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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Arizona's defense played like "Desert
Swarm" again, and the Wildcats' offense also came up big.
Evoking memories of the Wildcats' dominant defenses during
several seasons in the 1990s, Arizona held Southern
California (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 18 AP) to 10 yards rushing, logged five sacks and forced five
turnovers in a 31-15 victory Saturday.
|  | | Clarence Farmer's 80-yard run was the highest of his career at Arizona. |
Ortege Jenkins and Clarence Farmer provided offensive spark for
the Wildcats (4-1, 2-0 Pacific-10) against the bumbling Trojans
(3-2, 0-2), who were booed by their own fans as the game went on.
Jenkins ran for two scores and hooked up with Bobby Wade on a
75-yard touchdown pass, and Farmer -- a quick, hard-running freshman
-- scored on an 80-yard run and finished with 134 yards on 22
carries.
Jenkins' long scoring pass came on the third play of the game
and started the Wildcats rolling toward a 21-0 first-quarter lead.
"We wanted to set the tone for the game early," said Jenkins,
who ran 1 yard for the Wildcats' second TD and added a 4-yard
scoring run in the third quarter. "It has usually been our defense
that has done it, but we wanted to this time."
Jenkins passed sparingly after Arizona took its big lead,
finishing with six completions in 12 throws, with one interception.
Arizona coach Dick Tomey liked the Wildcats' fast start, but
worried a bit afterward.
"I thought we flattened out in the second quarter, but our
defense still played well. It looked sometimes that they were going
to get back in the game, but that just never happened," Tomey
said.
Arizona defensive end Idris Haroon, who had one sack and
recovered a fumble, said, "We are attacking offenses. We just want
to bury them, put them in the dirt."
USC's Carson Palmer threw three interceptions -- two made by
Michael Jolivette -- and lost a fumble. Palmer was 26-of-50 for 321
yards.
The Trojans also missed two field goals and had both their PAT
kicks blocked.
Many in the Coliseum crowd of 49,342 booed as USC lost to an
underdog for the second week in a row. The Trojans were ranked
eighth nationally before a 31-21 defeat at Oregon State the
previous weekend, their first loss to the Beavers in 33 years.
"There is not a whole lot to say," Trojans coach Paul Hackett
said. "It was the same scenario. We just didn't come out in the
first quarter and play the kind of football that we need to play.
"It's not complicated. We just need to play better. At this
point in the season, there is no excuse for it."
The Trojans' scoring came on a 1-yard run by Petros Papadakis in
the second quarter, a 27-yard field goal by John Wall in the third,
and a 7-yard pass from Palmer to Matt Nickels with 29 seconds left
in the game.
Wall took the kicks for USC after David Newbury missed two field
goals and had a PAT try blocked in the first half.
On Arizona's long touchdown play that stunned the Trojans early
in the game, Wade got a step behind cornerback Kris Richard, caught
the ball in stride and sprinted the final 30 yards to the end zone.
It was the longest completion of Jenkins' career, and also Wade's
longest reception.
Jenkins gave the Wildcats a 14-0 lead when, on fourth-and-goal
at the USC 1, he faked a handoff to the right and sprinted left,
going untouched into the end zone with 6:59 left in the opening
quarter.
Farmer, a 6-foot, 224-pounder, widened Arizona's lead to 21-0
when he took a handoff and started to his left, cut back off tackle
and, slicing between a wall of blocks by the Wildcats' offensive
left side, broke into the secondary and easily outran the USC
defenders.
Jenkins' second scoring run, out of the shotgun, made it 28-9
with 5:10 left in the third quarter, and Sean Keel added a 29-yard
field goal for Arizona in the final quarter.
USC was without leading receiver Kareem Kelly, who is out with a
leg injury. The Trojans also lost wide receiver Marcell Allmond to
a broken shin bone during the game. He is expected to be sidelined
for three months.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Arizona Clubhouse
USC Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO

Freshman Clarence Farmer's 80 yard touchdown run stuns the USC crowd.
avi: 1620 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Arizona QB Ortege Jenkins takes care of things on his own with this 4 yard TD.
avi: 968 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Petros Papadakis punches through Arizona's stingy defense for a TD.
avi: 1010 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Idris Haroon sends QB Carson Palmer to the ground and recovers the loose ball.
avi: 1180 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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