USC reached the Oregon 49, but the Ducks' pass rush prevented Slovis from getting off a Hail Mary. Brown’s first throw for the Ducks was a TD pass to Redd on Oregon’s opening drive. USC earned its spot in the title game by going unbeaten with three late comeback victories along the way. Shough hit Johnson with a 16-yard TD pass in the second quarter before Stepp’s 1-yard TD run capped USC’s 80-yard drive in response. Brown hit Dye with a short TD pass to finish a drive that consumed half of the third quarter.

20 USC beat Arizona 34-30 on Saturday. “A lot of teams would like to be in that position.”USC (2-0, 2-0 Pac-12) was outplayed by Arizona State last week before scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes of a 28-27 victory. Another drive into the red zone, another trip without points. “That's the bottom line.”THE TAKEAWAYUSC played undisciplined at times and was disjointed at times on offense, particularly in the red zone. Against Arizona, the Trojans struggled with penalties and capitalizing in the red zone.

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 Max Williams recovered the onside kick. 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. Slovis passed for 381 yards for USC, while Stephen Carr and Markese Stepp made scoring runs in the first half. New Arizona State co-defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis also was on the verge of a strong debut before the Trojans broke through.