First Half
It took USC just 4:21 on its first drive of the game to march 74-yards down the field for a touchdown. A missed tackle on a crucial third-and-five gave USC a fresh set of downs before freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis fired an eight-yard pass into the end zone to Matthew Pittman giving the Trojans a 7-0 lead.
On the next USC possession, a Khyris Tonga sack was followed by a Tristen Pilgar interception, giving BYU the ball in USC territory. Ty’Son Williams would bring BYU as far as the half-yard line before BYU defensive back Dayan Ghanwoloku finished off the 28-yard drive on the ground, tying the game 7-7.
The two teams traded pair of scoring drives before the end of the half, with both BYU and USC heading into the locker rooms with 17 points each.
Second Half
The third quarter would see no scoring out of either side, but USC found the scoreboard early in the fourth. A controversial 30-yard touchdown pass from Slovis to Michael Pittman gave the Trojans a 24-17 lead with 10:45 remaining in the quarter.
BYU would respond with a pair of their own scores. The first of these scores came courtesy of a 32-yard Jake Oldroyd, then with 5:41 remaining in regulation, Zach Wilson found a hole and ran the ball 16 yards up the middle into the end zone, giving BYU a 27-24 lead.
The BYU lead would soon be erased as USC kicker Chase McGrath kicked an impressive 52-yard field goal with 1:43 remaining. With the score tied at 27-27 after the fourth quarter, BYU and USC headed to overtime This was the second such overtime contest for BYU in two weeks.
Overtime
USC won the coin toss and elected to start on defense, placing BYU on the 25-yard line. After three plays for a loss of one yard, BYU would settle for three points as Oldroyd was successful on his 43-yard field goal attempt.
With BYU up by three, USC had to tally at least a field goal in order to extend the game. On first down, Chase Ah’You met the USC running back at the line of scrimmage, giving the Trojans no gain on the play. Second down would yield four yards for USC, setting up a crucial third and six.
Cue Ghanwoloku and Kavika Fonua.
On what would end up being the final play of the game, Slovis dropped back to pass and threw the ball for the first-down marker. After the ball was tipped by Fonua, Dayan Ghanwoloku dove and caught the ball, corralling it for a game-ending interception. The play would be reviewed, but the review only confirmed what the team and fans already knew as they stormed the field.
BYU- 30, No. 24 USC- 27
