USC 42, ASU 14: Nightmare for the Sun Devils, a dream come true for the Trojans

(Arizona State is in yellow)

USC 42, Arizona State 14

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This game is a perfect example of how much turnovers can determine the outcome of the game. USC capitalized on both ASU fumbles, returning one for a 94-yard touchdown and recovering another on the ensuing kickoff, which put USC on ASU's 4 yard line. That all but sealed the loss for the Sun Devils.

Formations/Basics

Passing

Cody Kessler had a pretty good game -- he averaged a solid 8.8 air yards per attempt, showing that he wasn't necessarily just dinking and dunking down the field. However, most of his success came when the playmakers operated in space. Adoree' Jackson's awesome little (only a 4-yard pass turning into an 80-yard TD) wheel route was a pretty play that capitalized on an aggressive defense, leaving him one-on-one versus a safety.

Kessler also threw his first interception of the season, which looked very much like miscommunication between him and his receiver, Steven Mitchell. He missed two deep balls on overthrows, one of which Mitchell dropped on a diving catch. But he was able to hit Juju Smith-Schuster on a good throw on the opening play of the game.

What was encouraging to see was how well the coaching staff prepared the O-line in pass protection -- the run game not so much, which I go into below -- for the flurry of blitzes ASU was going to deliver. They only gave up two sacks, which could have been three if not for Kessler's Houdini impression. But they largely did a good job with picking up the pressure.

Rushing

One yard on seven tries up the middle for the Trojans paints an ugly picture, and the running game was ugly indeed. After complimenting USC's running backs leading up to the week, it was evident that ASU coach Todd Graham made it a focus to stop the running game. The longest run for USC was 22 yards by Ronald Jones II, and that didn't come until the fourth quarter. Cody Kessler, of all people, had the second longest on a 21-yard scramble on third-and-16 in the first quarter. That was pretty fun to see but was a further indictment of the running game.

The USC run defense left a lot to be desired. Even when you factor out the outlier of Demario Richard's 61-yard run, the Sun Devils were still able to average a semi-healthy 4.2 yards per carry. This is definitely something to watch, as the Trojans next three opponents -- Washington, Notre Dame and Utah -- are all top-35 in Rushing S&P+.

QB Activity

While the USC D-line struggled against the run (which might have had to do something with missing Antwaun Woods), it did pretty well generating a pass rush. The Trojans were able to sack Mike Bercovici three times, twice while only rushing 4, and clearly affected him on the interception that John Plattenburg caught on the overthrow.

The Trojans don't play again until October 8 against Washington, where they'll look to add both Woods and starting corner Kevon Seymour back into the fold.