Scoring Average Rises Along With Ranking

As USC’s scoring average continues to rise, so do the Trojans in the Associated Press poll.

USC moved up two spots to No. 8 on Sunday after a 49-17 Pacific 10 Conference victory over Stanford that kept them in the hunt for a bid to the Rose Bowl or another bowl championship series game. It is the Trojans’ highest ranking since Sept. 30, 2000, when they held the same spot before losing to Oregon State.

USC has not been ranked as high this late in a season since the 1988 team was second after nine games.

“We don’t worry about the polls,” junior flanker Keary Colbert said. “We’ll know where we stand at the end of the season.”

USC continued its climb by scoring 40 points or more for the fourth time. No Trojan team had achieved that feat since the 1979 team did it five times en route to a 32.4 points-per-game average.

This year’s team is averaging 33 points.

“We were hoping this was the way it was going to be,” Coach Pete Carroll said. “The pressure was on the offense to be productive with the amount of people coming back.”

Saturday’s victory marked the third consecutive game USC scored 40 points or more, something no Trojan team has done in a season since the 1972 national champions scored more than 50 points in victories over Oregon State, Illinois and Michigan State.

The Trojans can establish a school record by doing it again Saturday against Arizona State at the Coliseum.

The Sun Devils are coming off a 55-38 loss to California and have surrendered 40 points or more four times.

“We don’t come out saying, ‘Let’s score 40 points,’ ” freshman receiver Mike Williams said. “As long as everybody does their assignments and we execute, we’re going to move and we’re going to score.”

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Williams sprained his left ankle in the second half, but he caught eight passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, and set the Pac-10 record for receptions by a freshman.

Williams, who has 58 receptions, passed Washington’s Reggie Williams, who had 55 last season.

Mike Williams has a touchdown catch in the last six games. He was limited to fewer than 100 yards for the first time in five games.

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Senior receiver Kareem Kelly caught three passes for 69 yards and showed he is nearly recovered from a right ankle sprain when he caught a pass from quarterback Carson Palmer in the fourth quarter and turned it into a 50-yard gain.

“I felt good because every time my number was called I was able to do things,” said Kelly, who needs eight receptions to tie Johnnie Morton’s career record of 201.

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Guard Lenny Vandermade injured his right biceps but is expected to play against Arizona State.... The Trojans gained 135 yards rushing against Stanford, but netted only 87 in part because of two sacks of Palmer for 35 yards.... Tailback Justin Fargas had 43 yards in nine carries and will probably start against Arizona State, said Carroll, who was also impressed with Malaefou MacKenzie, the starting fullback who had 41 yards in three carries as the tailback late in the game.... USC’s seven sacks eclipsed the previous high of five, against Oregon State. “The offense is playing great and that allows us to have fun,” said safety Troy Polamalu, who made a team-high 13 tackles, including two for losses.

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UP NEXT

Saturday vs. Arizona State, 4 p.m., TBS