Michael Lev: 5 takeaways from Arizona’s 43-41 triple-overtime loss to No. 9 USC

LOS ANGELES — The final Pac-12 game between Arizona and USC evolved into a heavyweight fight that went the distance.

The Wildcats and Trojans traded blows for three hours, 44 minutes and three overtimes Saturday night at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. It was thrilling, maddening and at times downright stunning.

Ninth-ranked USC escaped with a 43-41 victory thanks to the talent and guile of Caleb Williams, who just happens to be the best player in college football.

Williams provided the winning points with a cleverly conceived dash to the right pylon. What happened a few players earlier is where we’ll begin this week’s five takeaways:

1. OT decision

As soon as Williams scored on the third play of overtime to give USC a 35-28 lead, I posted the following on X/Twitter: “If Arizona is able to counter Caleb's TD, you absolutely go for 2 to end the game. Don't put the ball in his hands again.”

I said that not knowing the overtime rules. I thought the mandatory 2-point try kicked in for the third OT.

The fact that you have to go for 2 in the second overtime makes Jedd Fisch’s decision to kick and tie the game that much worse.

Did Fisch know the rules? It seems like he was unsure at best. Arizona initially sent out its kicking unit after Jacob Cowing’s fourth touchdown catch gave the Cats a 41-35 lead in the second OT. On the TV broadcast, Fisch could be seen saying to the referee: “I thought it was the third overtime.”

Asked about that sequence after the game, Fisch said he “needed to get clarification” from the officials. I asked whether he’d have done things differently after the first touchdown if he had complete clarity on the rules.

“No,” he said. “We didn’t feel like we needed to do that. Both teams were playing good football. ... I really didn’t feel like they were stopping us, and I felt like we had a chance to stop them.”

Fisch said he only would have considered going for 2 after the first touchdown if he felt a sense of desperation. He apparently didn’t feel that way.

It was the wrong choice.

Fisch has done so much good in such a short period of time in Tucson. Just three years into a major reclamation project, he has transformed the Wildcats from a team that couldn’t win a game to one that can compete with anyone in the country.

He had a chance to pull off a monumental upset Saturday night and didn’t take it.

2. QB decision

Fisch has another decision to make this week, although it seems like he already has his mind made up.

After Noah Fifita’s second straight sterling start — 25 of 35 for 303 yards with five touchdowns and one interception — Fisch was asked whether Fifita’s performance changed anything about the quarterback situation.

Again, the answer was no.

Fisch’s response implies that Jayden de Laura will regain the starting job whenever he’s healthy enough to play. That could be as soon as this Saturday at No. 19 Washington State. I watched de Laura closely during early warmups. He appeared to be moving well on his injured ankle. Not well enough to suit up against USC, but trending in the right direction.

I understand Fisch’s stance on this: De Laura was the undisputed No. 1 starter entering the season, and he helped the Wildcats to a 3-1 start.

But we have a lot more information on Fifita today than we had in August. He has proved under extremely difficult circumstances that he’s a capable college quarterback. He doesn’t make as many splashy plays as de Laura, but Fifita executes what’s called more often than not. Like the previous week against Washington, he made one bad decision, maybe two, against USC.

Given how poorly de Laura played against his former school last season — and his tendency to play “hero ball” when he doesn’t have to — Pullman feels like the worst possible spot to put him back out there. Fisch would be better served to wait another week, when Arizona has a bye. That’s a prime opportunity to take a step back and reassess the QB room.

Then again, if Fifita were to lead the Wildcats to a win over the Cougars, the decision becomes that much harder.

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3. Caleb’s legs

For the second week in a row, Arizona’s defense held a future NFL quarterback mostly in check. UW’s Michael Penix Jr. had his least productive game of the season against the Wildcats. So did Williams.

With his arm, that is.

What separates Williams from most other quarterbacks — maybe any other quarterback — is that he not only has an exceptionally strong arm but he can beat you with his legs. He did it repeatedly against a UA defense that wouldn’t let him throw deep.

“They kept dropping out, and they left me with big lanes,” Williams said. “I know I haven’t run this year much, and I don’t really like to run, to be honest with you. But you gotta do whatever gotta do to win the game.”

Williams scored three touchdowns in addition to the winning 2-point conversion. He has the vision of a tailback and the strength of a fullback. His 1-yard TD in the fourth quarter was so preposterous that USC radio announcer Pete Arbogast, whose call was played over the in-house replay, was certain he was stopped short. It did look like Treydan Stukes had him wrapped up. But Williams fought through Stukes’ tackle and extended the ball to the goal line while also making sure neither knee touched the grass.

“Sometimes it’s 50/50,” Stukes said.

When it’s Williams, it’s more like 90/10.

4. The former guys

Arizona almost beat USC on its home turf despite the Trojans having the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and three players who were productive starters for the Wildcats as recently as a year ago.

Ex-Cats Dorian Singer, Kyon Barrs and Christian Roland-Wallace didn’t make a significant impact in Saturday’s game.

Singer had zero catches on four targets. His biggest contribution was drawing a pass-interference penalty.

Barrs was credited with one tackle. Roland-Wallace had four and was playing well before getting hurt early in the third quarter. His former teammate, Tetairoa McMillan, helped him up off the ground.

We asked earlier in the week whether Singer, Barrs and Roland-Wallace were better off at USC. The jury’s still out on that.

Barrs did have a take on it after the game: “Most games I’ve won in my career,” he posted on Twitter, followed by a laughing emoji.

That’s one way to look at it.

5. So close yet ...

Will this be the season of what could have been? The year of what-ifs?

Arizona is 3-3 halfway through the campaign. The losses: by seven in overtime at Mississippi State; by seven against then-No. 7 Washington; and by two in triple OT against No. 9 USC.

Fisch opened his postgame address by reiterating how bullish he is on his program.

“We’ve got a really good football team,” Fisch said. “I think our team is as good as anybody that we play and will play. They’re just getting better.”

Here’s the question, though: What will it take to turn these excruciatingly close losses into uplifting victories?

Arizona outgained USC by 155 yards. The Wildcats dominated time of possession. They flummoxed and frustrated Williams for the better part of three quarters.

So why then, beyond Williams’ exceptional playmaking, did they come out on the losing end?

It’s the little things. For example: Arizona had 12 penalties for 99 yards, with seven coming after halftime. Some extended USC drives.

You want to beat a top-10 team on the road? You can’t do that.