USC-Cal Live Blog

Today’s game kicks off at 12:30 on the West Coast.  All updates will be timestamped with game time. Be sure to check out our Twitter feed for instant info at http://www.twitter.com/dailytrojan

3:44 4th QUARTER USC 48-14 – Touchdown Cal. The Bears mount one last drive and convert on a fourth-and-eight with an 8-yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Keenan Allen. This last drive was Cal’s first in which they looked in sync with each other, but that can only be taken with a grain of salt considering the backups in the game for USC. The Trojans should be able to run the clock out from this point.

7:05 4th QUARTER USC 48-7 – The Trojan defense stops Cal on a fourth-and-long, and USC continues to run out the clock by handing off to C.J. Gable. Cal now has the ball on the USC 39, looking for any points they can get despite the game being all but over.

12:09 4th QUARTER USC 48-7 – FIELD GOAL USC! Joe Houston knocks in another 27-yard attempt to put the Trojans up by 41, improving his field goal percentage to 50% this season in the process. If the game wasn’t already over, this is the final nail in Cal’s coffin. The Trojans now have 570 yards of total offense, including 382 yards of passing — 30 of which USC senior backup quarterback Mitch Mustain has accounted for. Just about all of the second-stringers are on the field for the Trojans, and C.J. Gable has provided some punch at the tailback position.

2:59 3rd QUARTER USC 45-7 – Touchdown Cal. The Bears used a couple key runs by Shane Vereen to get into USC territory, then Vereen found the end zone on a 31-yard catch-and-run to get his team on the board. Cal now has 154 yards of total offense, a stark contrast to USC’s even 500.
5:04 3rd QUARTER USC 45-0 – FIELD GOAL USC! The Trojans continue to pile on the points, this time coming from the leg of senior kicker Joe Houston. Houston’s 27-yard kick puts USC up 45-0, and moves him to three for seven on the year in kick attempts. The Bears look flat and depleted, but preventing a USC touchdown from their one yard line is definitely a step in the right direction for them…even though the Trojans did commit three penalties inside the 25 yard line to put themselves at a disadvantage.

10:00 3rd QUARTER USC 42-0 – USC’s defense holds yet again, forcing a Cal punt that travels 36 yards to the USC 20. The Bears got the ball after a fumble by senior tailback Allen Bradford — the Trojans’ only turnover so far — but were unable to convert it into points. Cal’s Kevin Riley continues to underwhelm, but he did complete three passes on the last drive, doubling his completions on the day. The Trojans just handed off to senior tailback C.J. Gable, meaning the first wave of second-stringers are now seeing their way onto the field.

0:08 2nd QUARTER USC 42-0 – TOUCHDOWN USC! After DeJohn Harris’ interception, the Trojans convert yet another red zone opportunity, as Barkley connects with Rojo for an 11-yard touchdown strike. Barkley has five TDs in the first half — a USC record — and Rojo has two. Any doubts about how this Trojan team could respond after two straight losses are sure to be dissolved by now.

0:43 2nd QUARTER USC 35-0 – TOUCHDOWN USC! After a 54-yard catch and run by junior tight end Blake Ayles, the Trojans pound the ball into Golden Bears’ red zone and cap the drive with an 8-yard TD pass to Rojo, his first of the game. The Trojans are operating like a finely-tuned machine right now, and it seems that Cal has no answer to Lane Kiffin’s game plan.

And just as I am typing this, USC defensive end DeJohn Harris intercepts a Kevin Riley pass to give USC the ball on Cal’s 26. Barring any terrible USC offensive turnover, this is the first time the Trojans have held their opponent to zero points in the first half of a game all year.

8:08 2nd QUARTER USC 28-0 – TOUCHDOWN USC! A methodical USC drive down the field is capped by a 10-yard Robert Woods touchdown reception, his second of the game. The freshman now has 54 yards receiving on the day, with passes provided by a red-hot Barkley, who is now 13 for 21 with 159 yards and three touchdowns. The Trojan offense looks very good once again, but the story of the game remains the incredible defensive effort put forth by USC. The unit has only allowed one first down and has forced five punts. The Trojans seem extremely focused and disciplined, and appear dead-set on answering some of the questions that remained lingering about the defense through six weeks.

13:54 2nd QUARTER USC 21-0 – TOUCHDOWN USC! Marc Tyler pounds in an 11-yard run for a score, and the Trojans take a commanding 21 point lead. The USC offense seems to be finding it’s rhythm, having scored on three of their four possessions. Tyler’s score is his sixth this season, the most of any USC running back so far. The touchdown was set up by another Tyler run for 13 yards and a reception by Robert Woods to bring the Trojans to the Cal 11 yard line. The Trojans seem to be doing just about everything right on both sides of the ball, and have stumped Cal with their defensive pressure and big offensive plays. For those of you keeping track, the Trojans did allow a first down to Cal, but it came with 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter and was promptly followed by another three-and-out by the Golden Bears.

1:27 1st QUARTER USC 14-0 – TOUCHDOWN USC! The Trojans strike again, as Barkley connects with senior wide receiver David Ausberry for a 22-yard score to put USC up 14-0. Barkley seems to be primed for another big game, as he now is 8 for 11 with 81 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone. The catch by Ausberry was his first of the game, and his first touchdown since USC faced Minnesota in week three. Senior wide receiver Ronald Johnson has been seeing some action as well, catching four passes for 19 yards.

As for USC’s defense, they continue to impress — they have not given up a single first down thus far. A catch by Cal that would have given the Golden Bears their first first down was just reviewed and overturned by the officials, sending them back to their own 16 yard line, where Riley was promptly sacked by USC junior outside linebacker Shane Horton. After a Cal punt, the Trojans have the ball on the Cal 41 yard line.

5:45 1st QUARTER USC 7-0 – After a Trojans’ punt, the USC defense holds for the third time in a row, pinning Cal deep in their own territory and forcing them to punt yet again. So far, outside of the lone USC touchdown, offense in this game has been kept to a minimum, mainly because of the strength of the Trojan D thus far. The unit has not given up a first down to the Golden Bears, has sacked Kevin Riley once and recorded four tackles for a loss. For USC fans worrying about the ability of the Trojan defense, this is certainly the type of play that you want to see right off the bat from the Cardinal & Gold. Stay tuned for more!

11:10 1st QUARTER USC 7-0 – Touchdown USC! Freshman wide receiver Robert Woods catches his first touchdown pass ever at the Coliseum, reeling in a 16-yard strike from sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley. The freshman star looks to be running his routes well early on, and the Trojan offense had little trouble driving down the field on their first possession. A 26-yard run by junior tailback Marc Tyler, who had Cal defenders missing on several occasions, set up the score.

The Trojan defense already has forced a three-and-out on Cal’s first possession, and continues to hold strong on it’s second series, sacking Cal quarterback Kevin Riley on third down to force a second straight punt.

Stay tuned for more updates, brought to you now by James Bianchi.

10 minutes to kickoff: Hey guys Kenny Legan here. It’s bright and early (well, not bright, it’s cloudy and the lights are on) and the stadium is not looking too full. It’s probably at about 40 percent capacity right now and the student section is just starting to fill up.

This game between USC (4-2, 1-2 Pac-10) and Cal (3-2, 1-1) pits a high-powered Trojan offense against a stiff Golden Bears defense, that has only given up more than 10 points in a game once (52 to Nevada). The question is if the Trojans defense can stuff Cal’s strong running game. If that happens, USC should win this one. Get ready.