USC beats Cal 41-35: Live updates recap, highlights from Pac-12 football game in LA
Caleb Williams passed for 360 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing TD to lead USC to a 41-35 victory over Cal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night.
Cal quarterback Jack Plummer was equally impressive in defeat, passing for 406 yards and three touchdowns.
USC is now 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the Pac-12 - and still in contention for a conference title.
Here's a quarter-by-quarter recap of USC's win, with scoring and big-play highlights:
LIVE UPDATES RECAP: USC 41, CAL 35
4TH QUARTER UPDATES:
USC 41, CAL 35, FINAL: The Trojans run out the clock and hold on for the victory.
USC 41, CAL 35: Cal scores again, then converts the two-point try to pull within six points with 2:54 left in the game. Cal has outscored USC 21-7 in the fourth quarter.
USC 41, CAL 27: Caleb Williams shows why he's a Heisman Trophy contender, leading a 6-play, 77-yard drive that ends with his fourth touchdown pass of the night, a two-yard toss to Lake McCree. Williams now has 360 yards passing and has accounted for five touchdowns.
USC 34, CAL 27: Game on. The Bears gash USC's defense for another touchdown drive to pull within seven points. Jack Plummer has outplayed Caleb Williams to this point, throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns. The extra point was blocked, which could be significant.
USC 34, CAL 21: The Bears aren't going away. Jack Plummer throws a 47-yard touchdown pass to Mavin Anderson on a busted coverage to pull Cal within two scores with 12:06 left in the game. Then Cal recovers the onside kick to get the ball right back.
3RD QUARTER UPDATES:
USC 34, CAL 14: Caleb Williams throws his third touchdown pass of the night, this one to Tahj Washington, to push the Trojans' lead back to 20 points with 1:18 left in the third quarter.
USC 27, CAL 14: The Bears strike back with a 6-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to keep the game within reach.
USC 27, CAL 7: Michael Jackson III takes a screen pass from Caleb Williams and turns it into a 59-yard touchdown to give the Trojans a 20-point lead with 11:00 left in the third quarter. Williams now has 273 yards passing and Jackson III has two catches for 66 yards - and two touchdowns.
HALFTIME: USC 20, CAL 7
Caleb Williams is 17 of 28 for 203 yards and a touchdown. He has also rushed for six yards and a TD.
Travis Dye has seven carries for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Tahj Washington has six catches for 104 yards.
2ND QUARTER UPDATES:
USC 20, CAL 7: Caleb Williams throws his first touchdown pass of the night, a 7-yard dart to Michael Jackson III to extend USC's lead with 53 seconds left in the first half. USC needed just three plays to score after Calen Bullock's interception. Williams has already passed for 203 yards.
INTERCEPTION USC! Calen Bullock snags his third interception of the season to give USC the ball at midfield with 1:11 left in the half.
USC 13, CAL 7: Travis Dye scores on a 12-yard run to give USC its first lead of the game with 11:44 left in the second quarter.
1ST QUARTER UPDATES:
CAL 7, USC 6: The Trojans respond with a 10-play, 72-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by Caleb Williams. The snap on the extra point is high and Cal nearly returns it for two points. Cal still leads with 5:58 left in the first quarter.
CAL 7, USC 0: Brutal start for USC's defense. Cal repeatedly gashes them on a 5-play, 76-yard drive to take an early lead with 10:29 left in the first quarter. Cal running back Jaydn Ott carried the ball three times for 40 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run.
USC gets the ball to start the game, but the drive quickly stalls. Nothing doing for Caleb Williams and USC on their opening drive.
Photo by Jason Goode
PREGAME UPDATES:
Injury update: USC's top two wide receivers, Jordan Addison and Mario Williams, are both out again.
It's a clear and chilly night in Southern California, with temperatures in the high 50s at kick off.
