For USC, a fourth-and-two to remember

Almost three years ago, against Texas in the Rose Bowl, fourth-and-two cost USC a third straight national championship.

Saturday night, against Oregon in the Coliseum, fourth-and-two might have saved a national title run.

OK, call it a reach, a stretch, a headline grab.

Maybe, but we'll see. Check back in December if USC is 11-1 and No. 1 or No. 2 in the final Bowl Championship Series standings.

If USC loses again in 2008, forget you read this.

Fourth-and-two are words inextricably linked in USC football lore. To most Trojans fans, they are curse words.

USC needed two yards on fourth down from the Texas 45 with 2 minutes, 9 seconds left in the 2006 national title game to win its 35th straight game and third straight national title.

Matt Leinart handed off to LenDale White and well, you know, Reggie Bush was on the sideline.

Texas Coach Mack Brown told his defense that if it held, the Longhorns would be national champs, and Brown was right.

Texas held, and it became Vince Young's Rose Bowl.

Saturday's fourth-and-two in USC's 44-10 win over Oregon could never, in terms of historic significance, match the other fourth-and-two.

The difference, though, was that this one worked for USC, and it was the key play in one of the more important bounce-back games Pete Carroll has faced in seven-plus seasons as the Trojans' coach.

USC was down, 10-3, in the second quarter, a week and two days removed from being down 21-0 in an ultimate Thursday night defeat at Oregon State.

The Trojans had to beat Oregon to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since a Washington-Stanford combo early in 2001 -- Carroll's first season.

But things weren't going well. A roughing the holder penalty on USC allowed Oregon to take a field goal off the scoreboard and trade it for a touchdown.

USC had first-and-goal from the six and had to settle for a field goal.

Then, down by a touchdown, USC faced fourth down at the Ducks' 34.

You knew Carroll was going for it -- he usually does.

Instead of a run, though, the coaching staff went for the kill.

Mark Sanchez found Damian Williams, wide open, streaking down the left crease and hit him on his No. 18 on the way to an easy touchdown.