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ASU Football: Sun Devils face Trojans for last time as members of Pac-12

Arizona State will play USC for the final time as conference foes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Mountain America Stadium.

By EverettWilliams99
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NCAA FOOTBALL: OCT 04 Arizona State at USC Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Coming Saturday, the No. 5 ranked USC Trojans will visit Mountain America Stadium for the final time as a Pac-12 conference opponent.

The rich history between the two schools dates back to 1978, when Arizona State won their first ever Pac-10 game against the No. 2 ranked Trojans 20-7 at Sun Devil Stadium. The first ever meeting between the two still remains the second largest upset by ASU at home, second to the 1996 win against then No. 1 ranked Nebraska.

The Sun Devils would end up winning six of the first 10 meetings between the two. This will be the 40th time ASU meets USC.

Bob Kohrs lays the lumber on USC (Photo: ASU)
Linebacker Bob Kohrs had six tackles and three fumble recoveries in ASU’s first Pac-10 win over USC in 1978.

History again followed this matchup as the first-ever Division I football game to go into overtime occurred in 1996. ASU would end up winning after a fumble return pushed the Sun Devils over the top, winning 48-35. That season, Arizona State would finish with an undefeated Pac-10 conference record and make the program’s second Rose Bowl appearance.

A stretch of dominance from USC came during the Pete Carrol dynasty when the Trojans won 11 straight matchups between the two schools from 2000-2011.

NCAA Football 2005 - USC vs. Arizona State
USC had ASU’s number in the 2000’s, winning 11 straight contests.
Photo by Nick Doan /Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images

Perhaps one of the more infamous Arizona State football games in recent memory came when the Sun Devils defeated then ranked No. 16 USC in 2014 in the dying seconds of the game in Los Angeles. Known as the ‘Jael Mary’ to fans of the Devils, wide receiver Jaelen Strong caught a 46-yard Hail Mary pass from QB Mike Bercovici in one of the most improbable outcomes to a football game in ASU history. Bercovici became the all-time passing yards leader in the series that night, throwing for 505 total yards and five touchdowns. Strong also became the all-time receiving yards leader in the series with 202 yards.

NCAA FOOTBALL: OCT 04 Arizona State at USC
ASU defeated USC 38-34 after wide receiver Jaelen Strong caught a 46-yard Hail Mary pass in the finals seconds of the game.
Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Arizona State’s most recent win against USC came in 2021 when Rachaad White ran for 202 yards and three touchdowns in the routing of the Trojans 31-16 in Tempe.

USC leads the all-time series 25-14. ASU’s record at home against the Trojans is 8-12 and 6-13 on the road in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

For additional information about the history between the two schools, click here.

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