For all but six minutes and five seconds of the first half, Arizona State was in control.
The Sun Devils, who lost their last two games and four of their last five, played with veteran poise. ASU established the run, found their best receiver on a 44-yard bomb and snatched a defensive turnover that eluded their grasp for weeks.
Even when third-string quarterback Jack Sears led the Trojans on a 75-yard touchdown drive to close the second quarter, the mood was calm. There was no sense a near-perfect 30 minutes could be eclipsed.
But when Manny Wilkins ran on third-and-10, collided with cornerback Iman Marshall and lost the football, his helmet and possibly a healthy brain in the third quarter, it felt like any positive spirit was sent into oblivion.