USC’s appearance on Pac-12 After Dark nearly became the Pac-12 Until Dawn, so long did it take for the Trojans to wrap up their 31-20 victory over previously unbeaten Colorado on aturday night at the Coliseum. It’s too bad the three-hour, 42-minute game ended so late in the Pacific time zone, and in the wee hours everywhere else.
The Trojans, 4-2 and 3-1 in the Pac-12 after enduring a slow start to the season and experiencing the adventures of starting a true freshman quarterback, are worth watching in prime time. They’re still imperfect, still prone to taking too many penalties, and that zero rushing-yards effort in the first half was bizarre, but on Saturday they put together an impressive defensive effort that gave JT Daniels time to ride out a two-interception first quarter and find his footing toward a 272-yard, three-touchdown passing performance.