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Redemption for Trojans against Cardinal
By Jeremy Kahn November 15, 2008 |
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STANFORD-When you see the final score you may think that the score was absolutely lopsided in the game between the USC Trojans and Stanford Cardinal. That was not the case at all, as the Cardinal went into the locker room at halftime all tied up with the number six ranked Trojans. Unfortunately, the Trojans, who were stunned by the Cardinal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 6, 2007 sought out redemption and got it, with a 45-23 victory over the Cardinal before 50,425 at Stanford Stadium. “Really happy with the win,” said Pete Carroll, who raises his record to a perfect 26-0 in the month of November at USC since becoming head coach in 2001. Things got off to a great start for the Cardinal, as they took a quick 7-0 lead, as Toby Gerhart scored on a four-yard touchdown run with just under four minutes gone in the first quarter. “He broke the tackle,” said Rey Maualuga about the play of Gerhart. “He deserved the 1,000 yards he got,” Maualuga added. Following the Gerhart touchdown, the Trojans got on the board, as David Buehler connected for a 37-yard field goal. “I’d take a win any day over 1,000 yards, especially for all the seniors on their last home game, it would have been nice to go out with a win,” said Gerhart. Aaron Zagory then put the Cardinal up again by seven points, as he hit a 38-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining in the opening quarter. The Trojans offense looked like it was about to begin clicking, as Damian Williams was on the receiving end of a Mark Sanchez five-yard touchdown pass to tie up the game. That would not be the case, as Anthony Kimble then broke the tie, as he scampered in from one yard out to put the Cardinal back into the lead. That would be the score for all of 14 seconds, as sophomore C.J. Gable took the Zagory and ran the kickoff back 93 yards to tie up the game. “That was exciting,” said Gable. When the second half began, it would become a defensive struggle, as neither team would score for almost the entire quarter. Finally, with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter, Stafon Johnson scored on a seven-yard touchdown to put the Trojans into the lead for good. Gable then scored form three yards out to push the lead up to 14 points with under 12 minutes remaining in the game. “Finish and run hard,” said Gable. Sanchez then threw his second touchdown of the game, as he threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Havili, who broke tackle after tackle on his way to the end zone. “Great for Stanley,” said Sanchez. Johnson then added his second touchdown of the game, as he took a Sanchez handoff and ran three yards into the end zone. On the final play of the game, Alex Loukas found Austin Gunder in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. Tavita Pritchard went just 9-for-22 for 111 yards and an interception, while Loukas went a perfect 5-for-5 with 54 yards passing and that late touchdown to Gunder. Gerhart carried the ball 23 times for 108 yards, as he became just the second opposing rusher to gain over 100 yards against the Trojans. Jacquizz Rodgers gained 186 yards in the Beavers 27-21 upset of the then number one ranked Trojans at Reser Stadium on September 25. |
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