After holding Cal to three-and-out on their opening drive, USC struck first with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Matt Barkley to Robert Woods, who made a wonderful catch, keeping his feet in bounds while catching the ball on the right side of the end zone, giving the Trojans a 7-0 lead with 11:17 remaining in the first quarter.
Outside of the touchdown, the key play of the drive was a 26-yard run by Marc Tyler on 3rd-and-1, to push the ball deep into Cal territory.