Final: Turnovers help USC defeat Cal, 27-21

This game could prove that Cal is, in fact, on the right path. A loss drops Dykes to 0-8 against USC, UCLA and Stanford. USC converted just four of its first 12 third-down plays. Lasco played his most effective game since week two against San Diego State, when he rushed for 123 yards on 19 carries. “That’s not the case in this league”.

At halftime, the Trojans led in the shots category 10 to 4, while both squads were even with three corner kicks.

Cal hasn’t been anywhere close to its desired ratio in recent weeks, with Goff setting season highs for pass attempts in his last two games. But now things are looking up for this ultra-talented USC team, which played Notre Dame tough and dominated Utah in interim coach Clay Helton’s first home game. Those teams had more film to scout and shut him down.

The Trojans will test the Bears’ sense of belonging among the league’s best.

USC, UCLA and Arizona State are tied for second place in the Pac-12 South with a record of 2-2, while Utah continues to lead the South with a record of 3-1. Utah fans will tune into this game after their own game and subsequent Halloween activities, knowing that Washington is the Utes’ next opponent. “It’ll be a challenge for us”, Dykes said.

The Trojans are down to their third-string center, but it’s star power remains mostly intact – receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, three-way player Adoree’ Jackson, quarterback Cody Kessler – while a stellar recruiting class has made an impact, notably linebacker Cameron Smith, running back Ronald Jones II and cornerback Iman Marshall. On their first drive of the half, Kessler led a 13-play, 68-yard drive that lasted over five minutes and ended with a Madden touchdown run on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line.

The Trojans head back to Los Angeles, but will head to Westwood to finish out there regular season schedule, traveling to UCLA for a 6 p.m. PT match on Friday, November 6. “I ‘d say we’re still confident”.

“He’s just been a pain in our butt offensively”, Helton said. Smith is one of nine underclassmen now on the defensive two-deep, so a few fortunate coaching staff is going to inherit a ton of young talent in 2016.

“He’s just a student of the game, a guy who tries to ideal his craft every day”, Helton said of Burnett. “I’m not going to get into talking about it. It’s pretty obvious”. “It’s a huge confidence booster for the defense”.

For the second week in a row, the Trojans used turnovers to turn a game in their favor. Cal’s defense is improving, but still not great. When everyone is healthy, the carries get split among Jones, Tre Madden and Justin Davis, but Jones is the future of the position, another fabulous foundational piece left behind by Steve Sarkisian.