1. Dominated

» Situation: Hawaii 0, USC 0, 10:15 remaining, first quarter, USC ball, first and 10 at Hawaii 46

» The Play: QB Matt Barkley finds WR David Ausberry 20 yards downfield, isolated with CB Lametrius Davis. Ausberry makes the catch, Davis misses the tackle and Ausberry continues untouched into the end zone for the game’s first score.

» Impact: USC misses a 2-point attempt, but never trails and builds a 20-3 lead in the first 18 minutes. Barkley ties a school record with five touchdown passes.

» USC coach Lane Kiffin: "We wanted to let Matt throw the ball around and let our offense understand that we want them to be an explosive offense."

2. Appeal denied

» Situation: USC 27, Hawaii 13, 0:24 remaining, second quarter, Hawaii ball, first and goal at USC 9

» The Play: SB Greg Salas catches a pass from QB Bryant Moniz near the goal line. Salas appears to have gotten the ball over the line for a touchdown. But officials rule the ball down about 2 feet short, and a replay review challenge upholds the ruling and leaves UH with no timeouts. The official’s signal of how far the ball is from the end zone momentarily makes the Aloha Stadium crowd think a touchdown has been called.

» Impact: Two passes into the end zone are both incomplete, and Scott Enos kicks an 18-yard field goal. The half ends with USC leading 27-16.

» Salas: "I thought I was in. And when he signaled for a touchdown, I really thought I was in. Oh, well."

3. Special play

» Situation: USC 27, Hawaii 16, 7:23 remaining, third quarter, Hawaii ball, fourth and 13 at USC 39

» The Play: P Alex Dunnachie skies a kick to Ronald Johnson, who catches it at the USC 11. Johnson busts through defenders in the area and then outruns the rest of the coverage for an 89-yard touchdown.

» Impact: The first score of the second half puts USC back in control after both teams scored 13 points in the second quarter. Johnson also tied a school record with three touchdown receptions.

» Johnson: "Once I get it, I was like, ‘OK, I got to make a play,’ and I got some big blocks which sprung me loose."

4. Head shot

» Situation: USC 34, Hawaii 16, 2:38 remaining, third quarter, Hawaii ball, first and 10 at USC 18

» The Play: Moniz scrambles for 13 yards and is downed at the 5 on a hit to the helmet by LB Michael Morgan.

» Impact: Brent Rausch and then Shane Austin take the place of Moniz, who does not return to the game. UH says Moniz has suffered a "head injury," and that his condition will be evaluated more before it is determined if he can play next Saturday at Army.

» Offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich: "His health is our main concern."

5. Only turnover

» Situation: USC 42, Hawaii 23, around 8:57 remaining, fourth quarter, USC ball, third and 7 at Hawaii 41

» The Play: S Spencer Smith forces WR Brandon Carswell to fumble, and S Mana Silva recovers at the Hawaii 24.

» Impact: Austin leads a drive that culminates with a 30-yard touchdown pass to SB Kealoha Pilares that closes UH to a 12-point deficit with 6:48 left. But USC comes right back with a 44-yard touchdown run by RB Marc Tyler. Both teams played porous defense, as UH gained 588 yards and USC got 524.

» Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda: "Everything from spring ball to fall camp led me to believe that we’d be further along. … There were some things we’ve got to correct. Tackling is one of them."