Click here for the recap and final stats.
Click here for the post-game press conference.
Building a Champion
The Trojans were tested mentally and physically by Stanford, and they bonded together to pickup the first signature win of the Steve Sarkisian era. In one sequence late in the third quarter, Sarkisian was flagged twice for sideline interference and unsportsmanlike conduct, and then senior LB Hayes Pullard was ejected for targeting a ball carrier. "There were a lot of things that easily, if we weren't a strong-willed team, would have folded our tents in," said Sarkisian. "The guys just wouldn't do it. They kept battling. And at the end, we made the critical plays at the critical moments."The Cardinal Killer
Stanford will be sick at the sight of Andre Heidari. The USC kicker drilled the game-winner for the second consecutive season. This time, he needed a career-best boot from 53 yards to be the hero. "Honestly, I thought it was short, but I'm glad it went in," said Heidari (pictured). "We do it every day in practice. We practice long field goals. I believe in my blockers up front and it happened. It was fun. I'm glad we got to do it two years in a row."
The Final Rush
The Trojans' front seven struggled all afternoon trying to get to Stanford QB Kevin Hogan, but when they needed one final stop, J.R. Tavai delivered a crushing blow to release the clinching fumble. "[Hogan] is elusive," said Tavai. "He did a great job running away from me, but he couldn't run away on that last play, so I was pretty happy about that."Leo the Lion
All-American Leonard Williams did his best Willis Reed impersonation today after looking like he might not be able to play during warmups. The junior said he was "50-50" to go and came out during the first defensive series because the ankle was so tight. But, with a little adrenaline and a lot of drive, he overcame the pain and led the Trojans with 11 tackles plus a sack. "What a warrior effort from Leonard," said Sarkisian. "He obviously wasn't 100% tonight, but Leonard at 70-80% is better than most people at their best."
Feed the Buck
The offensive game plan became clear quickly as Buck Allen was fed carry after carry leading to a career-high 154 yards on 23 runs. Allen was told during the week by the coaches that he would be the central focus of the offense, and he responded with the best rushing performance ever against a David Shaw-led Stanford team.. "It wasn't always going to be pretty, but we had to dedicate ourselves to running the ball," Sarkisian said. "The teams that struggle the most against Stanford's defense are the ones that give up on the running game and allow them to tee off on your QB."
Fighting Off the Ropes
Amazingly, Stanford reached at least USC's 32-yard-line on every single drive, but only managed to score 10 points. The Trojans benefitted from a couple missed field goals and some careless Cardinal ball handling, but to their credit, they never relented. "I couldn't be more proud of our defense in the red zone, which was a huge point of emphasis coming into the game," said Sarkisian. "We kept talking about how important our red zone defense was going to be." LB Anthony Sarao (11 tackles) and S Gerald Bowman (10 tackles) were instrumental in the effort.
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