RECAPS: What they're saying...USC at OSU

What the Oregon, California and national media are saying about Oregon State's 33-31 victory over No. 3 USC Nov. 28.

| From an Oregon State Perspective |

OSU shocks visiting No. 3 Trojans with 33-31 win
Oregon State brought down the Pac-10’s invincible Saturday at Reser Stadium — but just barely.

The Beavers seized a 33-10 third-quarter lead, then held on to beat third-ranked Southern Cal 33-31, giving those in the crowd of 42,871 a day to remember ... more from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.

Beavs kill the giant this time
Remember Fog Bowl 2004? In a shrouded Reser Stadium, Oregon State built a 13-7 halftime lead only to lose 28-20 to Southern California.

Fast-forward to 2006 on a sunny fall Saturday - a day that Beaver football fans will never forget ... more Mark Morical of the Bulletin.

OSU slays the giant
The Beavers hung more points and more yards on third-ranked USC than any team had this season.

They forced four Trojan turnovers, the most by a USC team in three years ... more from Bob Rodman of the Register-Guard.

When the moment arrives, Riley's troops believe
In a chapel meeting Friday, recalled Oregon State's big-play wide receiver Sammie Stroughter, the lesson turned to the biblical story of underdog David and mighty Goliath.

And so to the Beavers' team meeting Friday night, Stroughter brought a bag of stones, and gave one to each Beaver, including middle linebacker Alan Darlin, who played with his stuck under his uniform ... more from Ron Bellamy of the Register-Guard.

Trojans face the consequences
The Southern California players were definitely down Saturday afternoon when their near-rally from a 23-point second-half deficit was batted away by Oregon State in the final seconds.

But the question following the Trojans' 33-31 upset loss to the Beavers at Reser Stadium was, did soon-to-not-be-third-ranked USC have its shot at playing in a third straight national title game swatted away as well? ... more from Chris Hansen of the Register Guard.

Beavers take out No. 3 USC
It will be viewed as one of the landmark upsets in college football this season. Or perhaps any season.

But Oregon State split end Sammie Stroughter was not surprised that the Beavers prevailed Saturday against No. 3 USC ... more from Gary Horowitz of the Statesman Journal.

Beavers end USC’s streak
With a jump and reach for the ages, Oregon State defensive end Van Orsow deflected John David Booty’s two-point conversion pass to Dwayne Jarrett with seven seconds remaining to save a memorable 33-31 victory over third-ranked Southern California.

Moments later, thousands in the Reser Stadium crowd of 42,871 transformed the field into a frothing sea of orange as they celebrated with unbridled glee after Brandon Powers caught a desperation onside kick to seal OSU’s (5-3, 3-2) second victory over the Trojans (6-1, 4-1) in 38 years ... more from Brooks Hatch of the Gazette Times.

Trojan takedown
Alan Darlin didn’t attend the Oregon State football team’s chapel before Saturday’s game, but if the linebacker had he would have heard the story of David and Goliath.

OSU’s chaplain Tom Ramsay used the classic story of how a little boy slew the giant with a pebble. It was an easy comparison with Southern California coming to town ... more from Cliff Kirkpatrick of the Gazette Times.

Polk more than fills in for Bernard
The heart and soul of Oregon State’s offense was out with a sprained ankle that sidelined tailback Yvenson Bernard against third-ranked Southern California on Saturday.

So OSU got a transplant from junior backup Clinton Polk. He rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries and caught three passes for 16 yards in his first start and played a pivotal role in a 33-31 shocker over the Trojans at Reser Stadium ... more from Brooks Hatch of the Gazette Times | Sideline Report

Moore elevates game for OSU
When Yvenson Bernard wasn’t able to play due to an ankle injury, the Oregon State football team needed to depend on its quarterback Matt Moore.

Coach Mike Riley didn’t want to do that because Southern California’s defense likes to put heavy pressure on the passer and blankets receivers ... more from Cliff Kirkpatrick of the Gazette Times.

OSU is toast (of the town)
At exactly 11 minutes past four o'clock Saturday, a giant game of "Red Rover" broke out at Reser Stadium with dozens of security guards and state troopers forming a human chain around the goal posts. They linked their arms together, bent their knees, nodded with their wide eyes trained on a sea of celebrating Oregon State fans racing toward them.

The guards held on.

So did Oregon State ... more from John Canzano of the Oregonian.

USC's loss raises plenty of questions
USC brought with it to Reser Stadium on Saturday a No. 3 ranking, a pristine 6-0 record. And the Trojans had won 51 of their last 53 games. And they had won 18 consecutive road games. And 18 consecutive games in October. And 13 consecutive Pacific-10 Conference road games. And 27 consecutive conference games overall.

The last time USC lost to a Pac-10 opponent was Sept. 27, 2003, in Berkeley, Calif., against California ... more from Ryan White of the Oregonian.

Hello Giant Killers II
On Friday, figuring Oregon State's football team could use a little extra motivation, Beavers wide receiver Sammie Stroughter said he and some teammates talked about the Biblical story David and Goliath during a chapel service. Later, Stroughter produced a bag of stones and handed one to each player.

All the better to bring down a giant ... more from Paul Buker of the Oregonian | Notebook

Fill-in Polk doesn't let nerves slow him
Oregon State's Clinton Polk knew there was a good chance he'd start at tailback against USC on Saturday, but he said he didn't get the definitive word until about three hours before kickoff.

Teammate Yvenson Bernard told him around 9 a.m. that he couldn't play because of a sprained right ankle and that it was Polk's job to carry the Beavers' running game ... more from Jim Beseda of the Oregonian.

| From an USC perspective |

USC's plans unravel
Week after week, USC flirted with defeat.

The Trojans blew leads, failed to take the ball away from opponents and held on for dear life as games came down to the final possession ... more from Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

Final Thoughts - Oregon State
In one game, we saw everything that is right and everything that is wrong with the 2006 USC Trojans. In the span of one afternoon, against an inspired Oregon State Beaver team, we saw exactly where this USC team stands as we begin the second half of the season.

Unfortunately, the game resulted in a 33-31 loss for the Trojans. There's nothing that can be done to change that. But if every Trojan fan is honest with themselves right now, the Beavers outperformed us in this football game. They made enough plays and took advantage of our mistakes ... more from Garry Paskwietz of WeAreSC.com.

One Man's Opinion - Oregon State review
It's been a very long time since I have reviewed a Pac-10 game that USC actually lost. But as we all know by now, the streaks are over. After winning 27 consecutive Pac-10 games and 18 regular season road games, USC lost their game with the Oregon State Beavers, 33 to 31 ... more from Michael J Davidson of WeAreSC.com.

Their BCS dance was a masquerade all along
It's probably better that it ended this way, on a tipped two-point conversion pass with seven seconds remaining. There was no valid reason to extend this game into overtime, just as there was no reason to continue the charade that USC is one of the top teams in the country.

The Trojans did not play well enough to win at Oregon State on Saturday. Truthfully, they haven't played well enough this season to be included in the national championship spotlight ... more from J.A. Adane of the Los Angles Times.

Smith strong, then silent
Flanker Steve Smith spent two weeks trying to get his sore ankle healthy so he would be at full strength against Oregon State.

The senior tweaked his ankle twice Saturday against the Beavers but finished with 11 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the Trojans' 33-31 loss ... more from the Los Angeles Times.

Leave it to Beavers
Narrow victories masked many of USC's shortcomings and created a sugarcoated view of the program for the better part of a month.

But one of the problems that many had ignored came back to bite the Trojans at the worst possible moment, with national championship hopes still alive, the ball at the 3-yard line and quarterback John David Booty seeking his signature moment ... more from Scott Wolf of the DailyNews.com.

Finished? USC doesn't think so, despite loss
With 51 victories in their previous 53 games, even a 23-point deficit did not faze USC on Saturday.

"I saw the scoreboard and was like, whatever," USC offensive tackle Kyle Williams said. "I knew we were going to win. I know we can pull it off. Or win." ... more from Scott Wolf of the DailyNews.com.

Southland's Moore leads upset
The last time Matt Moore played against USC, he was a freshman at UCLA and on the losing end of a rout.

On Saturday, the fifth-year senior quarterback from Valencia showed the Trojans and the nation just how far he has progressed by leading Oregon State to a 33-31 upset victory over third-ranked USC at Reser Stadium ... more from Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

Leaving ball to Beavers
Pete Carroll leaned against a wall, only moments before he boarded the team bus.

"As it turned out,'' he said, "we had a chance to win it.'' ... more from Phill Collin of the Daily Breeze.

Strange, new world for USC
And now to enter a strange, new world.

One of lowered expectations. A foreign place, one where others dwelled but USC had taken to viewing from a distance, with a certain unspoken smugness ... more from Steve Dilbeck of the DailyNews.com.

History of bouncing back
The looking ahead, and the lesson, started almost as soon as the USC Trojans hit the locker room with Saturday's 33-31 loss to Oregon State still ringing in their heads.

"The most important thing is how we respond," Carroll told his team after losing for just the second time in the past 43 games ... more from Dan Weber of The Press-Enterprise.

All out of escapes
It probably had to happen sometime. Had to happen somewhere.

But it didn't have to happen Saturday at Oregon State. Not without the full cooperation of USC, anyway ... more from Dan Weber of The Press-Enterprise.

| From a National Perspective |

Oregon State KO’s USC from BCS title talk
Turns out Southern California was vulnerable.

Oregon State capitalized on four USC turnovers to upset No. 3 USC 33-31, snap the Trojans 27-game Pac-10 winning streak and break the national championship race wide open on Saturday ... more from the Associated Press.

Let the BCS chaos begin
For those who enjoy BCS chaos, the fun starts now. Southern California's loss to Oregon State was the first and most significant step toward giving the Bowl Championship Series an impossible task of putting together a title game that will satisfy everybody.

The Beavers' 33-31 upset Saturday had fans of highly ranked one-loss teams rejoicing from Gainesville, Fla., to Berkeley, Calif ... more from the Associated Press.

USC's loss throws title race into tizzy
A USC loss? Well, that's just great. Now, unless a tech dude with a soft spot in his heart for an undefeated Big East champion hacks into the BCS computers, or a congressman from the Boise, Idaho district successfully gets a wild new anti-BCS law passed SOON, we're pretty much guaranteed a BCS champion-ship game that includes a one-loss team.

Boo ... more from Erick Moneypenny of FoxSports.com.

'Hiccup' might cause USC to cough over spot in title race
a scene you don't see every day, or at all in the last three years: USC pleading for love from the pollsters.

"We're not a bad team," defensive end Lawrence Jackson said at the end of his team's first regular-season loss since 2003 ... more from Dennis Dodd of CBS SportsLine.com.