuring things out. This is a step in the right direction. There's no reason to be cocky, we're still 2-4," the fullback said.
Sunny Byrd, a fifth-year senior who had never carried the ball for USC, rushed for 63 yards on 20 carries and scored twice on short runs after starting tailback Sultan McCullough went out with an abdominal strain. McCullough carried only four times.
The Trojans' four defeats - by a total of 14 points - all came against teams that were nationally ranked this week, including losses at Oregon (No. 5) and Washington (No. 10) on field goals in the closing seconds. USC also lost to Stanford and Kansas State.
Arizona State came into the game at the Los Angeles Coliseum ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring at 45.2 points a game, but the Trojans' defense was able to contain the Sun Devils after Krohn went out.
"Anytime you structure your team to a starting quarterback and he goes out, it's difficult to pull it together," ASU coach Dirk Koetter said. "The adjustment a second quarterback has to make is to adjust to the speed of the game from practice. It's very hard."
After falling behind 3-0 in the first quarter, the Trojans came back to lead 21-10 at halftime.
They pulled away in the third quarter as Palmer threw a scoring pass to Holmes on their first possession of the half, then added a 2-yard TD run by Byrd. David Davis tacked on field goals of 36 and 29 yards, and Darryl Poston added a 7-yard TD run in the fourth.
In a wild final 1{ minutes to finish the first half, the Trojans blew one scoring chance when Chris Howard fumbled at the Arizona State 15 and Mason Unck recovered for the Sun Devils. USC got another chance shortly afterward when Kris Richard intercepted Cooper's pass and returned it 36 yards to the Sun Devils' 3.
Byrd scored on the next play - his first carry for USC - for a 21-3 lead with 47 seconds left in the half.
The Sun Devils came right back with a TD of their own, however, going 82 yards on a drive capped by Cooper's 4-yard pass to Skyler Fulton with 11 seconds left.
Mike Barth's 36-yard field goal 6{ minutes into the game gave Arizona State the early lead.
The USC victory evened the series between the schools at 9-9. Arizona State had been the only Pac-10 team with winning record against the Trojans.
