Stanford stunner: Cardinal take down No. 1 USC 24-23
07.10.2007 03:00
Sport and Travel
- Source: USA Today
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Led by a backup quarterback, Stanford pulled off a stunner.
Tavita Pritchard threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mark Bradford on fourth-and-goal with 49 seconds remaining Saturday night, giving the 41-point underdog Cardinal a 24-23 victory over No. 1 Southern California. In a season that started with Appalachian State's improbable victory over Michigan at the Big House, and a week after half the top 10 went down, the Cardinal pulled off what may very well be the biggest upset of all. The Cardinal (2-4, 1-3 Pac-10) scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and moved 45 yards in 11 plays for the winning touchdown after USC's John David Booty threw the third of his four interceptions. A leaping Bradford caught the ball over cornerback Mozique McCurtis in the corner of the end zone, leaving the crowd of 85,125 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in stunned silence. Bo McNally's interception thwarted USC's final chance. In the days leading up to the game, first-year Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh stuck to his preseason assessment that USC might be the greatest college football team ever. In the end, the Trojans weren't the best team in the Coliseum. The Trojans (4-1, 2-1) dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 after barely holding on for a 27-24 victory over underdog Washington in Seattle last weekend. They'll drop a lot more this week after losing to a team that was playing its first road game of the season and had been outscored 141-51 in previous Pac-10 action. USC's 35-game winning streak at the Coliseum is over. The Trojans hadn't lost at home since Stanford beat them 21-16 on Sept. 29, 2001, in the first year of the Pete Carroll era. Pritchard, a sophomore from Tacoma, Wash., filling in for T.C. Ostrander, completed 11 of 30 for 149 yards and the winning TD in his first college start. The numbers weren't great, but he was awfully good when it counted. Ostrander didn't play after suffering a seizure in a restaurant last Sunday. He's OK, but might have trouble getting his job back from Pritchard, a nephew of former Washington State quarterback Jack Thompson. The Trojans rolled up 459 yards in total offense to just 235 for Stanford. But USC's five turnovers and Pannel Egboh's block of USC kicker David Buehler's PAT attempt early in the game provided decisive. Booty went 24-of-40 for 364 yards, but in the end, that wasn't enough for the Trojans. Patrick Turner caught nine passes for 83 yards and Davis had five receptions for 152 yards. USC netted only 95 yards on 38 rushing attempts. The winning drive came after Wopamo Osaisai's 18-yard interception return gave the Cardinal the ball with 2:50 remaining. Stanford was in big trouble when facing a fourth-and-20 from the USC 29, but Richard Sherman caught Pritchard's pass over the middle right at the first-down marker to keep the winning drive alive. The Cardinal trimmed USC's lead to 16-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter when Anthony Kimble scored on a 1-yard run, capping a 75-yard drive. Booty threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to freshman Ronald Johnson less than four minutes later to cap an 86-yard drive and give the Trojans some breathing room. But it wouldn't last. Derek Belch, whose conversion provided the margin of victory, kicked a 26-yard field goal with 5:43 remaining to put the Cardinal within striking range.
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