USC edges Washington State for much-needed win with late blocked field goal

A blocked field goal and a high-scoring offense helped USC edge Washington State 39-36 at the Coliseum on Friday.

The Cougars attempted a game-tying 38-yard field goal attempt with under two minutes to play, but redshirt freshman Jay Tufele blocked it, handing the Trojans the win and getting them back to .500 on the season.

The Trojans edged out the final score thanks to a touchdown by redshirt sophomore running back Vavae Malepeai and a two point conversion to grant them a 3-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter.

The start of the fourth quarter began the shootout with Mater-Dei duo of freshmen quarterback JT Daniels and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown connected for a 30-yard touchdown to steal the lead early in the fourth, the Cougars responded with a touchdown of their own after converting a 4th-and-one attempt.

The Trojans pounced on Washington State early with an energetic rushing drive. In just five plays on the ground, the “three-headed monster” drove the Trojans 75 yards to a touchdown only two minutes into the game.

The USC defense looked angry early. Going up against Washington State’s strong passing offense, which entered the game second in college football, USC’s pass rush needed to be effective. Early in the game, the Trojans were able to apply pressure on sophomore quarterback Gardner Minshew II to prevent Wazzu from extending drives.

Defensive rushes from the outside and pressure over the middle including two batted passes aided in the Trojans’ efforts to force fourth down situations. However, the Cougars, notorious for attempting fourth down conversions, were able to find their first touchdown after converting on two consecutive fourth downs.

On the offensive front, USC relied on its running backs. At the end of the first quarter, the Trojans tallied 68 rushing yards on the ground compared to the Cougars’ six, but WSU’s passing game towered over that of the USC’s by a margin of 43 to six.

USC was quick to fire back this time opting for an aerial route to the end zone after recognizing that the Cougars defense began stop the rush. Daniels connected with redshirt sophomore receiver Velus Jones Jr. on a 44-yard reception. The long gain set up a touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore Tyler Vaughns to give the Trojans a 4-point edge.

Penalties continued to plague the Trojans early as they suffered from five penalties totalling 40 yards in the first quarter alone.

The second quarter saw USC’s unpolished side. Preventable penalties and errors aided in Wazzu’s favorable field position resulting in a touchdown which extended the Cougars’ lead to 24-14 with 1:39 left in the half.

The Trojans attempted to break into the end zone to end the first half but were unable to gain 7 points after three attempts from the eight-yard line — and an incomplete pass to Michael Pittman, whose foot appeared to be on the line in the back of the end zone — and settled with a field goal to close the first 30 minutes trailing 17-24.

At halftime some of the statlines looked pretty even with USC leading in rushing yards (48-42) and trailing in receiving yards (123-179). However, Wazzu’s dominance showed in their late-down conversions. Washington State slated 4-of-8 third down conversions compared to USC’s 0-of-4. Wazzu’s clear ability to extend drives and overcome adversity led to their multiple scores compared to USC’s missed attempts.

The Trojan offense looked solid on the running front and an emphasis on deep passes helped the Trojans find scores to keep the team in the game. On the other side of the ball, the Trojan defense struggled to handle Minshew and Co.’s aerial game as they touted 179 yards on 17 plays.

The second half saw early touchdowns from both teams. A failed snap for WSU on the point after led to just a six point score for the Cougars. The Trojans followed up with a 50 yard touchdown pass to junior Michael Pittman Jr. who used his speed to evade multiple Wazzu defenders en route to a 7 point score.

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