USC
9-0 , 6-0
Oregon St
4-5 , 3-3
Team Stats
USC 0, OSU 3
OSU - Serna, Alexis 25 yd field goal 6 plays, 11 yards, TOP 2:34
USC 0, OSU 6
OSU - Serna, Alexis 33 yd field goal 5 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:45
USC 0, OSU 13
OSU - Love, Marcel 8 yd pass from Anderson, Derek (Serna, Alexis kick) 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 1:48
USC 7, OSU 13
USC - Byrd, D. 18 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick) 5 plays, 77 yards, TOP 1:34
USC 14, OSU 13
USC - Byrd, D. 25 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick) 7 plays, 50 yards, TOP 1:40
USC 21, OSU 13
USC - Bush, Reggie 65 yd punt return (Killeen, Ryan kick)
USC 28, OSU 13
USC - White, LenDale 5 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 7 plays, 77 yards, TOP 3:50
USC 28, OSU 20
OSU - Hawkins, Josh 36 yd pass from Anderson, Derek (Serna, Alexis kick) 9 plays, 84 yards, TOP 0:55
Players Mentioned
Trojans Overcome Foggy Start Against Oregon State
November 06, 2004 | Football
Nov. 6, 2004
By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Matt Leinart threw two touchdown passes to Dominique Byrd and top-ranked Southern California shook off the fog and an early Oregon State threat to beat the Beavers 28-20 Saturday night.
Reggie Bush's 65-yard punt return for a touchdown and LenDale White's 5-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter assured the victory for the defending national champion Trojans (9-0, 6-0 Pacific-10). Southern California has won 18 consecutive games overall, 13 in a row in the Pac-10 and 10 straight on the road.
As fog rolled into Reser Stadium, the Beavers (4-5, 3-3) jumped out to a surprising 13-0 lead. But the mighty Trojans adjusted to the adverse conditions and all but took over in the second half to snap a three-game Oregon State winning streak.
Leinart completed 17 of 31 passes for 205 yards. He was intercepted once.
Derek Anderson was 22-of-51 for 330 yards and two touchdowns for the Beavers, who could never get a running game started and finished with just 34 yards rushing.
It started well for Oregon State. Alexis Serna's first-quarter field goals from 25 and 33 yards were sure despite the obvious visual trouble caused by the fog - and the chilly 43-degree temperature at game time.
Joe Newton fumbled a long pass when he was forced down by Trojans safety Darnell Bing, but the ball was scooped up by Beavers receiver Mike Hass, who got it down to the Southern Cal 8.
A play later, Marcel Love caught Anderson's 8-yard scoring pass to make it 13-0 for Oregon State.
Leinart narrowed it to 13-7 with a perfectly placed 18-yard scoring pass to Dominique Byrd, who was well-covered by cornerback Brandon Browner.
When Byrd ran a 25-yard scoring pass from Leinart into the end zone early in the third quarter, he raised the ball to Southern Cal's fan section.
Sophomore sensation Reggie Bush, who came into game ranked sixth in the nation in all-purpose yards, was virtually untouched on his punt return for a touchdown to make it 21-13 for the Trojans.
Bush finished with 11 carries for 88 yards and two catches for 6 yards.
After White's touchdown made it 28-13, Oregon State's Josh Hawkins caught a 36-yard scoring pass from Anderson for the final margin.
The Trojans were the latest in a string of ranked team that Oregon State has faced this season. The Beavers opened on the road against then-No. 3 LSU, the defending co-national champion. They've also faced Boise State, Arizona State and California.
Oregon State is the only team in the country with both reigning BCS champion LSU and AP champion Southern Cal on its schedule.
The Beavers, who have not defeated a top-ranked team since 1967 - the famous Giant Killers who downed the O.J. Simpson-led Trojans 3-0.
