As he would tell you, this was not Khalil Tate’s best performance. Yes, he rushed for 161 yards, accounted for three touchdowns and helped Arizona rally from a 22-point deficit. But he also turned the ball over three times (one not his fault) and completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes. Tate’s first interception was a play he didn’t have to make; he forced the ball downfield on first-and-10 with more than five minutes left and Arizona down seven.
The backs were productive. Did they get enough work? J.J. Taylor averaged 4.2 yards per attempt but carried only 12 times – just three after halftime. Yes, the Wildcats were trailing. But it wasn’t late enough to abandon the run. (Tate had 26 carries – 14 after halftime.) Taylor also had a 16-yard TD reception. Zach Green carried one time for a 3-yard score. Nick Wilson dressed but wasn’t heavily involved (two carries, 7 yards).
The overall production looks decent – 14 catches, 146 yards, one TD – but the receivers often had trouble gaining separation. That led to incomplete passes or coverage sacks. Shun Brown had a career-high eight catches for 78 yards and a touchdown but bobbled a ball late that resulted in an interception. Tony Ellison (three catches, 36 yards) made a leaping grab to snag a two-point conversion pass that tied the score in the fourth quarter.
After going four straight games without allowing sack, Arizona surrendered five to USC. That matched the Wildcats’ season total entering Saturday. Some of it was a product of Tate holding the ball too long, but a lot also had to do with the line having trouble with USC’s pressure packages. The group did find a rhythm in the second half, when the Wildcats gained 177 of their 234 rushing yards.
For the most part, the front got manhandled by USC’s offensive line. The Trojans ran the ball at will, gaining 331 yards and averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. The front also did not generate consistent pressure against Sam Darnold, sacking him only once. Luca Bruno registered that sack. DE Justin Belknap got credit for bringing down Darnold on a fourth-and-1 sneak that came up short in the first quarter. Freshman LB Tony Fields II had a team-high 11 tackles.
This group had a moment or two but mostly struggled. The biggest highlight was safety Dane Cruikshank’s interception of Darnold in the end zone in the first quarter. Cruickshank led all defensive backs with 10 tackles. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Lorenzo Burns had pass breakups, but Burns got beaten for a touchdown by Steven Mitchell in the second quarter. The entire secondary was guilty of losing track of Tyler Vaughns on his TD earlier in the period.
Josh Pollack had a rough night. First, he couldn’t handle a low punt snap, leading to a block and a USC touchdown. And he did not hit the ball crisply when the operation was clean, averaging just 36.5 yards per punt. Lucas Havrisik made both of his field-goal attempts, from 45 and 43 yards, but the cool, moist air limited him to one touchback on seven kickoffs. Brown had a 31-yard punt return that set up the tying touchdown.
It took into the third quarter for the Wildcats to adjust to what the Trojans were doing; at that point, the score was 28-6. Rich Rodriguez and his staff deserve credit for rallying the troops. Some of his play-call choices were questionable, including some deep passes in short-yardage situations where Arizona had relied on the run in previous games. The Wildcats did play a more disciplined game from a penalty perspective (plus-91 in penalty yardage).
