TEMPE, Ariz. — USC wanted to make an emphatic statement following last week's game that everyone wanted to forget against Oregon. Instead, the Trojans played a game no one will remember much about even if they wanted to Saturday night.

About the only good thing that emerged from a trip to Sun Devil Stadium was that the No. 12-ranked Trojans defeated Arizona State, 14-9, before 55,282.

“In the Pac-10, you have to take your wins,” linebacker Chris Galippo said. “Defensively, we made a statement.”

Offensively, the statement might not be fit for print. But much like the Ohio State game, the Trojans' defense won the game and also kept USC's BCS bowl and Pac-10 Conference title hopes alive.

“You guys have amnesia,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “Every year it ain't over till it's over. It's a hard conference. It ain't over yet.”

Luckily, the offense made one important play. Wide receiver Damian Williams made something out of nothing by catching a short pass from quarterback Matt Barkley and sprinting across the field toward the opposite sideline.

Williams went 75 yards and a replay official ruled he did not go out of bounds when he dove for the end zone to give the Trojans a 14-3 lead.

“I don't think we've seen a better play than Damian's play,” Carroll said.

That 75-yard play, early in the third quarter, was only one yard less than the Trojans' offense amassed in the entire first half.

But with the defense stuffing Arizona State (4-5, 2-4), it was enough. Just.

But Arizona State struck back just before the end of the third quarter as backup quarterback Brock Osweiler threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris McGaha.

Josh Pinkard blocked the extra point but the Sun Devils still cut the advantage to 14-9 with 36 seconds remaining in the third quarter.