Trojans drive safely

BERKELEY -- With rain falling at Memorial Stadium, USC tailback Chauncey Washington slipped and fell the first time he carried the ball on Saturday against California.

The fifth-year senior then headed to the sideline, where coaches told him to be patient and keep his feet underneath him.

“I practiced my little stutter-step a little bit,” Washington said, “and from there I had a good night.”

Make that a career night.

Washington rushed for 220 yards and a touchdown in 29 carries as 12th-ranked USC defeated 24th-ranked Cal, 24-17, before a soaking, sold-out crowd of 72,516.

Washington scored on a 36-yard run in the second quarter and was the workhorse on a 96-yard fourth-quarter scoring drive that provided USC with its game-winning margin.

Washington’s effort and an interception by cornerback Terrell Thomas helped USC overcome two second-half fumbles and keep its Rose Bowl hopes alive.

USC improved to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Pacific 10 Conference. The Trojans play Arizona State on Thanksgiving Day and finish the season against UCLA.

“If we would have lost, we would have really been behind the 8-ball,” defensive end Lawrence Jackson said. “It was ugly at times, but a win is a win is a win.”

The Trojans won because Coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian decided to abandon their plan of dispersing carries among the tailbacks when it became clear that Washington could not be stopped.

“He was really on fire,” said Carroll, who improved to 22-0 in November games. “There is no doubt that we had to stick with him. . . . You couldn’t take him out. He was vicious running with the football.”

Said Cal Coach Jeff Tedford: “He doesn’t go down with arm tackles. You saw how he carried the pile.”

Washington acknowledged he was different against the Golden Bears than he was early in the season when Carroll had told him that he wasn’t running hard enough.

On Saturday, Washington never stopped moving his feet.

“It felt like I got the rhythm,” said Washington, who rushed for 104 yards in the first half as USC took a 14-10 lead. “Each time I got the ball I got hungrier and hungrier, so I got to start eating.”

Washington gobbled up his most important yardage of the night during the fourth quarter after Cal tied the score, 17-17, on a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nate Longshore to receiver Lavelle Hawkins near the end of the third period.

Cal (6-4, 3-4) had failed to capitalize after recovering a fumbled snap by Trojans quarterback John David Booty and USC got the ball back at its four-yard line with 12:24 remaining.

Last season against Arizona State, USC had turned to Washington in the fourth quarter and he carried 10 times for 64 yards during a decisive 74-yard scoring drive.

Against Cal, Washington ran for six, 18 and 13 and five yards on consecutive carries before Stafon Johnson came on and carried twice.

After a holding penalty nullified a 33-yard pass from Booty to receiver Patrick Turner, Booty connected for 33 yards to tight end Fred Davis.

Washington then dashed 22 yards to set up Johnson’s three-yard scoring run.

Washington finished the drive with five carries for 64 yards.

“It felt like the Arizona State game last year when we just kept giving it to him and giving it to him,” offensive tackle Drew Radovich said. “We knew from the get-go we could run the ball successfully on them and that’s what we did. We just stuck with it and stuck to it and said, ‘Hey, let us win the game and we’ll get it done.’ ”

USC thought it had the game won when Jackson recovered a fumbled snap on the ensuing possession, but the Trojans gave the ball back to Cal with just under four minutes left.

Running back Justin Forsett, who rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown in 31 carries, ran the ball twice and then turned a short pass from Longshore into a 34-yard gain to move the ball to USC’s 36.

But on first down, Longshore threw a pass toward receiver Robert Jordan and Thomas stepped in for his second interception in as many games.

“It was a wheel route and he threw it kind of short,” Thomas said. “I was right there.”

Booty completed a key third-down pass to Turner and Johnson’s short gain on another third down kept the ball out of Cal’s hands for one final shot.

USC, which dominated Oregon State defensively in last week’s 24-3 victory, was outgained by Cal, 399-368, but the Golden Bears converted only four of 13 third-down situations.

Longshore completed 13 of 29 for 199 yards and a touchdown, but safety Kevin Ellison and Thomas intercepted passes. The Trojans limited receiver DeSean Jackson to 64 yards on five receptions, most on a 41-yard play.

“They have some big-time playmakers,’ linebacker Thomas Williams said. “There are three or four guys on that side of the ball, probably more than we’ve faced this year.

“We just did more things right for a longer period.”

It was Washington, however, who proved to be the difference.

“It was huge,” said Booty, who completed 11 of 20 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. “If we had to throw the ball 40 times tonight, you put yourself in tough situations -- picks and things like that that happened on the other side.”

Washington was thankful for the opportunity and is hoping for more on Thanksgiving against Arizona State.

But he said he would be satisfied to play whatever role the Trojans need.

“Always, as a running back, you want it to continue,” he said. “But whatever the coaches think is best is fine with me.”

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gary.klein@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

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

1. Under pressure. USC, coming off a nine-sack performance against Oregon State, sacked California quarterback Nate Longshore only once, but he had two passes intercepted. The Golden Bears had given up only eight sacks in nine games. Cal, which entered the game with a conference-worst 18 sacks, did not sack quarterback John David Booty.

2. Running story line. USC running back Chauncey Washington rushed for a career-best 220 yards in 29 carries and scored on a 36-yard run. Cal’s Justin Forsett, who was averaging nearly 112 rushing yards a game, gained 164 yards and scored a touchdown in 31 carries.

3. DeSean factor. Cal receiver/punt returner DeSean Jackson caught five passes for 64 yards -- one for 41 yards -- but did not score. Jackson returned one punt for zero yards.