McKnight zigs, USC zags

Joe McKnight was waiting.

So was Pete Carroll, USC players and a Coliseum full of anxious Trojans fans still smarting from last week’s crisis-inducing loss to Stanford.

All wanted to see McKnight, the heralded freshman from Louisiana, display the electric moves and speed that spurred comparisons to a certain 2005 Heisman Trophy winner who had energized the Trojans and the venerable stadium with big plays in the clutch.

On Saturday, with USC trailing in the fourth quarter, McKnight finally made like Reggie Bush and ignited the 10th-ranked Trojans to a hard-fought 20-13 victory over Arizona before 84,671.

“Since I got here, I haven’t really been proving to people what I can do,” McKnight said. “So I hope I proved it to them now and proved it to the team that I can play with them.”

McKnight’s spectacular 45-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter set up a go-ahead touchdown pass from first-time starting quarterback Mark Sanchez to tight end Fred Davis.

And McKnight’s dazzling 59-yard run from scrimmage late in the game led to a field goal for the Trojans, who struggled all day against another heavy underdog before ultimately getting back on a winning track after last week’s stunning 24-23 loss, which ended their 35-game home winning streak.

McKnight helped the Trojans improve to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference. It also kept alive USC’s hopes for a national title on a day when No. 1 Louisiana State and No. 2 California lost.

“He’s a huge pick-me-up,” center Matt Spanos said of McKnight. “Like drinking straight coffee on your way to work.”

Carroll was a believer in McKnight from the start, but the coach was frustrated by a knee injury that slowed the freshman in training camp and a learning curve that resulted in sparse opportunities and fumbles in the first five games.

“He’s got magic in him,” a relieved Carroll said after the victory. “We’ve just gotta keep getting him out there and make him comfortable. . . . Right now, he’s a big play waiting to happen.”

USC has lacked a quick-strike, big-play threat since Bush left after the 2006 BCS title game, so Trojans players were excited that the capability has seemingly returned in the 6-foot, 180-pound McKnight.

“The crowd gets into it, the team gets into it and [an opponent] kind of gets out of it a little bit, so it gives us a little edge and takes some pressure off us at the same time,” senior defensive end Lawrence Jackson said.

With Sanchez replacing injured John David Booty, the Trojans had to work for everything against an Arizona team that sensed opportunity after the Trojans’ poor play against Washington two weeks ago and their defeat by a 41-point underdog last week.

The Trojans amassed only 276 yards and held Arizona to 255. The Wildcats converted only three of 14 third downs and lost three fumbles but still led by three points after three quarters.

“I couldn’t lose this game -- we couldn’t lose this game,” said Sanchez, the sophomore from Mission Viejo who overcame two first-half interceptions and finished 19 for 31 for 130 yards. “We weren’t going to let it happen. I hope that showed because this team has a lot of heart and this was a chance to prove it after a tough loss last week and I think we did that.”

USC had forged a 10-0 lead in the second quarter on Chauncey Washington’s 18-yard touchdown run and David Buehler’s 27-yard field goal. But Arizona tied the score on quarterback Willie Tuitama’s one-yard sneak for a touchdown and Jason Bondzio’s 28-yard field goal.

“It was a little bloody. It was a mess for a while there,” Sanchez said.

It got worse for USC early in the fourth quarter when Bondzio kicked a career-long 45-yard field goal to put the Wildcats ahead, 13-10.

But the Trojans started to rally with 11:14 to play when 6-6 defensive end Kyle Moore tipped away Tuitama’s third-down pass at the Arizona 32-yard line.

McKnight trotted out for his first punt-return opportunity of the game, fielded Keenyn Crier’s kick at the USC 30 and cut upfield on his way to the Arizona 25.

“I was just thinking about catching the ball and following my blocks,” said McKnight, who finished with 128 all-purpose yards, 75 of them rushing.

With the crowd still roaring from the punt return, Sanchez dropped back on the next play and fired a strike to Davis in the end zone for a 17-13 lead with 10:47 left.

“Basically it was just one on one with a linebacker, which is a mistake,” Davis said, laughing. “You can never do that.”

Arizona (2-5, 1-3) looked as if it might get a chance to take the lead with about seven minutes remaining when Crier boomed a line-drive kick over McKnight’s head, the ball traveling 83 yards before rolling to a stop at the USC one.

Fullback Stanley Havili, Sanchez’s roommate, provided the inspiration for an injury-ravaged offensive line that had been further depleted when All-American tackle Sam Baker and guard Zack Heberer went down earlier in the game.

“I just said, ‘Show your heart out there. This is the drive you need to show your heart,’ ” Havili recalled. “ ‘If you’re going to play, you’re going to play, and if you’re not we’re not going to win.’ ”

Havili rushed for three yards and caught a third-down pass to move the Trojans out of the hole, setting the stage for McKnight’s 59-yard sprint off the right side to the Wildcats 27.

Ten plays later, Buehler kicked a 23-yard field goal, and the defense stopped Arizona on downs to preserve the victory.

“It thought we had a great opportunity, but we let it slip away late in the third, early in the fourth,” Arizona Coach Mike Stoops said. “I thought we could take the game into the fourth quarter and make some plays but we never did.”

The Trojans, with help from McKnight’s punt return, did.

“All we needed was a tiny spark, and that was it,” Sanchez said. “We were on it. We started a new streak in the Coliseum.”

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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. Quarterback play. In his first start, Mark Sanchez completed 19 of 31 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. He was sacked three times. Arizona’s Willie Tuitama completed 30 of 43 passes for 233 yards and was sacked once.

2. Offensive line. USC took more injury hits as All-American tackle Sam Baker (hamstring) and guard Zack Heberer (shoulder) left the game. Redshirt freshman Butch Lewis stepped in and did a fairly solid job in Baker’s spot. Alatini Malu filled in for Heberer. Arizona rushed for only 22 yards.

3. Turnovers. The Trojans finally won a turnover battle. Arizona fumbled five times and USC recovered three. Arizona intercepted two passes by Sanchez in the first half.