COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Here are USC's stars during Saturday night's come-from-behind 18-15 win at Ohio State:
- The defense: Facing short fields all night (four Ohio State drives started inside USC territory), the defense held stout and limited the Buckeyes to only 13 points and just 265 total yards of offense. After Ohio State's 72-yard scoring drive in the first quarter, USC's lockdown defense kept the Trojans in the game and eventually put them in position to win.
- The offensive line: While the rushing yardage doesn't look too pretty (just 118 yards on the ground), the USC offensive line became the driving force in USC's game-winning series. After the sack to open the drive, the O-line protected Matt Barkley (he didn't get touched again) and paved the way for several big rushes, including two third-down quarterback sneaks that demoralized the Buckeyes. In total on Saturday, Barkley had four successful sneaks up the middle in key situations, all thanks to USC's overpowering offensive line.
- Joe McKnight: The stud tailback ran for 60 yards and had 45 receiving yards on the night, with 53 of those total yards coming on the game-winning drive. He also scored the two-point conversion to give the Trojans a three-point lead.
- Matt Barkley: On the game-winning drive, the freshman quarterback went 3-for-5 for 55 yards and smoothly guided the Trojans 86 yards in 14 plays over more than six minutes.
- Stafon Johnson: For the second straight game, Johnson scored two touchdowns, providing a near-guarantee for the Trojans in short-yardage situations.
University Southern California Trojans
Tuesday, June 23
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 22
