TUCSON, Ariz. — First, USC was without star receiver Jordan Addison, in street clothes during warmups. Then it became apparent that Mario Williams was a last-second scratch, left with pads but no helmet.
So the ninth-ranked Trojans were without their two leading receivers against Arizona. Sixty-five receptions and 1,078 yards of production, reduced to cheerleaders for the day.
But the USC receiving corps — from Tahj Washington to Kyle Ford to Brenden Rice — shined in the spotlight with their leaders gone, making every big play asked of them to help the Trojans to a 45-37 victory over Arizona.
“They stepped up and made some big plays, and we had to have them,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “It was cool to see those guys step up and really accept the challenge and embrace the moment.”
It was always going to be a committee effort without Addison and Williams. USC (7-1, 5-1 in Pac-12) deployed eight receivers in the first drive and 10 Trojans caught passes on Saturday.
Washington stepped into the No. 1 role with ease. He dove for a 51-yard gain, scored his first two touchdowns of 2022 and recorded his first 100-yard performance as a Trojan, catching seven passes for 118 yards.
He was the leading receiver, but Ford wasn’t far behind. After two catches through seven games, the junior surpassed that with six on the night, including a 70-yard catch-and-run. He had his first 100-yard performance in his four-year career, finishing with 114.
Rice returned from a first-quarter hand injury to catch his first touchdown as a Trojan, toe-tapping in the back of the end zone on a crossing route after USC faked two hand offs. Michael Jackson III took a reverse 53 yards. Kyron Hudson was a reliable short-yardage option on crossing routes.
All the while, quarterback Caleb Williams was an efficient 31-for-45 for a career-high 411 yards and five touchdowns. He benefitted from an improved pocket around him and was even willing to throw a block himself 20 yards downfield on Jackson’s reverse.
“I put the ball where I thought was best and those guys went and made some catches,” Williams said.
With linebackers Eric Gentry and Ralen Goforth out and Shane Lee limited, USC had to get creative on defense. That often meant going with dime formations with a single linebacker on the field, or moving defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu back as a blitzing linebacker.
The extra man in coverage did little to stop Arizona (3-5, 1-4) from moving the ball through the air, with Dorian Singer making an extraordinary, one-handed scooping touchdown catch in the end zone to give the Wildcats a brief lead.
But despite giving up chunk plays, USC was able to get off the field, holding Arizona to two field goals the rest of the first half.
An Arizona turnover on downs with 50 seconds left in the second quarter could have led to USC points, but officials allowed the clock to run after a first down in a bizarre sequence that left head coach Lincoln Riley howling at the referees.
USC’s bend-but-don’t break ethos did not hold up in the second half. Arizona, which had the fifth-best passing attack in the nation entering the weekend, went scorched earth on the Trojans, passing for 274 yards in the second half alone as USC gave up 500 yards for the second straight game.
Back-to-back Arizona touchdowns cut USC’s 15-point lead to two, but the Wildcats’ two-point conversion failed and USC never allowed Arizona to get any closer.
After a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty extended a USC drive, Williams found Ford on a slant route for his first touchdown of the season. Then a leaping Travis Dye touchdown put the game out of reach, despite an Arizona score with 1:26 to play.
It wasn’t the prettiest game, needing to recover an onside kick and convert a first down in the final minutes to secure the win. But for the short-handed Trojans, a win was a win as the receivers reminded everyone how deep the unit goes.
“You’re feeding off each other and learning stuff from each other. That’s the beauty of the room,” Ford said. “When that time comes, a lot people stepped up tonight and that was awesome to see.”
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