Trojans rout Cardinal for 11th straight win
LOS ANGELES - Steven Mitchell and Deontay Burnett caught two touchdown passes apiece from Sam Darnold, and No. 5 Southern California extended its winning streak to 11 games with a bruising 42-24 victory over No. 14 Stanford on Saturday night.
Darnold went 21 of 26 with 316 yards passing for the Trojans (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12), who snapped their three-game losing streak in this California private-school rivalry. USC racked up 623 total yards and won the first Pac-12 game of the new season by beating the hard-nosed Cardinal (1-1, 0-1) at their own physical game.
Ronald Jones II rushed for 116 yards and scored a touchdown in his ninth consecutive game as USC excelled at Stanford’s traditional strengths, running the ball for 307 yards and controlling both lines of scrimmage. Turnovers and penalties by the Trojans kept it fairly close, but freshman Stephen Carr added 119 yards rushing, and Jones cartwheeled into the end zone with a clinching 23yard TD run with 4:15 to play.
Keller Chryst passed for 172 yards and two touchdowns, while Bryce Love had a 75-yard TD run among his 160 yards rushing for the Cardinal, who hadn’t played since their season-opening win over Rice in Australia last month.
After a scoreless third quarter, USC made a 90-yard scoring drive capped by Mitchell’s second TD on a feathery 11-yard TD pass by Darnold with 9:42 to play. Stanford stayed close with J.J. Arcega-Whiteside’s TD catch with 6:41 to play, but Jones’ incredible second TD run capped a smooth 75-yard drive in USC’s 11th consecutive win at the Coliseum.
Stanford had won eight of its last 11 meetings with USC in a dominant stretch that began with its historic 2007 upset victory at the Coliseum.
After USC scored 49 points in its season opener, Darnold’s offense again was in fine form from the start. USC scored four touchdowns on five lengthy drives in the first half, with Darnold hitting Burnett for two of his three TD passes.
USC moved 74 yards on two plays late in the half to take a 28-17 lead on Burnett’s leaping 25-yard TD grab.
UP NEXT
Stanford: The Cardinal’s threegame stretch away from home concludes at San Diego State.
The Trojans welcome Texas to USC: the Coliseum for a meeting of two powerhouse programs.