USC
4-5 , 3-3
Oregon St
3-5 , 2-4
Team Stats
OREGST 0, USC 7
USC - STEVENSON, S. 0 yd blocked punt return (DAVIS, David kick)
OREGST 3, USC 7
OREGST - CESCA, Ryan 24 yd field goal plays, yards, TOP
OREGST 3, USC 10
USC - DAVIS, David 30 yd field goal plays, yards, TOP
OREGST 10, USC 10
OREGST - JACKSON, Steven 4 yd pass from SMITH, Jonathan (CESCA, Ryan kick) plays, yards, TOP
OREGST 13, USC 10
OREGST - CESCA, Ryan 29 yd field goal plays, yards, TOP
OREGST 13, USC 16
USC - PALMER, Carson 4 yd run (), plays, yards, TOP
USC Football Tops Oregon State, 16-13
November 03, 2001 | Football
Nov 3, 2001
By KEN PETERS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES - On an afternoon when Carson Palmer spent much of his time trying to scurry away from Oregon State's pass rush, the Southern California quarterback found a bit of daylight when it really counted.
Already sacked six times, Palmer scooted around left end to score on a 4-yard bootleg and give the Trojans a 16-13 overtime victory over Oregon State on Saturday.
"It was a great call because they were converging on the run with that end," Palmer said. "I knew there was going to be somebody out there, but it's my job to beat that one guy."
He did, going 1-on-1 with cornerback Terrell Roberts, slipping out of his grasp, then diving just inside the goal-line pylon as linebacker Nick Barnett slammed into him.
"We got it down there, then Carson made the play," USC coach Pete Carroll said of the second-down run.
Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson wasn't surprised.
"It was bootleg all the way," Erickson said. "We were in position for it. Our cornerback came up to make the play, but Carson Palmer broke the tackle."
The victory gave USC (4-5, 3-3 Pac-10) its first two-game winning streak since the third game of last season. The Beavers, 11-1 last year and ranked 11th in the national preseason poll this year, slipped to 3-5 and 2-4.
Palmer's touchdown came after Ryan Cesca kicked a 29-yard field goal on the Beavers' overtime possession. Cesca had missed twice from 35 yards in the fourth quarter, the second time with 33 seconds left in regulation, to keep the game tied at 10.
"This is a very disappointing loss," Erickson said. "We felt we had opportunities in the second half, but our kicking game let us down, with the blocked punt and the missed field goals."
He still defended Cesca, saying, "Those things happen. No one feels worse right now than he does."
Cesca, who hit a 24-yarder in the second quarter, missed from 35 with 6:17 left in regulation, that kick a knuckleball that wobbled wide left. He was wide right on his attempt in the waning seconds of regulation.
Both teams' defenses were in control most of the game.
Oregon State's Noah Happe made four tackles for loss, with three sacks, and Seigler had 10 solo tackles. Mike Pollard had 11 tackles for USC, and Troy Polamalu made 10 solo stops and blocked a punt in the end zone.
Palmer completed 21 of 28 passes for 171 yards while the Trojans' running game netted only 33 yards.
Oregon State's Jonathan Smith was 20-of-30 for 203 yards. Steven Jackson, a freshman reserve tailback, gained 119 yards on 16 carries and scored on a 4-yard reception. Starter Ken Simonton added 96 yards on 19 carries.
Oregon State, trailing since early in the first quarter, evened it 10-10 on Smith's touchdown pass to Jackson with 1:36 left in the third quarter.
David Davis' 30-yard field goal had given USC a 10-3 lead earlier in the quarter.
Polamalu helped stake USC to a quick lead when he blocked Carl Tobey's punt on Oregon State's first possession of the game. With fourth-and-15 at the Beavers 9, Tobey had to jump to field the high snap, and Polamalu broke through for a clean block.
The ball bounced directly to USC teammate Steve Stevenson, who was standing in the end zone, for the TD.
Oregon State cut the lead to 7-3 midway through the second quarter on Cesca's field goal.
The Trojans ran their winning streak at the Coliseum to 18 against the Beavers, who last beat USC in Los Angeles in 1960. Oregon State defeated the Trojans 31-21 at Corvallis last year, its first win over USC in 33 years. The Trojans lead the series 54-8-4.
