Trojans Put It in Drive

USC players knew they were on the national stage Monday night against Auburn and they were determined to show that they could defeat a Southeastern Conference team.

The Trojans and Auburn shared the spotlight in the first three quarters, but USC hogged it in the final 15 minutes and won, 24-17, before a crowd of 63,269 at the Coliseum.

“This was a great way to start the season,” defensive end Omar Nazel said. “We showed a lot of people that we are going to keep coming. We showed them that we are going to play until the end.”

Senior quarterback Carson Palmer engineered the game-winning 50-yard, 13-play drive that ate up 8 minutes 39 seconds in the fourth quarter. He capped it with a one-yard sneak with 1:26 left to break a 17-17 tie.

Palmer completed 23 of 32 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. He spread the wealth, completing passes to eight receivers.

“We won’t face too many quarterbacks like him,” Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville said.

Palmer, however, was not elated with his performance.

“In the first half, I didn’t feel comfortable,” Palmer said. “I missed a couple of huge balls. The second half was better. It still is not good enough.... I expect to be perfect and I should be perfect.”

Running back Malaefou MacKenzie, a sixth-year senior, turned in a career performance for the Trojans, catching six passes for 117 yards and gaining 33 yards in 10 carries.

Wide receiver Kareem Kelly caught six passes for 66 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown pass from Palmer on USC’s first possession.

But USC won by dominating possession in the second half, which limited opportunities for Auburn running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, who gained 97 yards in 14 carries in the first half.

The Trojans controlled the ball for 9 minutes 23 seconds in the third quarter and 12:12 in the fourth.

“We had a chance in the first half to get the game under control, but we had some difficulties and it didn’t happen for us,” USC Coach Pete Carroll said. “We responded the way we needed to in the second half.”

USC outgained Auburn, 386-281, and Trojan defensive players said the key was adjustments made at halftime, when the score was 14-14.

“We didn’t do anything fancy, we just went back to our base defense,” linebacker Melvin Simmons said. “We kept it simple and challenged them to beat us.”

The score was tied at halftime after USC scored on Palmer’s pass to Kelly with 12:05 left in the first quarter and a three-yard run by Sultan McCullough with 12:04 left in the second quarter.

Auburn stayed even with a 23-yard touchdown run by Williams in the first quarter and a one-yard “run” by Ronnie Brown, who recovered a goal-line fumble by quarterback Daniel Cobb in the air and barely scored with 11 seconds left in the second quarter.

“It seems like we kind of fell apart in the second half,” said Williams, who finished with 94 yards in 21 carries. “It was team thing.”

Auburn’s downfall did not occur until the fourth quarter, after David Davis kicked a 37-yard yard field goal to put USC ahead, 17-14, with 7:05 left in the third quarter and Auburn’s Damon Duval tied the score with a 39-yard field goal with 14:41 to play in the fourth.

USC drove to the Auburn 19 on the ensuing possession, but lost the ball when Kelly fumbled after catching a pass with 11:32 remaining.

The Trojans, however, forced Auburn to punt, setting the stage for the winning drive.

Palmer completed passes of 18 yards to Kelly, eight yards to fullback Sunny Byrd and nine yards to MacKenzie. McCullough rushed on five consecutive plays before Palmer scored the game-winner.

“We just kept grinding it out,” said McCullough, who finished with 58 yards in 20 carries. “This team is different this year. The offensive line did a great job.”

Both teams turned turnovers into touchdowns in the first half.

Williams gained 24 yards for Auburn on the first play, but two plays later USC linebacker Mike Pollard caused and recovered a fumble on a scramble by Cobb, giving USC the ball at the Auburn 41.

Palmer then completed three passes during a five-play drive, the final one the 14-yard strike to Kelly.

USC forced Auburn to punt on the ensuing possession, but Palmer gave the ball back to the Tigers when linebacker Karlos Dansby intercepted a pass intended for Kelly at the Trojan 23.

Williams didn’t waste any time capitalizing. He took a handoff from Cobb and ran through five potential tacklers on the left side for a touchdown with 8:31 left in the quarter.

With the score 7-7, Auburn drove from its 20 to the USC 18 in the final 3:30 of the first quarter. But on the first play of the second quarter, Nazel intercepted Cobb’s pass intended for Williams in the right flat and returned it to the Trojan 40.

“I didn’t even see the ball, I just felt it hit my hands and I took off running,” Nazel said.

USC drove to the Auburn 26 where, on fourth and one, Palmer completed a 12-yard pass to receiver Grant Mattos.

McCullough ran 11 yards off left tackle for a first down, then rambled over right tackle for a three-yard touchdown to put the Trojans ahead, 14-7.

Auburn safety Junior Rosegreen set up Auburn’s final scoring drive of the half by intercepting a pass by Palmer at the Tiger nine-yard line with 6:54 left.

USC was penalized for having 12 men on the field on an Auburn punt early in the drive.

Eight plays later, the Trojans were called for a personal foul after a four-yard run by Williams, giving Auburn a first down at the USC 12.

Brown rushed for 10 yards to give Auburn a first down at the two with 11 seconds left.

Two plays later, Cobb dropped back to pass, then scrambled toward the right corner of the end zone. Safety DeShaun Hill knocked the ball out of Cobb’s hands and into the air, but Brown caught it at the one and forced his way across the goal line for a touchdown.

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BY THE NUMBERS

5 - Consecutive season openers won by Trojans (Purdue, 1998; Hawaii, ‘99; Penn State, ‘00; San Jose St., ‘01; Auburn, ‘02).

302 - Passing yards for quarterback Carson Palmer, the fifth 300-yard passing game of his 40-game Trojan career.

-2 - Rushing yards for Auburn’s Carnell Williams in second half (in seven carries). He rushed for 96 yards in the first half.

84 - Rushing yards for Trojans, below last year’s average of 87.7, when they were last in the Pac-10 in rushing.

11-7 - USC’s record against nonconference opponents since 1998. (Trojans are 15-17 against Pac-10 opponents).