TEMPE — Zane Gonzalez kicked a 36-yard field goal in overtime and No. 15 Arizona State overcame an uneven performance to take control of the Pac-12 South with a 19-16 victory over No. 18 Utah on Saturday night.
Utah had the ball first in overtime and had to call a timeout just before Andy Phillips attempted a 35-yard field goal to avoid a delay penalty. Phillips pushed that attempt wide right and did the same thing when it counted.
Arizona State managed just a couple of yards on its overtime drive, but Gonzalez made his kick count, driving the ball through the uprights to send the Sun Devils charging onto the field.
The victory, combined with Arizona’s loss to UCLA, gives Arizona State a one-game lead in the Pac-12 South and keeps the Sun Devils’ College Football Playoff hopes alive.
USC 44, Washington State 17: In Pullman, Wash., Cody Kessler threw for 400 yards and five touchdowns as the Trojans pulled out the win in rainy, foggy conditions.
JuJu Smith caught three touchdown passes for USC, which became eligible for postseason play. Nelson Agholor caught eight passes for 220 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.
“You have to be able to create yards in chunks in football,” coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Yards in chunks are critical for us.”
Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday, the nation’s passing yardage leader, was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with an unspecified injury and did not return. Washington State does not publicly discuss injuries.
“We said we were going to pray for him,” USC linebacker Hayes Pullard told reporters he told Halliday. “We’re going to text him after the game to make sure he is OK.
Freshman Luke Falk replaced Halliday. He threw for 370 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not enough to prevent the Cougars from suffering their second consecutive home loss and fourth in a row.
USC, coming off a last-second 24-21 loss at Utah last weekend, had 527 yards of total offense to 444 for Washington State. Kessler completed 21 of 32 passes.
Washington 38, Colorado 23: In Boulder, Colo., Shaq Thompson rushed for 174 yards, Travis Feeney had a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown and Dante Pettis scored on an 87-yard punt return as Washington bulldozed the Colorado.
The Huskies overcame a 20-17 halftime deficit to snap a two-game skid. The Buffaloes lost their fifth straight.
The Buffs started out fast for a change, but failed to finish strong even though they slowed Thompson after his big first half in which he ran for 151 yards and a TD on just 10 carries and added a 41-yard reception to set up another score.
The linebacker-turned-tailback finished with 174 yards on 15 carries for an 11.6-yard average and 215 all-purpose yards in his second straight start in the Huskies’ backfield.
The Huskies’ first lead came with 5:38 left in the third quarter when Cyler Miles found Pettis for a 28-yard touchdown to put Washington ahead 24-23.
Pettis put the game out of reach when he darted down the Huskies’ sideline to make it a 15-point game with 13:10 left.
Cal 45, Oregon State 31: Corvallis, Ore., Jared Goff threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chris Harper for the go-ahead score with 8:42 remaining to help Cal rally with 18 unanswered on the road.
Daniel Lasco rushed for a career-high 188 yards on 30 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 14, 21 and 15 yards to help the Bears snap a three-game losing streak and move within a game of becoming bowl eligible.
The comeback spoiled a record-setting performance for Oregon State’s Sean Mannion, who completed 30 of 45 passes for 320 yards and became the Pac-12’s all-time passing leader.
