It was payback time for Stanford. After having their title hopes crushed last season in an upset loss to USC at the farm, the Cardinal returned the favor by shocking the No. 6 ranked Trojans 41-31 at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.
"It's early in the season for the ranking, all that matters is we're 1-0 in the Pac 12," said Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan. "We want to go 1-0, every week."
The Trojans were the preseason favorite to win the Pac 12, but the early loss to Stanford means it will be a tough road ahead for the Trojans as they will have to go undefeated for the remainder of the season, including victories over the Oregon Ducks and the UCLA Bruins.
The difference in the game came down to one thing: third down efficiency. Every time the bell rang on the USC LED screen to signal a third down for Stanford, the Cardinal would answer the bell, converting 8-of-12 on third downs.
"We didn't execute on third downs," Outside Linebacker Su'a Cravens said after the game. "We had them in situations we wanted to be in, we got them into third down, but we couldn't get off the field."
Conversely, the Trojans were an atrocious 4-of-10 on third downs, unable to keep the offense on the field, and allowing the Trojans defense to wear down throughout the duration of the game.
The Trojans defense was on the field for nearly forty minutes as the Cardinal controlled the ball for most of the game. Both USC's secondary and front line looked suspect on Saturday after two impressive performances against mediocre opponents. The Trojans defense allowed 474 yards of total offense and 41 points on the night, numbers that won't win any game, let alone against a team like Stanford.
"Your emotions can go from high-to-low quickly," Sarkasian continued. "We need to get back up, fix the things we need to fix, and get back on the horse."
The first half started out well for the Trojans as quarterback Cody Kessler and Cardinal QB Kevin Hogan were locked into an old-fashioned shootout. Both Kessler and Hogan threw for two touchdowns apiece in the first half as the Trojans headed into the locker room trailing 24-21 at the break.
"It certainly looked like a shootout right away at the beginning going right back and forth with touchdowns and points on the board," Hogan said. "Our defense made some key stops and we were able to take the lead at the end of the second quarter."
Hogan outshined Kessler in a battle of potential Heisman candidates as the senior QB threw for 279 yards and two TDs compared to Kessler's 272 yards and three TDs.
"This one hurts, but this isn't the final statement," Kessler said after the game. "It's a long season. This can be a turning point in the season. This will defy us."
Tre Madden led the Trojans ground and pound game rushing for 64 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. However, it was no match for Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey, the son of the NFL legend, ED McCaffrey of the Denver Broncos.
McCaffrey ran all over the Trojans defense rushing for 115 yards on 26 carries. He had no touchdowns however, as the Cardinal punched the ball in with Remound Wright who had three scores on the day.
On the bright side for the Trojans, wide-receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster continues to impress as the wideout made eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown on the night.
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Austin Hooper led the Cardinal's receiving corps with four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Penalties killed the Trojans as they were flagged eight times for 87 yards, often at inopportune times, costing the Trojans multiple opportunities, including a kickoff return for a touchdown by Adoree' Jackson in the first half.
"When you talk penalties at critical moments, it changes the complex of the game," Sarkisian finished.
The Trojans tackle Pac 12 South team Arizona State in Tempe next week.
