SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 27, 2012
Arizona 39, No. 8 USC 36: Matt Scott led the host Wildcats to four unanswered touchdowns in the second half to produce the upset victory and spoil a record-setting day by Trojans wide receiver Marqise Lee.
Scott completed 27 of 50 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns. His top target was sophomore receiver Austin Hill, who caught 10 passes for 259 yards. Wildcat running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for 119 yards on 28 carries and scored on a 7-yard run with 10:56 remaining, giving Arizona (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12) the lead for good at 32-28.
Lee set school and Pac-12 records with 345 receiving yards on 16 receptions and scored two touchdowns for the Trojans (6-2, 4-2). On his 44-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter, he broke R. Jay Soward’s school record of 260 yards against UCLA in 1996, and the conference record of 293 yards set by Mike Haas of Oregon State in 2004.
Lee’s second touchdown gave the Trojans a 28-13 lead early in the third quarter, but the Wildcats scored touchdowns on four straight drives to take a 39-28 lead with 5:36 left in the game. USC's Matt Barkley was 31-of-49 for 493 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
USC got a 10-yard touchdown from Silas Redd and a two-point conversion with 4:40 left, but Carey rushed for two first downs on the ensuing drive and the Trojans didn’t get the ball back until 55 seconds remained and they were out of timeouts.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Arizona backup quarterback B.J. Denker took over on the final drive because Scott appeared to suffer a head injury earlier in the quarter, but didn’t attempt a pass. … USC was outscored 13-7 in the third quarter and has been outscored 56-28 in the third this season. … USC was attempting to win five straight games for the first time since the 2008 season. … The Trojans entered the game leading the nation in turnovers (22) at plus-9 overall, but lost the turnover battle 5-1.