Last year, the Trojans won on a 53-yard field goal by Andre Heidari.
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“A lot of people underestimated us as a team”. I doubt they do the same in the “real” polls, but it certainly wouldn’t shock me if they did. Until they get the quarterback situation untangled… and the offensive line squared away… and the play-calling in line, the Buckeyes aren’t even remotely deserving of the top spot in any poll. “That was awesome”.
With the win, Stanford improves to 2-1 on the season going into the heart of Pac-12 play. Will Stanford repeat its performance from last week?
But the player everyone wanted to learn more about was Bryce Love, who electrified the crowd with a 93-yard touchdown off a Kevin Hogan screen pass in the fourth quarter. “USC-Stanford games have been intense”. We’re not going to play timid. Is it sinking into mediocrity or ready to reclaim its place in the serious sandbox of college football? David Shaw’s squad entered 2015 as the No. 21 team in the nation, but fell on the road to Northwestern, 16-6, in their season opener. “He’s not doing anything he hasn’t done before”.
In contrast, the Cardinal averages 107.5 rushing yards and 258 passing yards and has scored four times.
Christian McCaffrey rushed for 115 yards for the Cardinal (2-1 overall, 1-0 Pac-12), who scored just six points in their stunning season-opening loss at Northwestern. While those two teams aren’t obvious big time programs, USC has still looked damned good against both.
For a while, the Cardinal looked like it was losing ground by not matching USC touchdown for touchdown.
The Trojans forced the Stanford offense to a three-and-out to begin the second half and retook the lead after a one-yard touchdown pass from Kessler to Mitchell, their second connection of the game. But Stanford turned it into a reality-TV drama in 2007, when a feisty S.O.B. brought a 41-point underdog into this same stadium and claimed one of the sport’s greatest upsets.
The Trojans and the Cardinal know drama.
Taking over at its own 22 with 1:26 left and one timeout remaining, Hogan was 4-for-4 passing on the drive.
After spiking the ball, Hogan found Devon Cajuste for the 17-yard score. Still, I would not want to be the USC defensive coordinator right now. The Trojans receiver excelled when targeted Saturday, hauling in eight passes for 153 yards with a touchdowns (19.1 YPC). They allow an average of 13 completed passes on 30.5 attempts for a completion percentage of 42.6. Meanwhile, Kevin Hogan has been hit-or-miss and has a touchdown strike to account for the Stanford score.
The main focus for Jackson, Marshall, and the rest of the USC defense will be making sure the streaky Hogan that shows up at the Coliseum is the erratic Hogan.
Wright’s third 1-yard touchdown plunge of the game gave Stanford a 38-28 lead early in the fourth quarter. Moments before, Hogan endured consecutive sacks, the second sending him hobbling to the sidelines.
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“What’s your deal?” Carroll asked Harbaugh during their famous postgame handshake in 2009, after Stanford went for a two-point conversion late in a 55-21 pummeling of USC. The USC Trojans’ (6) offense will not only test the Cardinal defense, but will represent a challenge to keep up on the scoreboard.
