Trojans Hand It to McCullough

The game plan was simple, if somewhat antiquated for USC.

The Trojans intended to run over, run past and run through California regardless of circumstance Saturday at the Coliseum.

Sultan McCullough was the primary beneficiary of the pass-happy Trojans’ change in scheme and the senior tailback did not disappoint.

McCullough carried 39 times, the most in his career, and tied a career-best with 176 yards as the Trojans overcame an 18-point deficit for a 30-28 Pacific 10 Conference victory before 63,113.

“Somebody’s got to carry the load and it was me,” McCullough said after the Trojans reached the midpoint of their season by improving to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Pac-10.

McCullough received plenty of help.

The oft-criticized offensive line created space and wore down Cal’s front seven.

“All week during practice, the coaches really emphasized the running game--I think we got the picture,” freshman tackle Winston Justice said.

USC quarterback Carson Palmer created opportunities, freelanced a bit and threw more deep and mid-range passes than he had all season. The defense, playing without injured All-American safety Troy Polamalu, recovered from a poor start and dominated the second half. And last--but not least in the minds of the Golden Bears--the Trojans got a charitable call from the officials on a touchdown pass to Kareem Kelly.

The victory, the Trojans’ first over California at the Coliseum since 1994, helped ease the pain of last week’s 30-27 overtime defeat at Washington State. USC lost when Ryan Killeen’s 52-yard field-goal attempt went wide right.

After watching his team spot the Golden Bears a 21-3 lead, USC Coach Pete Carroll bathed in his team’s dominating second-half performance and breaks that went the Trojans’ way.

“Sometimes you just have to have a little bit of good fortune,” Carroll said. “If you saw how much that kick curved last week against Washington State, you’d understand we’re just getting closer to even.”

Cal quarterback Kyle Boller also lent a helping hand.

The senior from Newhall Hart High looked spectacular in the first 20 minutes for a team that began the game having outscored opponents, 142-38, in the first half, and was ranked fourth in the nation in turnover margin at plus 13.

Boller, however, fumbled without being hit with 9:08 left in the second quarter and USC linebacker Matt Grootegoed recovered. The Trojans roared back with touchdowns on their next two possessions to pull to within 21-17 at halftime.

With his team trailing, 27-21, and in possession of the ball after McCullough fumbled with 3:23 left in the game, Boller’s pass was intercepted by safety Jason Leach.

“They dominated in the second half,” Cal Coach Jeff Tedford said, whose team fell to 4-3, 1-2 in the Pac-10. “The way we win games is to get turnovers and capitalize. Today, we gave the ball away twice.”

Palmer took full advantage of the opportunities, completing 25 of 39 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Palmer’s first scoring pass came after the Trojans drove from their 34 to the Golden Bear six after Boller’s fumble. The senior scrambled to his right and threw to Kelly diving in the back of the end zone. One official ruled touchdown but another convened a conference. As the video board clearly showed the ball hitting the ground before Kelly gained control, the officials signaled touchdown.

“Count it,” Kelly said. “They put their hands up.”

USC pulled to within 21-17 with 1:06 left in the first half when freshman wide receiver Mike Williams caught a pass on a slant pattern and brushed off three defenders on his way to a 21-yard touchdown.

“We came in at halftime feeling like we were in control,” said Grootegoed, who made a team-high 11 tackles, including two sacks. “Coach made a few adjustments and everything changed.”

USC took the lead on the opening possession of the second half. The Trojans drove 68 yards in 12 plays and McCullough capped the 6-minute 22-second drive with a two-yard run that put the Trojans ahead, 24-21.

The Trojans increased the lead to 27-21 with 9:59 left in the game on a 32-yard field goal by Killeen that concluded a 52-yard, 12-play drive that consumed 5:31.

USC went ahead, 30-21, on Killeen’s 18-yard field goal with 1:41 left before Cal waged a final threat.

Boller drove the Golden Bears 65 yards and brought them to within 30-28 on a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tom Swoboda with 35 seconds to go.

But Grootegoed, who suffered a season-ending broken leg against the Golden Bears last year, recovered an on-side kick to secure the victory.

USC finished with 464 yards and dominated possession, controlling the ball for 38 minutes 32 seconds.

“They were eating up so much time on the clock, we were getting cold on the sideline just standing around,” USC middle linebacker Mike Pollard said.

McCullough, who was stuck in a tailback rotation with Justin Fargas and Malaefou MacKenzie through the first five games of the season, gained 120 yards in the second half to record the 11th 100-yard game of his career.

McCullough’s performance opened things up for Palmer, who completed six passes to Williams for 103 yards, six passes to flanker Keary Colbert for 75 yards and five to tight end Alex Holmes for 65.

“The offensive line was just moving people around, and half the time they knew we were going to run the ball,” Palmer said. “I’m audiblizing and the whole defense knows he’s running their way and we still would get six yards.”

The victory kept USC in the Pac-10 race as they prepare for their next game against Washington. The Trojans intend to keep their momentum and make a run for their first Rose Bowl appearance since the 1995 season.

“One thing about this team, we don’t give up,” defensive end Omar Nazel said. “We showed tonight we can finish.”

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Return of a Trojan Tradition

A trademark of USC football from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s was workhorse tailbacks. However, the 39 carries by Sultan McCullough on Saturday were the most for the Trojans in 15 years. A look at USC running backs with 39 or more carries:

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* Bell set USC records for carries (51), rushing yards (347) against Washington State Oct. 9, 1976

* McCullough’s 39 carries were most for USC since Webster (40) against Washington Oct. 18, 1987

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Gary Klein’s keys to the game and how the Trojans measured up:

1. Control Kyle Boller. Cal’s quarterback started fast, completing 11 of 14 passes in the first half for 124 yards and a touchdown. But he fumbled in the second quarter, opening the door for USC to come back, and had a pass intercepted in the fourth quarter that killed a potential rally. Boller finished 20 of 30 for 221 yards.

2. Establish a running game. The Trojans abandoned their tailback rotation and handed the ball to senior Sultan McCullough 39 times. He responded with 176 yards, a touchdown and averaged 4.5 yards per carry behind an offensive line that carried the day.

3. Convert extra-point and field-goal attempts. Ryan Killeen kicked field goals of 34, 32 and 18 yards and made all three extra-point attempts. He missed a 38-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter.

4. Avoid penalties. After being penalized 10 times for a season-high 103 yards against Washington State last week, the Trojans eliminated mistakes and were flagged only four times for 30 yards.