LOS ANGELES — An undefeated season came to a screeching halt on Saturday as ASU football fell 41-20 to USC at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Sun Devils (4-1) put up the first points of the game after a relatively successful first drive, going up 3-0 thanks to the boot of senior kicker Zane Gonzalez.
It appeared that all momentum was on ASU's side after senior linebacker Salamo Fiso stuffed the Trojans on 4th down, but the game quickly — and permanently — shifted in favor of the Trojans (2-3).
A costly interception by redshirt sophomore quarterback Manny Wilkins led to USC's first score of the game: A 5-yard reception by junior wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster that capped off an eight-play, 95-yard drive and put the Trojans up 7-3.
Gonzalez would tack on another field goal to bring the Sun Devils back within a point, breaking the Pac-12 record for career field goals with 86.
USC then rattled off 34 unanswered points, the first six of which coming on Smith-Schuster's second touchdown catch of the day — a 3-yard grab in which he was left wide open and proceeded to hit the dab in celebration.
A pair of field goals and a 37-yard touchdown run by senior running back Justin Davis later, and it was 27-6 Trojans at the halftime break.
But the Sun Devils had more to worry about than the scoreline. Wilkins went down with an apparent left leg injury late in the second quarter and gingerly walked off the field. As halftime concluded, Wilkins could be seen on crutches and in a walking boot on the ASU sideline as redshirt freshman Brady White took over under center.
Manny Wilkins is crutching back to the ASU sidelines in a boot.
— Matthew Tonis (@Tonis_The_Tiger) October 2, 2016
USC pulled away in the second half with White struggling as much — if not more — than Wilkins did before the injury. The inability of the ASU defense to make plays in the open field didn't help, either.
Smith-Schuster hauled in his third touchdown pass in the third quarter — a 67-yard catch that put the Trojans on top 34-6. That play, along with a slew of scampers by Davis, was emblematic of the Sun Devils' defensive struggles.
Miscommunications and poor tackling plagued the ASU defense for the remainder of the night as USC freshman Sam Darnold put together an excellent performance. Before he was replaced by redshirt junior Max Brown in the fourth quarter, Darnold was 23-of-33 for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
Darnold's favorite target, Smith-Schuster, finished with seven receptions for 123 yards and three touchdowns, while Davis ran for 123 yards on 14 carries.
ASU showed faint signs of life in the fourth quarter with its only two touchdowns of the game. On the first, White found redshirt junior tight end Raymond Epps for a 13-yard touchdown. On the second, redshirt freshman running back Nick Ralston burst into the end zone from 10 yards out.
It was all for naught, however, as the Trojans prevailed 41-20.
The Sun Devils head back to Tempe next week for a showdown with the UCLA Bruins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Sun Devil Stadium.
Reach the sports editor at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RyanTClarke on Twitter.
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