First play: Late in the third quarter, third down, Trojans-heavy crowd screaming, Trojans defense jumping up and down, momentum swinging… and Kevin Hogan completes a pass across the middle to a wide-open McCaffery that the superhuman back carries 67 yards to set up a go-ahead touchdown. Despite losing the game by ten points, USC was only outgained by 47 yards.
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“What doesn’t he do?”
“I think 99 percent of the matchups he has out the back field on the one-on-one, he’s going to win it”, linebacker Su’a Cravens said. The man had so many all-purpose yards that he was on a mission to show why he shold win the Heisman.
“We have nothing to prove to anybody”, coach David Shaw told reporters.
Shaw must be a pretty good chess player. “It’s not even a debate”. It’s a bold move by the Trojans to name Helton permanent head coach, and perhaps they should have waited till after the season.
During the Pac 12 Championship game McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders untouchable all-purpose yards mark.
“That’s a huge honor…That’s a guy I grew up with posters of on my wall”, McCaffrey said of Sanders.
McCaffrey’s importance was demonstrated in the third quarter. After blowing an early 13-point lead, the Cardinal faced a third-down in their own territory.
Stanford also gave up 8.5 yards per rush last week against Notre Dame, which is an ominous stat considering that USC has successfully transformed into a power running team in the second half of the season under Clay Helton. Until USC can catch up to OR or Stanford, a ton of work remains.
The Trojans took their first lead at 16-13 when running back Ronald Jones scored on a 27-yard run with 5:28 left in the third quarter. “We knew it was going to be a test of wills”. “I know USC is watching our last couple of games and getting excited”.
USC is ranked number twenty in the nation thanks to an 8-4 record, with quarterback Cody Kessler and the Trojans having rebounded from a midseason coaching change to defeat rival UCLA last weekend by a 40-21 final score.
On a night when Derrick Henry and Deshaun Watson made their Heisman Trophy statements, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey would need a big night to stay in the conversation – not to mention beat USC and win a Pac-12 Championship. McCaffrey added a 10-yard run for a score with 1:38 left.
“Very proud of our kids and the season that they’ve had”, said Trojans head coach Clay Helton. In the first quarter the Cardinal outgained USC 113-16 and gave the Trojans only eight offensive snaps.
Still, the Trojans have marquee players and obviously have a lot of alumni in the San Diego area, so WSU fans hoping for the Holiday Bowl should hope for a Stanford blowout just to take the sheen off USC’s recent success. Among the coaches retained by USC are tight ends and quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo, who also followed Sarkisian from Washington, and receivers coach Tee Martin, a standout recruiter and fellow Kiffin holdover.
“It’s not even a debate”, Shaw said.
The oddsmakers in Las Vegas have Stanford favored by four points and it’s worth nothing that, while the Pac-12 championship game is held at a neutral location, the Cardinal will ostensibly have an advantage due to Stanford’s proximity to Santa Clara.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense”, he said.
Tune in for tonight’s USC vs Stanford Cardinal game on ESPN sports TV. The Trojans have a 5-3 record under Helton, who was given a five-year contract this week to remain the head coach….
The other bit of suspense for Stanford revolved around McCaffrey’s Heisman prospects. The Cardinal leads the conference in third-down conversions (50.9 percent), while USC leads in third-down defense (34.4 percent)…
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Stanford will participate in the Rose Bowl as the Pac-12 champion, facing either Ohio State or the Michigan State-Iowa loser.
