It was a tale of two halves Saturday afternoon in Boulder, Colorado.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams threw six touchdowns, the Buffaloes scored four times in the second half and the Trojans outlasted Colorado 48-41.
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Leading by as much as 41-14 with 7:14 left in the third quarter, USC kept its foot on the pedal and had just enough time to secure the win.
Colorado outgained USC in the second half 318 yards to 165 and mustered a comeback effort enough to make the Trojans sweat.
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Buffaloes receiver Omarion Miller turned it on in the second half. The freshman caught six passes in the second half, including key receptions of 65 and 44 yards that set up touchdowns on those same drives, and his final four catches went for at least 14 yards.
Williams threw an interception with 1:03 left in the third quarter. The Buffaloes took advantage and drove down the field, as quarterback Shedeur Sanders found Miller on a 9-yard touchdown pass to make the game 48-34 with 11:55 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Buffaloes then held USC to four plays on the following drive and got the football back. A six-play, 24-yard drive ensued, and Sanders was sacked on fourth down turning the ball back over to the Trojans who missed a 38-yard field goal.
Sanders went 5-for-5 on Colorado’s next possession, and the Buffaloes moved down the field with no timeouts remaining and less than six minutes left to play. Four minutes and 15 seconds later, Sanders found receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. to set up a 16-yard touchdown and make the game 48-41 with 1:43 left to play.
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The Trojans took advantage of the time and knelt the football after recovering an onside kick.
Williams finished 30-for-40 with 403 passing yards. Trojans receiver Tahj Washington had 117 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Sanders totaled 371 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Miller had 196 receiving yards.
USC is now 5-0, doing so for the second-straight season. It’s the first time the Trojans have began with five victories since the 2005-06 campaigns.
