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Call It a ComebackFor the first time since 2012, USC overturned a double-digit deficit to come away victorious. "They just continue to amaze me," said interim head coach Clay Helton about his team. "Every time they are faced with adversity, they keep their poise." Helton pinpointed John Plattenburg's second quarter interception, with the Trojans trailing 14-3, as the momentum changer. "The big thing that helped me make the play was my coaches always telling me, 'Stay disciplined,'" said Plattenburg, who also tied Su'a Cravens for the team lead with eight tackles. One play after the pick, Cody Kessler hit JuJu Smith-Schuster in stride for a 72-yard touchdown and the comeback was on.
Superman
On Monday, Smith-Schuster was on an operating table, undergoing surgery on his broken right hand. Five days later, he made eight catches for 138 yards and a TD. "He is Superman," said Helton about the courageous sophomore. "We gave him a standing ovation in the locker room. He's the ultimate warrior." To the Coliseum crowd, Smith-Schuster looked like himself, but inside, he was being put to the test. "It's a miracle I played today. I was in a lot of pain," he said. "My whole mindset was to come back and play in this game. I knew that when it was time to play, I didn't care about the pain."
The Second Coming
The USC offense has made a commitment to run the football, giving freshman Ronald Jones II the chance to showcase his immense talent. Tonight, he broke the single-game school rushing record, carrying 19 times for 177 yards. "It definitely took until the second or third quarters to get things rolling, but once it was there, my offensive line did a great job," Jones said. "They make my job look easy. I just have to hit the hole and break a few tackles." He sealed the game with a scintillating 74-yard touchdown run, but Helton was most proud of his TD catch because it showed that he is "becoming a complete player."
Run Stuffers
Arizona came into the game averaging 265 rush yards per game, but the Trojans took away the Wildcats' strength, limiting them to a season-low 60 yards on the ground. "The big thing I saw that we really did great this game was everybody running to the ball, pursuing the ball," said Plattenburg. The effort started up front led by senior DT Antwaun Woods who had three tackles-for-loss, including two sacks. "He really took a step forward at Cal and then took two steps forward in this game," Helton said about Woods. "He's the rock of our defense. He's the rock of our locker room. He showed his captain leadership tonight."About that First Quarter
The Trojans were forced to come back because the team came out flat on both sides of the ball. "I thought we were sloppy in the first quarter. That's about as honest as I can be," said Helton. USC was held to 12 first quarter yards, turned the ball over on a bad exchange between Kessler and Tre Madden, and allowed Arizona QB Anu Solomon to throw two touchdown passes in the first 16 minutes of the game. But, Helton and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox made the necessary coaching and motivational adjustments. "With Coach Clay, he just talks to us in a certain way that gets us pumped," said Plattenburg. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish, and I think we did a good job of that."
Survive and Advance
The Trojans are 3-0 in the second half of the season and sit one game behind Utah in the thick of the Pac-12 South race. "Our team goal right now is to be undefeated in November and everything will take care of itself," Plattenburg said. To a man, the Trojans credit their resurgence to bonding as a family under Helton's leadership. As for the interim head coach, he beams with optimism, instilling confidence into a once unstable locker room. "I'm having the time of my life," Helton said. "You can't have any more fun than I'm having."
Here are the game highlights:
