You will have to forgive Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield if he shudders when he steps on the field at L.A. Coliseum this weekend.  The last time the lefty suited up on the road against USC he was sacked nine times and was pounded mercilessly into the turf.

Eventually he was knocked out of the game late in the fourth quarter on a vicious hit.  It has been two years since that incident, but Canfield says it still runs through his mind occasionally.

"I think about it from time to time," Canfield said.  "Injuries happen.  That's a part of football. It comes with the territory of playing."

It was a combination of factors that led to Canfield being throttled. The offensive line was overwhelmed by the USC front four, the running backs didn't block well and Canfield held onto the ball far too long.

Since then Canfield has learned a lot. 

He has watched far too many games from the sidelines, missed spring practice and finally battled back to grab the starting quarterback position.

Canfield is arguably playing the best football of his collegiate career.  He is third in the conference in passing averaging 234.2 yards per game while completing 67.9 percent of his passes, second in the conference, for eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

"Sean probably played his best two games as a Beaver the last two games - very efficient, very decisive and productive," Riley said.  "He's thrown for a good percentage and has taken care of the ball and is getting rid of the ball more quickly in the last couple of weeks."

In the last two games against Arizona State and Stanford Canfield completed 40 of 62 passes (62%) for 506 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception.  With Canfield making good decisions on offense it has allowed the team to string together back to back wins.

The California native knows he must keep elevating his game if OSU hopes to knock off the heavily favored Trojans.

"Playing a team like this you have to be on your `A' game," Canfield said.  "A lot of things have to go right. You have to execute, you can't have a lot of mental mistakes.

"That just comes with playing a team like USC."