Final Thoughts
That, my friends, was kind of insane.
No one expected USC to come into Stanford Stadium and hang tough with the Cardinal the way it did. USC kept it close the entire way through, only to lose on a last-second field goal for the second consecutive week. Stanford fans are flooding the field as I type this, and it is certainly a sight to behold.
You have to give credit to both teams today. Even after USC took the lead, Stanford refused to give up, and Andrew Luck engineered a spectacular drive to win the game. Nate Whitaker, after missing the extra point that could have given the Trojans victory, redeemed himself in style, drilling the game-winner from 30 yards out.
That’s it for us here at Stanford Stadium. Look for a full recap in this Monday’s edition of the Stanford Daily, and good night to all of you.
:00 remaining, fourth quarter
WHITAKER DID IT, STANFORD WINS ON A LAST SECOND FIELD GOAL. FINAL SCORE: STANFORD 37, USC 35. THE FANS ARE ON THE FIELD. STANFORD HAS DEFEATED USC, 37-35.
:04 remaining, fourth quarter
Third-and-seven from the USC 12-yard line. Stanford calls its final timeout. Here we go: Whitaker will be out on the field to kick what would be the game-winning field goal for Stanford. A 30-yard field goal attempt.
:08 remaining, fourth quarter
Luck has 12 straight completions. Stanford is driving, now deep inside USC territory at the Trojan 11-yard line. Second-and-4 for the Cardinal.
Remember that, with the score 35-34 USC, Stanford only needs a field goal to win the game. If this comes down to a last-second field goal, Whitaker will have the opportunity to redeem himself, while USC could lose its second straight game on a last-second field goal.
1:02 remaining, fourth quarter
Stanford will start the drive at its own 26-yard line. Luck makes a four-yard completion to Baldwin, and a late-hit personal foul penalty on the Trojans gives the Card 15 more yards. First-and-10 on the 45 yard line of Stanford.
1:08 remaining, fourth quarter
TOUCHDOWN, USC! Allen Bradford takes it into the end zone from three yards out. A converted Trojan PAT puts USC on top, 35-34.
Stanford will now have 1:08 to drive back down the field and put through at least a field goal to win this game. There’s not much more left to say in this game; it’s certainly been one crazy ride, far from anyone’s expectations. We’ll have to see if Andrew Luck has one more great drive against the Trojans left in him.
There’s simply no way Stanford is running the ball on this drive. Harbaugh will come out throwing; he has to use his best player, and right now that’s Luck. I’m on the edge of my seat, and I’m sure you all are too!
1:15 remaining, fourth quarter
First-and-goal for USC at the Stanford three-yard line. It all comes down to this, folks: one last goal-line stand.
1:23 remaining, fourth quarter
USC is driving inside the Stanford red zone at the Cardinal 13-yard line. It’s four-down territory for the Trojans, and Barkley just missed a touchdown pass not five seconds ago. Score reminder: Stanford 34, USC 28
2:52 remaining, fourth quarter
On third down, USC tries to run a trick play, direct snapping it to a tailback who tries to throw to Stanley Havili. However, he just overthrows him; had the pass been caught, it would have been an easy touchdown for the Trojans.
Barkley does manage to convert fourth down, first and 10 at the 28-yard line.
4:17 remaining, fourth quarter
FUMBLE, RECOVERED BY USC. Stepfan Taylor fumbles on a run and, after a replay review, USC is determined to have recovered. The Trojans take over on their own 48-yard line.
Needless to say, this drive could go a huge way in determining who wins this game. If the Stanford defense can come up with a stop, USC will be hard-pressed to come back, but if USC scores a touchdown, it will make life very difficult for Andrew Luck.
Encouragingly, USC is quickly forced into a third down situation.
4:45 remaining, fourth quarter
Stanford catches a lucky break, as the Trojans get called for holding defensively as Luck gets sacked on third down. Stanford is relying heavily on its running game at this point.
Harbaugh is clearly going with a clock-running strategy, trying to run off as much time as possible before USC gets the ball back. With the Cardinal now into USC territory at the Trojan 48-yard line, the strategy could prove effective, as long as Stanford continues to get first downs. With the USC defense putting up some spirited resistance, that’s no guarantee.
6:58 remaining, fourth quarter
USC going for it on fourth and 10 at the Stanford 32-yard line. Barkley’s pass is incomplete, USC TURNOVER ON DOWNS. The Cardinal will take over at its own 32-yard line from the Trojans.
Look for Stanford to go back to the ground-and-pound at this point. With a little under seven minutes remaining and a 34-38 lead, Harbaugh surely wants to both get some more points on the board and to leave USC as little time as possible to come back. Even a field goal will make this a two-score game, which could put it out of reach for the Trojans with appropriate clock management. Even better for the Card, USC has only one timeout remaining, which will make it that much more difficult to control the clock.
7:43 remaining, fourth quarter
USC in a critical third down situation, but Barkley makes yet another good throw under pressure to keep the Trojan drive alive.
9:27 remaining, fourth quarter
TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Luck throws to a wide-open Baldwin for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Stanford retakes the lead, but after Whitaker misses a PAT wide left, its lead is 34-28.
Though the Card has moved back into the lead, that missed PAT could come back to haunt the Cardinal. With a touchdown, USC will now have the opportunity to take the lead, and with the way things have been going tonight, it could very well be the difference-maker in an extremely tight game. The Trojans have plenty of time to make plays and drive the football down the field, and, with only a six-point lead instead of seven points, the pressure is firmly on the Cardinal defense to make a stop on USC and prevent the Trojans from taking the ball down the field once more.
10:59 remaining, fourth quarter
Owusu takes the ball on the kickoff all the way back to the USC 12-yard line before he is finally tackled by USC’s Shareece Wright. A penalty on Wright gives Stanford the ball at the USC 6-yard line to start the drive. Talk about good field position!
11:30 remaining, fourth quarter
Stanford makes a critical stop on third down with USC on the Stanford five-yard line. The Trojans go for it.
TOUCHDOWN, USC! On fourth-and-two, Barkley throws a pass to a wide-open Robert Woods in the end zone. USC 28, Stanford 28.
It’s still impossible to tell who’s going to come out of this game with a win. The teams continue to go back and forth, and it’s entirely possible that the team that has the ball last will finish this game with a win. Harbaugh may go back to a conservative strategy for this drive, but may also elect to stick with a more aggressive position. With so much time remaining, it could be counterproductive to bleed the clock, since the Cardinal might need that time if it can’t score, or if it scores and USC responds again.
14:51 remaining, fourth quarter
TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Luck, on the run in the red zone, throws a tight pass straight to an open Konrad Reuland in the end zone. 6 plays, 82 yards and three minutes even for Stanford on that drive; it looks like Harbaugh has finally shifted to a faster offense, and it’s paying dividends for the Cardinal.
Stanford has put the pressure firmly back on the Trojans, and on Matt Barkley’s shoulders. If the Stanford defense can come up with a stop, it’ll be a big help towards notching a Stanford victory. However, that’s a big “if”, as USC has more or less had its way with Stanford in the second half. We’ll see what Vic Fangio has left up his sleeve for this next drive.
End of third quarter, score tied 21-21
Stanford is driving deep inside USC territory as the third quarter ends.
This game has been very close and back-and-forth, and at this point there’s really no way of telling who’s going to leave Stanford Stadium tonight with a win. Increasingly, the defenses will decide this game: whichever defense can step up and make a big play will go a long way in determining the outcome. So far, that defense has been USC, with its two forced fumbles in the first quarter, but with plenty of time left to go in the game, Stanford will certainly have the opportunity to hold down the Trojans.
0:13 remaining, third quarter
Luck is now throwing for big chunks of yardage against USC, Stanford is finally showing the ability to go for big plays. He hit Owusu with a beautiful pass, then hit a short pass to Wilkerson in open space which went for over 20 yards as well.
2:59 remaining, third quarter
TOUCHDOWN, USC! Robert Woods takes a pass from Barkley all the way down the sideline for a Trojan touchdown, a huge 61-yard TD pass. A good extra point ties the game again, 21-21.
That response was exactly what USC needed to stay in this game. The Trojans showed quick-strike ability for the first time this game, and put the onus back on the Cardinal to come out and get a score. It will be interesting to see whether Stanford sticks to its conservative, ground-and-pound approach, or moves to a more aggressive offense for this next drive.
4:40 remaining, third quarter
Stanford’s defense forces the Trojans into a quick third-down situation. However, Barkley throws a slant to Ronald Johnson for the first down. USC is taking its time on this drive, not pressing too hard. There is plenty of time left in this game for the Trojans to come back; there certainly isn’t any desperation on the USC sideline, either from Lane Kiffin or from his players.
5:39 remaining, third quarter
TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! On third-and-goal from the one-yard line, Taylor jumps over the pile to complete a 7-minute drive that went for 93 yards. That drive was classic Stanford; a steady diet of runs and power, mixed in with some short and deep throws from Luck. That possession was the longest, in yardage, time and plays, from either team so far tonight. Stanford leads, 21-14.
As it has been so many times in this game, it’ll be critical to see how USC comes out and responds to Stanford scoring and pulling ahead. If the defense can make a stop and keep up the pressure on Barkley, the Trojans might have fallen behind for good, or will at least face a tougher struggle to come back against the Cardinal. If USC marches down the field for a touchdown of its own, however, it is still anyone’s ball game.
8:49 remaining, third quarter
Stanford is driving deep into USC territory, now sitting at the Trojan 10-yard line. Luck completed a deep pass to a wide-open Coby Fleener for a spectacular 35-yard gain. However, Harbaugh is running it here in the red zone, Stepfan Taylor went for no yardage on first and goal.
Stanford needs to score a touchdown here. A field goal might not be enough to truly put USC back on the defensive, and the Card needs to get and keep this game’s momentum on its side.
13:06 remaining, third quarter
Stanford forces USC into a punt and gets the ball back, but deep inside its own territory.
The Cardinal has an opportunity to grab the momentum in this game, especially with driving from deep within its own territory. The Cardinal continues to run the football; however, this strategy wasn’t terribly successful in the first half, and it appears that Harbaugh is gambling on continuing to wear down the Trojan defense.
15:00 remaining, third quarter
Whitaker kicks off to the Trojans to start the second half.
This drive could set the tone for the rest of the second half. USC will look to expose flaws in Stanford’s pass defense, while the defense will look to close any remaining holes. If the Stanford secondary can keep Barkley from going deep, the front seven should take care of the rest and get the ball back to the Cardinal.
Sorry about the posting delays, there have been some technical difficulties here in Stanford Stadium.
Halftime, score tied 14-14
Thoughts on the first half from Stanford Stadium:
USC looks far better than anyone expected heading into this game. Luck was supposed to shred the Trojans’ pass defense, but instead that defense has held up quite well. The Cardinal has been unable to move the football on the ground, and the Trojans have forced two fumbles, both when the Card was deep inside USC territory. Stanford’s execution will have to improve in the second half.
On the other side of the ball, Stanford’s defense has been executing fairly well, forcing a fumble of its own. Matt Barkley has looked inconsistent but capable, and should be able to put up some more points in the second half.
If Stanford can improve its execution and re-engage its running game, USC should fall in the game’s later stages; otherwise, the Trojans might just be able to sneak out of the Bay with an upset victory.
In other news around the Pac-10, Oregon took home a 43-23 victory over Washington State (big surprise there), while Cal beat UCLA, 35-7, in Berkeley. Oregon State and Arizona are playing a tight game in Tucson, with the Beavers holding a slim 23-20 lead.
0:03 remaining, second quarter
USC is parked on the Stanford 37-yard line. Instead of attempting a (very long) field goal, the Trojans appear ready to go for it. After stymieing one long pass attempt on the last play, the Cardinal have defenders back deep, ready for a Barkley bomb.
Barkley throws it out of the end zone to end the half.
0:38 remaining, second quarter
FUMBLE, RECOVERED BY USC. Stepfan Taylor fumbled the ball, which was picked up by Shareece Wright, who fumbled after getting lit up by Andrew Luck, which was then recovered by another USC defender. That’s how physical this Stanford team is: even the quarterback can blindside USC’s top defender with a pretty hard knock.
With only 38 seconds left, the Stanford defense has to hold the Trojans outside of field goal range. The ball is starting on the USC 45-yard line, but USC does have two timeouts remaining.
2:50 remaining, second quarter
Stanford is moving the ball down the field, Luck finding ways to get first downs for his offense. Managed to escape the USC rush on third and 9 and scramble for a first down to keep the drive alive. As the clock continues to tick down, Harbaugh must surely be trying to both score and give the Trojans as little time as possible once they get the football back.
USC’s run defense has suddenly figured out how to tackle, effectively shutting down Usua Amanam and Stepfan Taylor on running downs. The game is being put into Luck’s hands; so far, he’s been pretty strong, but he might not be able to sustain this level of play, with the level of penetration the USC pass rush is generating.
4:23 remaining, second quarter
TOUCHDOWN, USC! On second and goal from the Stanford 5-yard line, Barkley throws a beauty in between two Stanford defenders to Robert Woods for a USC touchdown. USC 14, Stanford 14.
The Trojans came out and responded well to Stanford’s touchdown drive with a solid score of their own, knotting this game up. With these two teams evenly matched and the first half winding down, it’ll be very interesting to see how both come out in the second half. For now, however, Luck has a chance to notch another score before halftime by driving the Cardinal down the field. With USC receiving the ball after halftime, a touchdown or field goal here would go a long way toward boosting Stanford’s confidence heading into the locker room. A tie at halftime is better than anyone expected USC to do, so it’s very important for Stanford to regain that confidence.
6:23 remaining, second quarter
USC notches a 31-yard gain on the Cardinal defense, driving the ball into the Stanford red zone. USC is moving the ball at will against Stanford defenders, especially through the air. Matt Barkley is making some great throws to his receivers. The Cardinal desperately needs a goal-line stand, with the Trojans sitting on the one-yard line.
8:33 remaining, second quarter
TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Anthony Wilkerson runs the ball in from six yards out, bouncing to the outside and outrunning the perimeter USC defenders to the end zone. A good PAT makes it Stanford 14, USC 7.
Luck and the Stanford offense looked clinical on that drive, mixing runs with short and long passes to move the ball efficiently against the Trojans. This next USC drive will go a long way towards determining whether Stanford can pull away in this contest, or if the Trojans will keep it close for the rest of the game. Still, though, it might not be a good idea to read too much into it; after all, both teams have a recent history of pulling ahead early only to lose the game.
8:50 remaining, second quarter
Stanford is driving inside the red zone. As predicted, Luck is shredding the USC secondary, going both over the top and underneath into soft spots in the Trojan defense.
12:28 remaining, second quarter
FUMBLE, RECOVERED BY STANFORD. Delano Howell forced the fumble on the Stanford 16-yard line, which is recovered by Richard Sherman. The USC tailback just coughed up the ball, which didn’t even hit the ground before Sherman picked it up.
Just like a fumble looked to kill Stanford’s momentum, this one might go the other way in terms of giving that momentum back to the Card. Andrew Luck and the running game will look to pound the USC defense again, trying to win the game by wearing them down physically. So far, this strategy hasn’t proved very fruitful, but with this next drive, it could provide big gains.
End of first quarter, score tied 7-7
USC ends the quarter driving down near midfield. After being forced into an early third down by the Stanford defense, Barkley made an amazing pass to keep the USC drive alive.
To recap the quarter, USC looks a lot better than anyone thought they would entering this game. The Trojans have been able to go toe-to-toe with the Cardinal, and neither team has blinked yet. It remains to be seen whether the Luck fumble late in the quarter will swing the momentum one way or another, but for now these teams look very evenly matched, and it’s impossible to predict one way or another who’s going to walk out today with a win.
2:00 remaining, first quarter
FUMBLE, RECOVERED BY USC. Luck sacked and forced to fumble, recovered by USC.
That turnover could be a real momentum-killer for Stanford. Up until that point, Stanford was driving down the field, with Luck finally starting to find pretty big holes in the USC defense to go for some deep passes down the field. However, Stanford’s defense looked pretty strong on the last USC series, and the ball is already deep inside USC territory, so if the Cardinal can come up with a stop here, it might be able to minimize the effects of that fumble.
4:33 remaining, first quarter
The Stanford defense forces USC into a third-and-out. Barkley, under pressure on third down, first appeared to throw an interception to Delano Howell. After being called an interception on the field, the play was overturned on replay review. USC is still forced to punt, giving the Cardinal defense a critical stop.
This drive was critical in putting the momentum on Stanford’s side. After being essentially rolled over on its first drive, it made an early stop on the Trojans. If Luck and Co. can give Stanford its first lead of the day on this drive, the Trojans might be hard pressed to keep up with the dynamic Cardinal offense. Stanford starts its drive on its own 39-yard line.
5:39 remaining, first quarter
TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Luck throws a short pass inside the red zone to Baldwin, who takes it into the end zone. Though Baldwin was hit at the goal line by a USC defender, a replay review confirmed that it was a touchdown. Stanford 7, USC 7.
That drive was a solid response from the Cardinal. Stanford came out and, instead of trying to beat the Trojans deep, went instead for a dip and dive offense, throwing short passes and going for runs and reverses to move the ball against USC. We might be looking at another Pac-10 shootout, with both offenses scoring a ton of points.
6:00 remaining, first quarter
Stanford is looking good on this drive; it’s moving the ball especially well on the ground, with a series of runs from Stepfan Taylor and Usua Amanam (and the occasional reverse). Luck is throwing short passes, not really going over the top.
8:17 remaining, first quarter
TOUCHDOWN, USC! Matt Barkley drives the Trojans down the field for a touchdown on their first drive of the game. USC 7, Stanford 0.
This drive does not bode well for the Cardinal. The Trojans moved the ball easily against Stanford both on the ground and through the air, with Allen Bradford and Dillon Baxter combining to effectively move the football against Stanford. Stanford’s offense needs to respond on this next drive, or it might find itself in a significant hole to start the game.
To put it in simple terms, USC looks more motivated and fired up to win this game right now. Unless Stanford can step its game up on this next drive, it will have a tough time clawing back this early lead.
13:45 remaining, first quarter
A quick three and out does not bode well for Stanford. The Card couldn’t get one yard on a third and one, as Luck tried to go outside to Stepfan Taylor, who was stopped for a two-yard loss. Now the USC offense, led by Matt Barkley, will take its first crack at Stanford’s defense.
15:00 remaining, first quarter
USC kicks off to Stanford to start the game. Owusu is in the game, returns the ball to the 25-yard line.
This first drive will set the tone for the afternoon. If Luck can clinically dice the USC secondary, it could be a long day for this Trojan defense. An early stop, however, can go a long way towards destroying Stanford’s confidence and giving USC an early boost.
5 p.m., Pregame
Stanford Stadium continues to fill up, in Stanford’s first sellout of the year. The USC fan contingent is fairly large, and both bands are getting through their opening game theatrics. Still 10 minutes left before kickoff!
4:30 p.m., Pregame
With both teams warming up on the field, it’s time to preview tonight’s matchup between the Stanford Cardinal and the USC Trojans. (You can see this week’s Stanford Daily preview here).
Stanford (4-1, 1-1 Pac-10) enters the game ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Cardinal is coming off a loss last weekend to No. 3 Oregon in Eugene, where it led early in the game but faded in the second half, eventually falling 52-31 to the Ducks.
USC is looking for some redemption as well. Despite a 4-1 record, including a 1-1 mark in the Pac-10, the Trojans are currently unranked. It has certainly been a fall from grace for this USC program: the Trojans enter this game as a significant underdog, which would have been unthinkable just two years ago. USC is also coming off a loss last weekend in Los Angeles to Washington, which beat the Trojans 32-31 on a last-second field goal.
The last times these two teams met, in the Coliseum last season, Stanford blew out USC, hanging 55 points on the Trojans. In head coach Jim Harbaugh’s tenure, Stanford is 2-1 against the Trojans, with both wins coming in Los Angeles. Today’s game also marks the first meeting between Harbaugh and USC head coach Lane Kiffin, who faces a significant rebuilding project while combating NCAA sanctions that have been leveled against his program.
Tonight’s game will hinge on how Stanford’s offense matches up against the Trojan defense, and how quarterback Andrew Luck responds after last weekend’s debacle at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Fortunately for the Cardinal, USC’s secondary is highly suspect, ranking 116 out of 120 FBS teams in pass defense. However, Stanford’s top two receivers, senior Ryan Whalen and junior Chris Owusu, are both questionable for the game. Whalen suffered an elbow injury two weeks ago, while Owusu took a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit at Oregon. Both players are listed on today’s depth chart, but it remains to be seen whether we will see them lining up to take snaps.
Stanford’s defense will also look to bounce back after being gashed by the Oregon offense last weekend, but it will face a tough challenge in Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley and running back Allen Bradford. Barkley leads the Pac-10 in passer rating while Bradford is running for 9.8 yards per carry.
Stay tuned, and we’ll bring you all the action when the game kicks off at 5 p.m.
12 p.m., Pregame
For tonight’s rivalry game against USC, The Stanford Daily’s sports section is bringing you live updates and instant analysis of all the action from Stanford Stadium. Starting with the pregame at 4:30, we will be updating you on the score and game highlights, as well as our insights and unique analysis. Tune in as we start half an hour before kickoff, and as we continue blogging through the end of the game.
-Kabir Sawhney, Managing Editor of Sports