Nobodys ever done it, so the odds are stacked against

LOS ANGELES -- Southern California shrugged off its dismal September with a stellar freshman quarterback and a revived defense.Sam Darnold passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns in his first home start, and USC emerged from its rough start to the season with a 41-20 victory over Arizona State on Saturday night.JuJu Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 123 yards and a career-high tying three TDs for the Trojans (2-3, 1-2 Pac-12), who emphatically avoided their first 0-3 start to conference play since 2001 with a blowout of the previously unbeaten Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1).When adversity hits, it reveals your character, USC coach Clay Helton said. The character of this team is something Im very excited about.USC racked up 34 consecutive points to take a 41-6 lead during the middle two quarters, and Smith-Schuster scored on catches of 5, 3 and 67 yards. Justin Davis had a 37-yard TD run among his 123 yards rushing for the Trojans.This is where the new season starts, Davis said. Whatever happened in the past is the past. We still have one of the best teams, and Im glad we could show what we can do tonight.Arizona State lost starting quarterback Manny Wilkins shortly before halftime when he was hurt while getting sacked by Rasheem Green. Wilkins watched the second half on crutches with a walking boot on his left foot, but coach Todd Graham provided no postgame information on the injury.After averaging 48.8 points in their first four games, the Sun Devils didnt reach the end zone against USCs inspired defense until Brady White threw a 13-yard TD pass to Raymond Epps with 8:37 to play.Im proud of our team for finishing hard, but we cant put ourselves in that situation, White said.BIG SAMDarnold was confident and exciting in front of the Trojans home fans, rushing for a 3-yard score while going 23 for 33 with no interceptions. A week after replacing Max Browne as the Trojans starter, the redshirt freshman quickly infused excitement into the Trojans inconsistent offense, showing off his big arm and elusiveness while going 23 for 33 with no interceptions.BIG PLAYUSC extended its lead to 34-6 when Smith-Schuster caught a short pass and crisscrossed the field while going to the end zone untouched early in the third quarter.THE TAKEAWAYArizona State: The Sun Devils came crashing back to reality with this embarrassment, and Wilkins long-term health could be an even bigger problem. They struggled to move the ball with either quarterback, and the defense was thoroughly overmatched -- not for the first time this season, either. Arizona State has work to do.USC: Just in time, the Trojans put together a comprehensively strong performance against a quality opponent. Their talent repeatedly shone through, and Darnold injected confidence and fun into a sometimes tentative team. USC still must scrap to get back in the Pac-12 race while keeping Heltons job safe, but the Trojans are in position make a run with three of their next four games at home.UP NEXTArizona State: The Sun Devils return to Tempe to host UCLA. They beat the Bruins in Pasadena last year.USC: The Trojans stay home to face surprising Colorado, which jumped to 4-1 with a blowout win over Oregon State. The Buffaloes are 2-0 in Pac-12 play after losing 40 of their first 45 league games.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Custom Los Angeles Angels Jerseys . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Los Angeles Angels Pro Shop .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. https://www.cheapangels.com/ . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Los Angeles Angels Gear . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Wholesale Angels Jerseys . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky.Stuart Bingham sees it as a privilege to be in the position to try and break the curse of the Crucible, where no first time world champion has ever successfully defended their title. Bingham, 39, returns to the scene of his unexpected triumph on Saturday when he faces Ali Carter in the opening round of this years World Championship.The Basildon-player arrives in Sheffield hoping to break with tradition and achieve what many of the greatest snooker stars in history have so far failed to do. Since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977, as many as 16 first-time champions have failed in their bid to claim back-to-back titles, including Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Ronnie OSullivan.Over the past 39 years, only two first-time winners have reached the final when defending - these are Joe Johnson (1987) and Ken Doherty (1998).Regarding the curse, Bingham said: Its an honour to have the Crucible curse tagged on me this year.A lot of people havent experienced what Ive had in the last year, so to have that chance to break the curse is going to be great.ddddddddddddNobodys ever done it, so the odds are stacked against me. Im looking forward now to Saturday and kicking it all off.And he faces a difficult opener against Carter who may be the world No 31 but is a two-time runner-up - losing both of his finals against OSullivan.Theres been a bit more pressure, mainly pressure on myself to try to play like a world champion, added Bingham.It took me near enough 10 months to get used to it. The last couple of months have been pretty good. Life has been fantastic.Ive been on things like A Question of Sport and other TV shows, and Ive been to places Id never dream of going, so its been fantastic really.I wouldnt change it for the world. I remember when people like Shaun Murphy and John Higgins were world champion, and youd definitely raise your game by 10 per-cent when you played those type of players to try to beat them and make a name for yourself.I knew that was going to happen to me but I thought Id be good enough to handle it but, for a while, obviously that wasnt the case. ' ' '