1. Fast start
» Situation: Hawaii 0, USC 0, 15:00 remaining, first quarter, USC ball, first and 10 at USC 25
» The Play: WR Marqise Lee catches a short pass from QB Matt Barkley near the left sideline. He fakes inside, then goes left and tightropes the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage of the game.
» Impact: USC flexes its muscles at the very start by turning a routine play into a score.
» Hawaii coach Norm Chow: "We ran the same play coming out as they did. They run a hitch and Marqise goes for (75) yards and we run a hitch and it goes for 8 yards."
2. Turn of events
» Situation: USC 14, Hawaii 0, 3:23 remaining, first quarter, Hawaii ball, second and 10 at own 21
» The Play: QB Sean Schroeder’s pass is tipped twice and then intercepted by LB Hayes Pullard, who returns it for a USC touchdown.
» Impact: The turnover comes two plays after Hawaii had gotten the ball on a fumble forced by Kamalani Alo and recovered by Ne’Quan Phillips.
» Schroeder: "It was frustrating at times. We saw glimpses in the first half of what we can do. It was a learning experience."
3. Called back
» Situation: USC 26, Hawaii 0, 2:32 remaining, second quarter, Hawaii ball, fourth and 1 at own 31
» The Play: From punt formation, up back Joey Iosefa gets the snap and rushes 3 yards for an apparent first down. But Hawaii is penalized for an illegal formation, negating the play.
» Impact: Instead of a first down and some momentum, Hawaii ends up punting the ball away.
» Chow: "(The officials) still haven’t given me a good explanation for that call."
4. Long drive
» Situation: USC 35, Hawaii 0, 10:18 remaining, third quarter, Hawaii ball, first and 10 at USC 18
» The Play: Schroeder finds wide receiver Scott Harding open in the end zone for a touchdown pass.
» Impact: The score capped a 12-play, 69-yard drive, giving Hawaii its first points of the season.
» UH cornerback Mike Edwards: "At halftime I told Schroeder, ‘Y’all are doing a great job, but please help (the defense) get off the field.’ "
5. All the way back
» Situation: USC 35, Hawaii 7, 10:11 remaining, third quarter, Hawaii kicking off from own 35
» The Play: Lee takes a ball at the goal line and sprints through a huge hole in the Hawaii kick coverage for a 100-yard touchdown return.
» Impact: USC reasserts its authority immediately after Hawaii’s first score with a big special-teams play, giving all three phases at least one touchdown.
» Lee: "Coach always said make one move and get up (field). I wouldn’t have scored without Xavier (Grimble’s block)."