College Football Flashback: #3 USC Outlasts Ohio State
While not a vintage performance by their lofty standards, the University of Southern California Trojans overcame a number of mistakes to make big plays when they counted to prevail in a come from behind victory over Ohio State. Stafon Johnson capped a late game drive by scoring the game winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining as the Trojans won by a final score of 18-15. It was the first time the Trojans held the lead since early in the first quarter. The USC victory moved their record on the college football season to 2-0, while the Buckeyes dropped to 1-1. The Trojans have now won ten straight games against Big 10 opponents.
Ohio State did cash tickets for college football bettors, however, covering the spread as a +7 home underdog. USC won and covered last year, but the pointspread setback this year dropped the Trojans to a still impressive 13-5 ATS against the Big Ten conference since 1992. It was also only the second non-cover by a USC team in a non conference game in their last ten opportunities. The 33 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 45. Last years game also failed to exceed the total, and USC continued a strong UNDER tendency of late.
19 year old freshman Matt Barkley engineered the game winning touchdown drive. After the game, he spoke of the Trojan tradition of victory:
“We’re Trojans. That’s what we do. This is what we dreamed of, coming back like this. Doesn’t matter where we are in the score. We found a way. I love this.”
Tailback Joe McKnight sarcastically dismissed suggestions that Barkley was rattled by a tenacious and stifling Buckeye defense:
“He was scared, really. No, he came in with the same composure he had the whole game. He was calm. He made plays.”
USC coach Pete Carroll marveled at Barkleys composure in such an intense environment:
“He’s not 19. He’s our quarterback. I’m not worried about how old he is. Numbers mean nothing.”
Ohio State linebacker Greg Rolle said his defense played great”until the final drive:
“It’s very frustrating, but we knew eventually they’d make plays. The last drive was heartbreaking. Give McKnight lots of credit on that last drive, he was good. The last drive was definitely, you go back and you think about, and you think about how close you came to winning.
Ohio State will travel to Toledo for a non-conference game before starting their Big 10 schedule at home against Illinois. USC now faces three straight Pac 10 games, starting next weekend on the road at the University of Washington. Theyll return home the following weekend for a game against Washington State before heading to Northern California the next Saturday for a tough challenge against the University of California.
Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
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