USC Hangs On for Win Over Washington State

Delon Washington led USC’s long-lost run game back to life Saturday night against Washington State, scoring the go-ahead 17-yard touchdown with 2:05 left in the game.

But USC had to endure near-collective heart failure, as Cougar quarterback Ryan Leaf took his team to USC’s 11-yard line with a minute left before the Trojans recovered a game-ending fumble to secure a 29-24 Pacific 10 Conference victory before 33,111 at Martin Stadium.

Despite temperatures in the 30s, USC (5-3 overall, 3-2 in the Pac-10), rallied from behind and somewhat righted itself after its crushing overtime loss at Arizona State last week.

Washington State (5-3, 3-2) had just driven 70 yards midway through the final quarter, taking a 24-23 lead on a two yard pass from leaf to David Knuff.

The drive came after USC’s run-game appeared, enabling the Trojans to capture a brief 23-17 lead on a one-yard scoring run by Shawn Walters. Leon Bender blocked Adam Abrams’ conversion kick, setting up the go-ahead WSU score.

Washington gained 99 yards in 21 carries, most of them for key short-yardage gains in the final two drives.

USC trailed 10-3 at halftime, but R. Jay Soward got USC even by opening the second half with a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was his second in two games. Last weekend, he went 98 yards against Arizona State to give the Trojans a 28-21 fourth quarter lead.

It is the first time USC has had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in one season since Anthony Davis had three in 1974. And this one was like a low-level howitzer shot. Soward, a true freshman, took off up the sideline and by the time he passed Washington State Coach Mike Price, it was clear no one would catch him.

Soward’s bolt made it 10-10, but the Trojans quickly fell behind again.

Leaf took the Cougars 80 yards, finally reaching the four, where tailback Michael Black leaped high, performed a flip and landed in the end zone, completing an eight-play drive for a 17-10 lead.

Then USC quarterback Brad Otton connected with Mike Bastianelli on one of the prettiest touchdown plays of Otton’s career. USC guessed a here-comes-everyone-blitz and Otton calmly, with three Cougars almost in his face, calmly hit Bastianelli over the middle on a pretty crossing pattern and he scored on a 29-yard play to get even, 17-17.

WSU started over, but now without its best back, Black, who sprained an ankle on the previous series.

USC’s luck headed south on its first offensive play.

Senior tight end John Allred, the team’s leading receiver and best blocker, went down because of an ankle sprain was taken on a cart to the locker room.

This was right after Washington State had gone 70 yards in 10 plays on the game’s opening series. The Cougars took a 7-0 lead on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Leaf to Nian Taylor, who’d beaten Chad Morton in the end zone.

Leaf, a 6-6, 245-pound sophomore, pretty much had his way with the Trojan defense in his first series, completing six of seven passes.

Later, the Trojans would mount a stronger pass rush, led by Darrell Russell and Matt Keneley.

Then USC lost Allred, and Otton was greeted with a familiar sight--a fierce pass rush. He was knocked down, in fact, as he threw incomplete on a third-and-six play to terminate USC’s first series.

But on his next series, Otton found Bastianelli for nine yards and Soward for 10 before getting sacked by Dorian Boose. It set up a 37-yard Abrams’ field goal-attempt with everyone on the USC sideline holding their breath. The Trojans had had four of their previous 11 field goal tries blocked. Abrams’ kick was good.

USC’s pass rush seemed to become much more effective, but Washington State got a 24-yard run up the middle by Black that set up a 39-yard field goal by Tony Truant that gave the Cougars’ a 10-3 lead.

That was the halftime score after Otton--under pressure--had a pass intercepted on USC’s last real chance to score in the half with a minute left.

Otton was dumped three times in the half, and Trojans receivers dropped three passes. Chris Miller dropped on over the middle at Washington State’s 25 on the last play of the first quarter. Soward dropped another late in the second quarter.

Otton completed eight of 15 passes in the first half, Leaf nine of 21.