FIRST HALF

FIRST QUARTER

USC 7, Louisiana Tech 0

Soward, 53-yard pass from Fox at 11:45. 80-yard drive, 8 plays. Key play--Soward, seven-yard pass from Fox on third and five from USC 25. PAT--Newbury (kick).

USC 14, Louisiana Tech 0

Morton, 3-yard run at 9:00. 34-yard drive, 5 plays. Key gain--Soward, 16, run. PAT--Newbury (kick).

USC 21, Louisiana Tech 0

Morton, 17-yard run at 6:41. 56-yard drive, 6 plays. Key play--Soward, 14-yard pass from Fox on third and 10 from USC 44. PAT--Newbury (kick).

USC 21, Louisiana Tech 7

Jordan, 20-yard pass from Rattay at :50. 56-yard drive, 4 plays. Key gain--Stark, 36, pass from Rattay. PAT--Pond (kick).

SECOND QUARTER

USC 21, Louisiana Tech 13

Jordan, 3-yard pass from Rattay at 10:05. 85-yard drive, eight plays. Key play--Cangelosi, 23-yard pass from Rattay on third and 13 from USC 26. PAT--Kick blocked.

USC 28, Louisiana Tech 13

Morton, 10-yard run at 5:30. 61-yard drive, 6 plays. PAT--Newbury (kick).

SECOND HALF

THIRD QUARTER

USC 35, Louisiana Tech 13

Arbet, 75-yard interception return at 2:23. PAT--Bell (kick).

FOURTH QUARTER

USC 38, Louisiana Tech 13

Bell, 38-yard field goal. 58-yard drive, 12 plays. Key play--Stevenson, 14-yard pass from Fox on third and 9 from Louisiana Tech 35.

USC 45, Louisiana Tech 13

Jackson, 1-yard run at 3:15. 42-yard drive, 9 plays. PAT--Bell (kick).

USC 45, Louisiana Tech 19

Jordan, 10-yard pass from Rattay at :22. 90-yard drive, 10 plays. Key gain--Stark, 37, pass from Rattay. PAT--Pass failed.

Missed field goals--Newbury (USC) 1 (46).

Attendance--45,070.

FIVE KEY MOMENTS

1. With the game over and the teams spilling onto the field, a series of photos of USC quarterback John Fox and his girlfriend, Nicole Barros, begin to flash on the scoreboard video. Fox drops to one knee to propose. She says yes.

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2. R. Jay Soward, playing his final game as a Trojan, goes deep in the first quarter, easily beats a defender and turns to wait for Fox’s pass for a 53-yard touchdown as USC takes a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. It is the 25th play of 40 yards or longer in Soward’s career, and his 32nd touchdown.

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3. Louisiana Tech comes out throwing. Even from their own five-yard line, the Bulldogs line up with five receivers on their first possession but go three and out. Rattay struggles with uncharacteristic inaccuracy early, but Louisiana Tech still doesn’t use a running play until 2 minutes 20 seconds remain in the first quarter.

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4. Looks like trouble: Chad Morton scores on a 17-yard run, and USC leads 21-0 with 6:41 still to play in the first quarter. Even though the Trojans are dominating, it’s impossible not to recall blown 21-point leads against Notre Dame and Stanford.

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5. No collapse this time. Freshman cornerback Kevin Arbet picks off a Rattay pass at USC’s 25 in the third quarter and returns it 75 yards for a touchdown and a 35-13 USC lead, ending any thoughts of a Louisiana Tech comeback. Four times in the third quarter, Louisiana Tech gets inside the USC 30, but the Trojans come up with three turnovers and on another occasion the Bulldogs give the ball up on downs.