6-Points: USC 31, Stanford 28
December 02, 2017 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
The Trojans are headed to a New Year's 6 Bowl for the second consecutive season.
The Trojans reclaim their spot atop the conference after besting the Cardinal, 31-28.
Click here for the recap and final stats.
Back on Top
For the first time in the Pac-12 era, USC won the conference championship game, bringing the trophy back to Troy. "We are truly blessed," said senior WR Steven Mitchell. "It feels so good to be here." The Trojans have hit an important benchmark under head coach Clay Helton as he tries to bring this program back to its former glory. "Failure was not an option tonight," Helton said. Of course, it was not easy. "I expected it to be a battle, and it is a battle that we won today," said WR Michael Pittman Jr. "It's always tough to beat a good team twice. We just came out and decided we weren't going to lose. It was a great team win."
Captain Courageous
On the night before the game, senior captain Chris Hawkins learned that his grandmother had lost her four-year battle with breast cancer. He responded to the adversity by making a career-high 13 tackles, including two for loss. "It broke my heart because I know how much his grandma meant to him," Helton said. "He woke up, tears in his eyes, and I just told him, 'Honor your family.' He just played maybe his best game as a Trojan on the brightest stage. That's what captains do. That's what Trojans do. They fight on. That's a performance that I'll never forget." Helton gave the game ball to Hawkins in the post-game locker room. "My emotions are all over the place right now," Hawkins said. "Mostly, I'm happy that we were able to come out here and fight for this win."
Championship-Line Stand
USC controlled the balance of the game, but Stanford refused to go away. The Cardinal were one yard away from taking the lead in the fourth quarter when OLB Uchenna Nwosu and the Trojans stuffed them at the goal line on 4th down. "They are the best in the world at the short yardage run game," Helton said about Stanford. "I hope we never forget about 42 because he is a true warrior and captain of this football team. He'll go down in history for this type of game." The play capped off a sequence of seven consecutive goal-to-go plays. "This defense has the heart of a lion," Hawkins said. "We will never give up ever."
99 Yards for the Win
While the goal line stand kept USC in the lead, it left the offense backed up against its own end zone. No matter. QB Sam Darnold and RB Ronald Jones II engineered a 99-yard drive to finally separate from Stanford. "At the end of the day, that 99-yard drive was about the prettiest thing I've seen," Helton said. Darnold remained poised under pressure, working to his second progression to hit Pittman on a 54-yard pass. From there, Jones and the offensive line took over as he ran it four consecutive times, capped by his second touchdown of the night.
All Grown Up
Two years ago, Stanford topped USC in this same game by running all over the Trojans. Helton vowed to bring that physical identity to his program, and USC proved once again that it will no longer be pushed around. "I think we were more physical than they were," Hawkins said. "It was just the mentality that we had tonight." The Trojans outgained the Cardinal on the ground, 176-151, which was Helton's key to the game. "We knew it was going to be a dogfight, so we just had to compete to the end," Pittman said.
Fully Loaded
The USC offense racked up 501 yards on only 67 plays in a game with limited possessions. While Darnold (17/24 for 325 yards and 2 TDs) and Jones (30 carries for 140 yards and 2 TDs) led the way as per usual, the Trojans are overflowing with playmakers at the moment. Pittman hauled in a Pac-12 Championship Game-record 146 yards receiving on 7 catches. "[Darnold] made it easy for me," the sophomore wideout said. "I am just so blessed to have him on my team. Thank god for Sam." Darnold spread the ball to eight different Trojans, including the game-ending 4th down conversion to freshman TE Josh Falo.
Click here for the recap and final stats.
Back on TopFor the first time in the Pac-12 era, USC won the conference championship game, bringing the trophy back to Troy. "We are truly blessed," said senior WR Steven Mitchell. "It feels so good to be here." The Trojans have hit an important benchmark under head coach Clay Helton as he tries to bring this program back to its former glory. "Failure was not an option tonight," Helton said. Of course, it was not easy. "I expected it to be a battle, and it is a battle that we won today," said WR Michael Pittman Jr. "It's always tough to beat a good team twice. We just came out and decided we weren't going to lose. It was a great team win."
Captain Courageous
On the night before the game, senior captain Chris Hawkins learned that his grandmother had lost her four-year battle with breast cancer. He responded to the adversity by making a career-high 13 tackles, including two for loss. "It broke my heart because I know how much his grandma meant to him," Helton said. "He woke up, tears in his eyes, and I just told him, 'Honor your family.' He just played maybe his best game as a Trojan on the brightest stage. That's what captains do. That's what Trojans do. They fight on. That's a performance that I'll never forget." Helton gave the game ball to Hawkins in the post-game locker room. "My emotions are all over the place right now," Hawkins said. "Mostly, I'm happy that we were able to come out here and fight for this win."
Championship-Line Stand
USC controlled the balance of the game, but Stanford refused to go away. The Cardinal were one yard away from taking the lead in the fourth quarter when OLB Uchenna Nwosu and the Trojans stuffed them at the goal line on 4th down. "They are the best in the world at the short yardage run game," Helton said about Stanford. "I hope we never forget about 42 because he is a true warrior and captain of this football team. He'll go down in history for this type of game." The play capped off a sequence of seven consecutive goal-to-go plays. "This defense has the heart of a lion," Hawkins said. "We will never give up ever."
99 Yards for the Win
While the goal line stand kept USC in the lead, it left the offense backed up against its own end zone. No matter. QB Sam Darnold and RB Ronald Jones II engineered a 99-yard drive to finally separate from Stanford. "At the end of the day, that 99-yard drive was about the prettiest thing I've seen," Helton said. Darnold remained poised under pressure, working to his second progression to hit Pittman on a 54-yard pass. From there, Jones and the offensive line took over as he ran it four consecutive times, capped by his second touchdown of the night.
All Grown Up
Two years ago, Stanford topped USC in this same game by running all over the Trojans. Helton vowed to bring that physical identity to his program, and USC proved once again that it will no longer be pushed around. "I think we were more physical than they were," Hawkins said. "It was just the mentality that we had tonight." The Trojans outgained the Cardinal on the ground, 176-151, which was Helton's key to the game. "We knew it was going to be a dogfight, so we just had to compete to the end," Pittman said.
Fully Loaded
The USC offense racked up 501 yards on only 67 plays in a game with limited possessions. While Darnold (17/24 for 325 yards and 2 TDs) and Jones (30 carries for 140 yards and 2 TDs) led the way as per usual, the Trojans are overflowing with playmakers at the moment. Pittman hauled in a Pac-12 Championship Game-record 146 yards receiving on 7 catches. "[Darnold] made it easy for me," the sophomore wideout said. "I am just so blessed to have him on my team. Thank god for Sam." Darnold spread the ball to eight different Trojans, including the game-ending 4th down conversion to freshman TE Josh Falo.
Players Mentioned
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