JAYDEN DANIELS

Taylor returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and Arizona State scored twice in the opening 56 seconds to rout rival Arizona 70-7 Friday night. Freshman DeaMonte Trayanum converted an opening Arizona fumble into a 4-yard TD run 43 seconds after Taylor's TD return and the Sun Devils piled on one score after another. Arizona State lost the previous two games it played on last-minute TDs and three more to COVID-19 issues. Arizona State led 42-7 at halftime — most first-half points in Territorial Cup history — despite being outgained 260-241 in total yards. He is 9-20 and has not beaten Arizona State in three seasons in the desert, but also has a large buyout.

20 Southern California rallied from a late 13-point deficit for a 28-27 victory over Arizona State on Saturday in the Pac-12's long-delayed season opener. Bru McCoy caught a deflected 26-yard TD pass with 2:52 left for the Trojans (1-0), and Max Williams recovered the onside kick. USC's defense then stopped Arizona State (0-1) on downs near midfield with 50 seconds left to preserve an astonishing comeback for perpetually embattled coach Clay Helton's team. Slovis passed for 381 yards for USC, while Stephen Carr and Markese Stepp made scoring runs in the first half. New Arizona State co-defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis also was on the verge of a strong debut before the Trojans broke through.