By Arash Markazi, SI.com

What We Learned

LenDale White ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries -- and left Tempe with a souvenir. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

USC: For the second week in a row, USC looked like it was sleep walking through the first half. Beset by penalties and blown plays, the Trojans appeared more like the team Pete Carroll took over in 2001 than the monster he has molded it into. Held without out a touchdown in the first half for the first time since their forgettable Las Vegas Bowl loss in '01, the Trojans were forced to come back from a 21-3 halftime deficit, an 18-point margin that would be their largest comeback since the memorable 1974 USC-Notre Dame game when the Trojans rallied from 24 down to win 55-24.

While the Sun Devils defense deserves some credit for the Trojans' futility on offense, more often than not USC shot itself in the foot, committing 8 penalties for 55 yards -- in the first quarter alone -- and finishing with 12 for 85 yards. The penalties forced the Trojans to punt the ball on their first four possessions after USC had punted only four times in its first three games combined.

Despite the deficit, Carroll preached to his players what he has done so many times before: They are a second-half team and that games are not won after the first, second or third quarters but after four quarters. It might seem cliché, but after outscoring Oregon and Arizona State 70-7 in the second half the last two weeks, it's a belief that everyone on the team has bought into.

What allowed the Trojans to stay in the game was the surprising play of their defense, and most notably their much-maligned defensive backs, who picked off four Arizona State passes in the second half, including two by cornerback John Walker.

Arizona State: Any coach trying to find a way to beat USC would do themselves well by following the game plan used by Dirk Koetter. While the Sun Devils were effective at rattling the Trojans offense and confusing their defense for much of the game, even a game plan as good as Koetter's wasn't good enough to withstand the five interceptions thrown by quarterback Sam Keller.

After holding the Trojans to just a field goal in the first half, the Sun Devils continued putting pressure on the Trojans in the second half, forcing a turnover and a couple of three-and-outs when it seemed USC had gotten the momentum back. But just as soon as the Sun Devils looked as if they were in control, Keller gave the ball and the momentum right back to the Trojans, throwing four interceptions in the second half and two in the fourth quarter when they were driving to take the lead.

Arizona State was in control of the game for three quarters and even held the lead with less than four minutes remaining, but with the game on the line they failed to close out, allowing the Trojans to run away with the game -- literally -- after two long touchdown runs by Reggie Bush and LenDale White in the final four minutes. "We left everything on the field," said Arizona State receiver Derek Hagan. 'But we didn't leave with the one thing we needed and that was a victory."

Player Who Impressed Me

USC RBs Bush and White. The "Thunder and Lighting" tandem of White and Bush came out in a big way when the Trojans needed them most. After being disenchanted with his role on the team during the first month of the season, White exploded for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, including the game-clinching score with 2:22 left to give USC a 38-28 lead.

Bush had his usual spectacular performance and may have vaulted himself into the lead in the Heisman race, running for 158 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns, including a 34-yard score that gave USC a 31-28 lead late in the fourth quarter. "LenDale and I took over the game," said Bush. "We could tell like last week that the defense was guarding against the pass, more than the run, we had to start pounding the ball and that's what we did."

Locker Room Confidential

After the game, most of the Trojans, decked out in their all black travel warm-ups, carried pizzas onto the bus for the short flight back to Los Angeles. One of the last players out of the locker room was White, who had gotten his hands on an Arizona State towel with the team's mascot Sparky on it. Right above the devil White had scrawled the word, 'KILLA!' and hung it from his waistline for all to see. Two years ago in the same building, with USC down in the second half, White ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns to lead USC to their first of now 26 consecutive wins. "I love playing here," White said. "I don't know if it's the heat or what, but I love this place."

The Big Picture

The Trojans survived what most thought would be the toughest stretch in their schedule -- back-to-back road games against Oregon and Arizona State -- with their winning streak still intact. While the Trojans might still be the No. 1 team in the country, they are beginning to show weaknesses on both sides of the ball that better teams will exploit. USC, however, might not meet a team talented enough to do that that until the national championship game. The Trojans likely will go back to their blowout ways next week when Arizona comes into the Coliseum.

Arizona State once again dominated a top-five opponent for over three quarters before squandering the game late at home. While the Sun Devil faithful could excuse the 35-31 loss to LSU, losing to conference rival USC will be harder to swallow after they looked like a lock to win at the half. The Sun Devils must now regroup and face Oregon next week in a game that could go a long way in determining who goes to the Vitalis Sun Bowl in December.