Soward Shows He Can Still Be Special

There was one moment in overtime Saturday night when raucous Autzen Stadium was absolutely quiet.

R. Jay Soward silenced the crowd with a clutch catch in the corner of the end zone to help send USC and Oregon to a third overtime before Oregon won, 33-30.

Maybe Soward hushed some of his detractors too, with 241 all-purpose yards in one of the most determined performances of his career.

“I told him before the game he needs to go out there and make people be quiet,” new starting quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst said. “I think he did that. R. Jay’s a great player. Everyone knows that.”

Soward’s 12 catches surpassed his previous career high of eight. Six of his receptions were in the fourth quarter and overtime.

He had one costly fumble, but he appears to be back from the brink of oblivion he was approaching when he caught only five passes in the Trojans’ first two games after drawing criticism for skipping USC’s voluntary summer workout program.

“He kind of put himself in a bad situation in the summer, and now he’s straightened it out,” Van Raaphorst said. “Life’s about second chances, and I think he’s proved himself now.”

Freshman receiver Kareem Kelly agreed.

“I knew R. Jay’s breakaway game was going to come sooner or later,” Kelly said. “He had a great performance. He helped us out in key situations, and hopefully he can continue to do that, and we can continue to make plays and win more games.”

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Receiver Windrell Hayes remains doubtful for Oregon State. . . . Darryl Knight has moved from linebacker to tight end as USC continues to look for ways to work the tight ends into the passing game. . . . Oregon State is the first of two consecutive opponents that will have extra time to prepare for USC. Arizona also has an open date before playing the Trojans Oct. 9.

Saturday’s game was an emotional wringer even for the winning coach, Oregon’s Mike Bellotti. “That was not a fun game to coach,” he said. “I can’t imagine sitting here, having played that hard, invested that much time and emotion and not have won it.”