Anthony Gimino
FOXSportsArizona.com
TUCSON -- Death by a thousand cuts.
Or by about 31 runs by USC running back Marc Tyler.
Arizona's season is starting to spiral, as the 18th-ranked Wildcats lost 24-21 to USC on Saturday night, unable to stop an old-fashioned Trojans running attack -- powerful, persistent and plenty good enough to push Arizona all over the field.
"Our inability to stop the run was problematic," UA coach Mike Stoops said. "They had the ball 37 and a half minutes, and that's too much."
The Wildcats didn't give up a play of longer than 23 yards, which fits perfectly into their bend-but-don't-break style. Not allowing the big passing play has been a point of emphasis. The problem Saturday night was that USC consistently chipped its way down the field, handing the ball 31 times to Tyler, who gained 160 yards.
Tyler ran 17 times on first down, gaining 90 yards. It was a classic case of stop-me-if-you-can
