USC shuts down Arizona State, 28-0

"They ain't gonna all be pretty," Coach Pete Carroll said.

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FOR THE RECORD:
College football: A caption in Sunday's Sports section misidentified the USC player shown upending Arizona State kick returner Kyle Williams. The hit was made by Trojans punter Greg Woidneck, not linebacker Christian Tupou. —

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At least it wasn't Oregon State ugly.

USC's mistakes in its Pacific 10 Conference opener at Corvallis, Ore., on Sept. 25 resulted in a loss that knocked the Trojans off their perch atop the polls and instantly made any shot at the Bowl Championship Series title game difficult.

In retrospect, USC reaped an unexpected benefit in defeat: Network television executives, perhaps sensing the Trojans had lost their national appeal -- and perhaps their shot at a national championship -- scheduled Saturday's game for midday and broadcast it only to a regional audience.

That means college football fans in Southeastern and Big 12 conference country, and coaches and voters in the Harris Interactive Poll, will see the score and might assume it was a dominating overall effort by the Trojans.

What they may have missed:

* Quarterback Mark Sanchez committing four turnovers -- a fumble and three interceptions -- in the third quarter.

* Receivers dropping passes.

* Ten penalties, none of which ultimately hurt the Trojans thanks only to the Sun Devils' ineptitude on offense.

While Joe McKnight provided most of the highlights on offense by rushing for a career-best 143 yards, it was the defense and special teams that helped the Trojans improve to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play with their first shutout since last season's 38-0 victory at Notre Dame.

"When you give up zero points, it's a good job however you look at it," safety Kevin Ellison said.

True. But USC and the Pac-10 face a national perception problem, thanks mainly to the Mountain West Conference. The Trojans are in a beauty contest of sorts with pollsters and computers that determine the BCS standings.

"We're satisfied with the win, but we know as a team that we could have played 10 times better, a hundred times better," said senior defensive tackle Fili Moala, who recovered a fumble and blocked two field-goal attempts.

USC, coming off a victory over previously ranked Oregon, initially showed no ill effects from its early-morning wake-up call for the 12:30 p.m. kickoff. The Trojans scored on their first possession on Sanchez's one-yard sneak.

But like children who eat their Halloween candy for breakfast, the sugar rush was followed by a comedown.

The offense sputtered through most of the first half until Sanchez connected with receiver Damian Williams for a short touchdown with 6 minutes 15 seconds left in the second quarter. Cornerback Kevin Thomas' 46-yard interception return for a touchdown on the ensuing Arizona State possession gave the Trojans a 21-0 halftime lead.