After a sluggish offensive start by USC, the Trojans rebound from the first quarter by scoring 17 points in the second quarter leading the California Golden Bears 20-0.
Entering the second quarter with USC leading Cal 3-0 from a field goal by Andre Heidari in the first, USC quarterback Matt Barkley tossed a 39-yard touchdown to wide receiver Marqise Lee. It was the second time Barkley threw a reception to Lee for 30-or-more yards. For the game, Barkley is 13 of 22 with two touchdowns and no interception. Lee is leading all receivers with 81 yards receving.
On the following drive by Cal, quarterback Zach Maynard threw an interception to Chris Galippo, his first of the year, and put USC in great field position. Barkley struggled as he couldn’t connect with his receivers and USC settled for a field goal, leading the Bears 13-0.
Cal’s offense finally had momentum in their last drive with Maynard throwing to his star receivers Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones, who have 61 yards and 41 yards, respectively. With a golden opportunity to score on first and goal, Maynard threw an interception to Dion Bailey, his first of the year.
The Golden Bears have four turnovers in the first half, losing two fumbles and Maynard throwing two interceptions.
Both teams have struggled on offense with USC accumulating 187 yards of offense in the first half to Cal’s 132, but it is the defensive side of the ball that has the Trojans looking to prepare for next week’s showdown against Notre Dame with the second half left to go in the game.
USC cornerback Anthony Brown left the game with a foot injury in the second quarter and is now wearing a cast. Lee was sent to the sidelines after injuring his shoulder on the touchdown pass from Barkley, no details on his return.