Orange County Register

It took the third of three Arizona State turnovers for USC to finally score Saturday night, and the defense did all the work.

Will Harris‘ 55-yard interception return late in the second quarter gave USC an uninspiring 7-3 halftime lead at Sun Devil Stadium.

Before that, the Trojans failed to take advantage of the Sun Devils’ generosity.

A Cameron Marshall fumble, recovered by Josh Pinkard, ended ASU’s first drive at the USC 17. But a penalty for offensive pass interference stalled the Trojans and forced them to punt.

During that possession, ASU’s Mike Nixon picked off a Matt Barkley flutter-ball that resulted from Barkley’s arm being hit as he threw. Fortunately for the Trojans, a defensive holding penalty negated the INT.

Amazingly, the same scenario played out in the second quarter — Barkley’s arm being struck and the ball floating through the desert air. This time, ASU linebacker Vontaze Burfict dropped the ball.

A Chris Galippo interception set up the offense in Sun Devils territory at the start of the second quarter. But the Trojans advanced just 2 yards, and Jordan Congdon’s 47-yard field-goal attempt landed well short.

USC had just 76 yards of offense in the half and was 0 for 5 on third downs. Barkley was just 4 of 11 for 24 yards.

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: What does Stanford upset say about Bates?
• USC football: Down goes Oregon … and up comes Stanford
• USC football: Injury opens door for Jackson, Kennard
• USC at Arizona State: And the winner is …
• USC football: Can Tailback U. run on ASU?
• USC football: Everson Griffen will play. Or won’t he?
• USC football: D.J. Shoemate’s quiet contributions
• Poll: Is Carroll’s USC dynasty about to end?
• USC football: Devon Kennard goes home

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