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No matter how long or impressive they may be, all streaks come to an end.
Southern California’s 11-game win streak over the Sun Devils is no exception.
Despite possessing the ball for over 35 minutes and accumulating over 400 yards of offense, the Trojans’ (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) fell 43-22 to the No. 25 Sun Devils (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12).
“I thought they came out on fire. They played really well. They didn’t make many mistakes or give us a lot of chances,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said of ASU. “They’re a veteran team. They’re really good.”
The Trojans offense, led by the 152 rushing yards of senior Marc Tyler and the eight receptions of sophomore Robert Woods, showed signs of life at times, but were unable to find consistency throughout the night.
“We weren’t ourselves that first half it seemed like,” USC junior quarterback Matt Barkley said. “Then we came out firing. We had that mojo, had that flow going, then for whatever reason we let it slip away.”
While Barkley is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the country, there was a stretch in the first quarter where the Trojans elected to run on three straight third down plays of ten yards or more instead of letting their quarterback make a play.
“I think you go on the road and you got to play smart at times,” Kiffin said. “I think you saw what happened a little bit later when we were forced to throw. That could have been happening right then and the game is out of reach. You got to play field position at times.”
It may seem like the coach doubted his quarterback, but Barkley insisted that was not the case and that the plays were simply the right things to do at that point in the game.
“You see that all the time,” Barkley said. “I don’t think it was a trust issue. We play that game all the time; try to get good field position. I’m not doubting what he did.”
After a forgettable first half, the third year quarterback completed his first six passes of the third quarter, and led the Trojans to consecutive touchdowns and a 22-21 lead.
Then it all fell apart.
After falling behind 28-22, the Trojans entered Sun Devil territory and appeared to be a few plays away from regaining the lead, but a Tyler fumble, one of USC’s four turnovers, stopped the Trojans drive and their momentum.
“I was getting excited at that point because we were moving it,” Kiffin said. “Then the game just changes. You’re going to score right there. I think the score really didn’t dictate the game. I thought the game felt a lot closer.”
After leading the Sun Devils for a mere two minutes and 31 seconds, USC allowed 22 unanswered points to end the game.
The four turnovers certainly did not help, but the Trojans’ 10 penalties for 87 yards also upset the team, particularly a personal foul on junior safety T.J. McDonald.
“I don’t really know how you coach that unless you tell him to just be a bad tackler,” Kiffin said.
USC, like all teams that lose games, will try to focus on their next game, but there is always the possibility that a loss can damage the psyche of a young team and send them into a tailspin.
“There could be,” Kiffin said of the possibility that this loss grows into something more. “But, I know this team is going to stay together. They are going to be strong and they’re going to fight through it.”
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
