GAME DAY: USC vs ASU Halftime Thoughts

Rain or shine the USC Trojans and Arizona State Sun Devils came out to play today.

1st Quarter Thoughts:

Up and early with a 9 AM PST kickoff time, USC came to the Coliseum fired up and ready to play. During warm ups you could visibly see the teams energy right out of the gate. Going into the 1st quarter, both teams struggled on offense but excelled on defense. ASU did nice job of putting pressure on USC QB Kedon Slovis placing him out of the pocket and forcing quick decisions. Graham Harrell mixed up his play calling going back and forth between run and pass plays. Slovis passing the ball off to RB Vavae Malepeai and Markese Stepp as frequent run options and Amon Ra St. Brown as the leading receiver.

As promised, Todd Orlando's defense came out physical ready to compete and gave QB Jayden Daniels a tough time only allowing 15 passing yards in the 1st Q.

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However, the main storyline of the 1st quarter was the battle of turnovers and penalties. Both teams struggled to keep possession of the ball. It started with Ben Griffiths punting for 38 yards (12:11 & 1st) and Jack Jones returning the ball for 2 yards only to fumble the football for a USC recovery by Quincy Jountti. Then to USC 1st & Goal (10:07 - 1st) with Vavae Malepeai fumbling the ball on a run right for the end zone for a recovery by DeAndre Pierce (ASU). With 3:30 left in the half, 2nd & 8 at ASU 42, USC sacked Jayden Daniels for a loss of 2 yards to the ASU 40. Daniels went down and fumbled the ball for a recovery by USC Tuipulotu Marlon at ASU40.

2nd Quarter Thoughts:

ASU picked up their momentum on offense going into the second quarter. With just 4:48 left in the game the Sun Devils took the lead 17-14. The Sun Devils found their lead at 1st & 10 at ASU 45 (4:48 - 2nd) with Daniels throwing a completion pass to Rachaad White for 55 yards. Place kicker Christian Zendejas sealed the deal with a field goal. The Sun Devils maintained good physical defense in the 2nd quarter, continuing to provide good coverage on USC's receivers and placing Slovis out of the pocket. However, turnovers still presented to be an issue for ASU. With 3:28 left in the 2nd, ASU at 2nd & 10 at ASU 15, Jayden Daniels completed a pass to Bunkley-Shelton for 5 yards. Bunkley-Shelton fumbled the ball, which was forced by USC's Talanoa Hufanga and USC's Isaiah Pola-Mao recovered the play. Following this, Slovis threw an interception (2:16 and 2nd).

Halftime Score: USC 14 ASU 17

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