After a dismal first half of play, the Arizona Wildcats battled back and made it a game against the USC Trojans. Unfortunately, the stellar performances from Nick Foles and Kadeem Carey were not enough to get UA over the hump as the 'Cats fell to 1-4 on the season.
After surrendering two interceptions in the first quarter, Foles threw for 425 yards and four touchdowns against a talented USC secondary. Kadeem Carey may have had just 34 rushing yards on 12 carries, but the freshman running back recorded two touchdowns on the ground and even hauled in three passes, one of which was good for a touchdown as well.
The wide receivers certainly benefitted from the shootout and nine Wildcats hauled in three passes or more. Twelve total players made a catch on Saturday, which is likely an all-time record. Carey, Austin Hill, Taimi Tutogi, and Juron Criner all recorded touchdowns, while Dan Bucker and David Douglas each had six receptions.
The offense -- well, the offense after the first four drives of the game -- certainly wasn't the problem on Saturday. It was the defense.
Matt Barkley threw for a school-record 468 yards and completed four passes for touchdowns. Curtis McNeal had 74 yards on just seven carries and scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to essentially end the game.
The true star for the Trojans was wide receiver Robert Woods, who hauled in 14 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He broke an 82-yard pass-and-catch on the second play of the game to begin his record-setting day.
Until the Wildcats can improve their pass coverage, this team is going to struggle to win games. Give credit to the offense to not giving up and making a game of it, but in the end, it was too little too late for UA. This seems to be a recurring theme in the last 12 months for the football program.