No. 20 USC is developing a flair for the dramatic early in its 2020 season after coming alive offensively at the end of the fourth quarter yet again to defeat Arizona 34-30 on Saturday. The late heroics followed the Trojans' similarly narrow 28-27 win against Arizona State last week to open their Pac-12 season.
The Wildcats held sophomore quarterback Kedon Slovis and the Trojans' air-raid attack in check for much of the game, but Slovis led USC to pair of touchdowns in the final 3:30 on Saturday to keep USC unbeaten heading into a showdown with defending Pac-12 South champion Utah next week.
Arizona was playing its first game of the season after last week's scheduled opener against Utah was canceled, and the Wildcats looked much-improved over last year's 4-8 squad. That team lost seven straight games to end the season, including a 41-14 defeat against USC. But when Lucas Havrisik hit a 51-yard field goal with 7:49 left on Saturday, it appeared Arizona might be on its way to a 1-0 start in 2020.
To that point, USC had managed just three points in the second half as the Trojans produced a punt, a made field goal, a missed field goal, a turnover on downs and a punt to begin the second half. But just like he did against Arizona State -- when he led two scoring drives in the final three minutes -- Slovis delivered again when it mattered most.
TOUCHDOWN TROJANS!@USC_FB calmly marches down the field and retakes the lead with 25 seconds remaining ✌️🔥 pic.twitter.com/rqMwqRNLtN
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 15, 2020
The 2019 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year orchestrated an 11-play, 75-yard go-ahead scoring drive capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass to Erik Krommenhoek with 3:30 left. Not to be outdone, Arizona's own star sophomore quarterback, Grant Gunnell, put the Wildcats back ahead with 1:35 left. Arizona left too much time on the clock for USC, however, and the Trojans marched down the field and sealed the victory with an 8-yard touchdown run from Vavae Malepeai with just 25 seconds left.
A loss would have been a crushing blow for the Pac-12's already struggling national profile. USC and Oregon are the league's only ranked teams, and the Trojans would surely have dropped from the polls if not for a second straight week of late-game heroics.