USC is done in short order

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- All week, the USC defensive players insisted they weren’t overlooking Oregon State tailback Jacquizz Rodgers.

Even if he stood only 5 feet 7.

They talked about his instant acceleration. His blurry quick cuts.

“We know their little running back,” safety Taylor Mays said.

The Trojans defenders even practiced against a miniature replica, their 5-8 freshman tailback Curtis McNeal.

None of that worked.

Not with Rodgers bouncing around the field like a ping-pong ball in a bathtub, squeezing through tight holes and changing direction like flicking a switch, the little engine behind Oregon State’s 27-21 victory over top-ranked USC on Thursday night.

“We came out with fire in our eyes,” Rodgers said. “Our thing was just to come straight at them with the run game.”

As in 37 carries for 186 yards and two touchdowns against a defense regarded among the best in the nation.

Rodgers wasn’t the only Beaver to sting the Trojans. His older but equally diminutive brother, 5-7 James, had two touchdown catches.

But it was the freshman tailback who did most of the damage, starting with Oregon State’s first possession.

When his front five pushed forward with simple zone blocking, he followed. When the defense over-pursued, he doubled back. When tacklers got to him, he ducked and spun and did whatever was necessary to break free.

Seven yards here, nine yards there.

Just like that, Oregon State had a 7-0 lead.

“They’re an aggressive team,” he said, “so that opened up the cutback lanes.”

By all accounts, the Rodgers brothers are polite and studious in the classroom, both overcoming a childhood in which their father was in and out of prison.

James’ size apparently scared off recruiters. When Oregon State called late in the recruiting process, he accepted.

The more heavily recruited Jacquizz was another story. Small running backs can turn a shortcoming into a positive, hiding behind linemen, fitting through keyhole gaps.

And that’s exactly what he did against the Trojans.

In the second quarter, his 10- and 15-yard runs set up a two-yard touchdown rush and a 14-0 lead. When the Trojans began to play smarter, maintaining position, not letting him cutback, he caught a 17-yard pass to help widen the margin to 21-0 at halftime.

All the while, he kept the USC offense off the field.

“He was able to pop open a few runs,” Beavers quarterback Lyle Moevao said. “When things weren’t looking right, he was able to twist and turn out of a few tackles.”

What was it that made him so difficult to stop? The speed? The size?

“I am just beside myself,” USC Coach Pete Carroll said. “We couldn’t tackle him.”

The second half would bring no fireworks from Rodgers, but just enough running to preserve the upset.

On several possessions, he gained first downs to keep the clock moving.

And when Oregon State intercepted a Mark Sanchez pass, returning it to the two-yard line, Rodgers put a dagger in USC’s hopes for an undefeated season, bulling in for the decisive touchdown.

By that time, the Trojans defenders were offering their praise, telling him “Good job.”

“They were a little surprised,” he said.

Just a little.

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david.wharton@latimes.com