Barner gives Oregon big boost
LOS ANGELES — Kenjon Barner knew it was his last chance to play back home in Southern California with dozens of friends and family members in the Coliseum stands, all of them waiting for something special.
The Oregon tailback had plenty for them — and with lots of help he kept the No. 4 Ducks on track in the national title race.
Barner ran for a school-record 321 yards and five touchdowns, Marcus Mariota threw four touchdown passes, and Oregon produced another landmark offensive performance in a 62-51 victory over No. 17 Southern California on Saturday night.
Barner celebrated every touchdown with vigor, although the Riverside, Calif., native playfully refused to talk about what he might have shouted to the Trojans’ dismayed fans.
Oregon (9-0, 6-0 Pacific12) racked up 730 yards and 62 points — the most ever allowed by USC, which began playing football in 1888.
“Well, I’m from LA, so it means a lot,” Barner said with a shrug. “We know we have an exceptional offense, but this was a great test for us to have to play four quarters and fight to the end. We’re going to benefit from this in the long run. As a competitor, you want to be in a great game if you can.”
It was the third-highest scoring game involving ranked teams in the 76-year history of The Associated Press poll. The ones ahead of it also came this year, with West Virginia beating Baylor 70-63 and Texas A&M topping Louisiana Tech 59-57.
Barner set a rushing record for a USC opponent by the third quarter, topping Curtis Enis’ 241 yards for Penn State in 1996, and smashed LaMichael James’ Oregon record shortly afterward.
He didn’t get his usual late-game break, either: With Matt Barkley and his receivers shredding Oregon’s defense, the Ducks’ offense stood up to its first late-game pressure of the season.
“We’re built for that, though,” said Mariota, who went 20 of 23 for 304 yards without an interception. “We go through a lot of conditioning, and we’re always ready to play four quarters. This was a good test for us.”
Josh Huff caught two touchdown passes, and De’Anthony Thomas and Daryl Hawkins also scored as the Ducks, who never led by fewer than 10 points, outlasted USC in a back-and-forth second half to extend their winning streak to 12 games since the Trojans (6-3, 4-3) won in Eugene last season.
Barkley passed for 484 yards and four touchdowns while hitting Marqise Lee with 12 passes for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Trojans.
In other Pacific-12 games, Reggie Dunn returned a kickoff 100 yards for the third time in two weeks and John White rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns as Utah (4-5, 2-4) won 49-6 at home against Washington State (2-7, 0-6). ... Redshirt freshman Kevin Hogan replaced senior quarterback Josh Nunes for No. 14 Stanford (7-2, 5-1) on Saturday and ignited the Cardinal to a 48-0 rout of Colorado (1-8, 1-5), the Buffaloes’ first shutout at home in 26 years. Hogan picked apart the nation’s worst defense, throwing for 184 yards and running for 48 more in just two quarters of work.