TUCSON, Ariz. _ USC's upcoming bye week may not feel that much different than the game week the Trojans just experienced. On Saturday night, during a shockingly sloppy 24-20 victory over the flawed Arizona Wildcats in the desert, the Trojans were mostly playing against themselves.
They technically had an opponent, sure, but Arizona was never going to challenge USC for four quarters on its own. So the Trojans tried to make it interesting with 18 penalties for 169 yards and three fumbles, including two in the fourth quarter.
Once they had created their own adverse circumstances, they pushed hard to overcome them, which led to a feeling of accomplishment each time they were successful.
USC (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) had some fine individual performances that rose above the mucky malaise and gave the final score an appearance of a hard-fought road win over a division rival.
Aca'Cedric Ware carried 21 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns, and his 69-yard scoring run in the third quarter put the Trojans up 24-0, which felt like a pretty comfortable margin at the time.
Marvell Tell III had an interception and a field-goal block in the first half. These senior leaders deserve applause for getting the Trojans to a bye week in which they will have unlimited issues to iron out before unbeaten Colorado comes to the Coliseum.
USC's 18 penalties were the most in Clay Helton's tenure and the most since the Trojans had 16 for 161 yards in 2007 against Washington.
They gave life to the hapless Wildcats (2-3, 1-1) , who were only able to muster 116 total yards in the first half as they continued to try to navigate how to play offense with Khalil Tate hampered by an ankle injury.
USC just could not get out of its own way, a theme of this confounding season.
The Trojans led 17-0 near the end of the second quarter, and despite doing whatever they could to keep the Arizona in the game, they seemed on the verge of giving Wildcats fans an excuse to beat the traffic home at halftime.
Handed prime field position at the USC 43, quarterback JT Daniels hit Amon-ra St. Brown for a 20-yard gain. Then Stephen Carr darted for 24 more, putting the Trojans at the Arizona 13-yard line. But as Daniels surveyed the field before calling for the ball, USC center Toa Lobendahn snapped it at the freshman's knees. Daniels didn't see it coming, and the ball caromed off him into the hands of Arizona's Colin Schooler for a turnover that gave the Wildcats life again.
The Trojans then offered some help to Arizona's impotent offense, which hadn't found its way into USC territory all half. On what was supposed to be the last play of the half from Arizona's 45, Tate passed to JJ Taylor, who carried it 20 yards to the USC 35. There, his face mask was grabbed by John Houston Jr., giving the Wildcats 15 more yards and an untimed down to attempt a 38-yard field goal.
When Tell blocked the field goal to preserve USC's halftime shutout, it became clear that the Wildcats weren't going to take advantage of the Trojans' charity.
A seemingly never-ending stream of penalties put a damper on what could have been a statement first half of football for USC, which was looking for its first road win of the season.
Even when the Wildcats handed the Trojans the ball at the Wildcats' 32-yard line _ Tate rolled to his left and lofted a pass right into Tell's hands along the sideline _ the Trojans were called for holding on their first play of the drive. USC could not move past the bad start and had to settle for a 42-yard Michael Brown field goal to take a 10-0 lead.
On USC's next touchdown drive, the Trojans needed great individual efforts to score after a 15-yard chop-block penalty put them in third and 10. Vavae Malepeai wiggled and willed his way into an eight-yard gain after a short pass from Daniels, setting up the Trojans with fourth and two. Instead of settling for a field goal, Helton elected to go for it, and Ware ran untouched for a 26-yard touchdown.
