Ronald Jones II scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, and the No. 17 USC Trojans ran away late from No. 21 Arizona, 49-35, on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Jones II finished with 194 yards and three touchdowns and John Houston Jr. intercepted Wildcats' quarterback Khalil Tate to seal the victory in front of 70,225 fans on Homecoming night.
After struggling in the first half, Tate and the Wildcats exploded in the second half as they erased a 22-point deficit, scoring 29 points in the second. Tate finished the game with 146 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and 161 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
#USC HC Clay Helton told ARZ QB Khalil Tate postgame: "He honored his family and his city" pic.twitter.com/iZ3zjwUzNq— NICK HAMILTON (@NickHamiltonLA) November 5, 2017
His counterpart, Sam Darnold, was 20-for-26 for 311 yards and two touchdowns, as he put the Trojans in the pole position atop the Pac 12 South with the win. USC now only needs one victory in their final two games against Colorado and UCLA to clinch the South, and guarantee a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game at Levys Stadium on December 1st.
UCS led 21-6 in the first half before Tate sparked a second half surge for the Wildcats that evened the score at 35 after a Zach Green touchdown and 2-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter.
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But Jones II responded with reckless abandon as he scampered for 96 yards in the final quarter, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 5:37 remaining, and another insurance touchdown with 3:09 left in the game. Jones surpassed 1,000 yards on the season in the game, and became the first Trojans' running back since LenDale White in 2004 and 2005 to reach the millenium mark in back-to-back seasons.
The Trojans scored a special teams touchdown early in the game, when USC's Jalen Greene returned a blocked punt to the endzone for the game's first score.
Tyler Vaughns and Steven Mitchell Jr. each caught receiving touchdowns in the second quarter as the Freshman Vaughns led the team with four catches for 59 yards.
Despite recording five sacks on Tate, the Trojans' defense struggled with the mobile quarterback, especially late in the game.
The Trojans will travel to Colorado next week where they fill face the Buffaloes in frigid temperatures with a chance to secure their second ever Pac 12 South Title.
