20 Southern California rallied from a late 13-point deficit for a 28-27 victory over Arizona State on Saturday in the Pac-12's long-delayed season opener.
Bru McCoy caught a deflected 26-yard TD pass with 2:52 left for the Trojans (1-0), and McCoy then recovered the ensuing onside kick as well.
USC's defense then stopped Arizona State (0-1) on downs near midfield with 50 seconds left to preserve an astonishing comeback for perpetually embattled coach Clay Helton's team.
New Arizona State co-defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis also was on the verge of a resilient debut before the Trojans broke through.
“I don’t think we were out of gas,” Arizona State safety Evan Fields said.