PERFECT

Photos from L.A. Times and OC Register

Above: Grim Reaper comes for USC

Right: I'm a sucker for any Batman reference.

Below: Total Duckamonium on Halloween night.

[How can you describe this game, this event, this experience any other way? 

The set-up: #4 USC at Autzen to play #10 Oregon, nationally televised on Halloween night. ESPN GameDay is in town. Anticipation is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The winner is in control of their own destiny for the Pac-10 Championship.

The action: A heavyweight brawl for the first half. A seesaw battle with back and forth scoring. Both teams refusing to flinch. Then the second half, one team rises and shows clear dominance.

The end: An astonishing, unprecedented lopsided victory. Oregon 47 - USC 20. USC Coach Pete Carroll's worst loss. Oregon's largest victory margin over USC ever. This was no controversial or lucky-bounce win. No bizarre call from the instant replay booth. No questionable bounce off of someone's foot. No Hail Mary over a totally blown coverage.

USC and Matt Barkely threw everything they had at Oregon. The Ducks took it, stuffed it, and fed it back to the Trojans two-fold.

It was PERFECT.

Here's an excerpt from Jeff Miller of the OC Register:

"Man, that hasn't happened in the history of Pete Carroll," said senior cornerback Josh Pinkard, who has been at USC longer than most. "We never thought we'd give up anything like that."


They gave up 31 first downs. They gave up 391 rushing yards. They gave up 613 total yards.

And the history extended back much farther than Carroll's tenure.

To understand the gravity at work here, only one time in school history has a USC team permitted more total yards. That happened one year after the conclusion of World War II. Against Notre Dame, which, at the time, was being coached by Frank Leahy.

And they say the racket of Autzen Stadium can be disorienting?

In all, the Trojans gave up a Carroll-era record 47 points, losing 47-20, the program's worst defeat since – let's see here, go back, back, back – John Robinson was coaching? In 1997? Believe it.

That's right. Not even Paul Hackett's teams ever were shoved around this badly.

"They just beat us up front; they just beat us up," senior safety Taylor Mays said. "They hit us in the mouth and kept hitting us in the mouth."

The Trojans, for the first time since anyone could remember, rocked back against the ropes and couldn't summon an adequate counter punch.

Their NFL draft-depleted defense, wobbled in recent weeks by Notre Dame and Oregon State, was pancaked this time, landing on its young, still-learning fannies.

LaMichael James: 24 carries for 183 yards, 1 TD.

Let it be said here. This game, along with Washington's stunner over USC, allows us to finally declare that the "Pac - 1 plus nine also-rans" is once again the Pac-10. Whatever could happen to USC in it's final four games just got more problematic as their fear and mystique factor gave up the ghost on Halloween night.

USC didn't look so tough. Barkley? Good, but beatable. He goes down like a cornered rodeo calf as well as any other QB. For the third game in a row, their defense failed to keep the opponent out of the endzone multiple times in the second half.

Oregon's huddle-less quick pace had the Trojans sucking air. They were literally on their heels -- running backwards as Oregon stormed down the field over and over. As the game wore on, the Trojans tackling got worse. Fatigue was obvious as they started lunging to tackle with their outstretched hands.

USC's great safety Taylor Mays fails to

 hold on to Masoli as he crosses the goal line.

Masoli in the biggest game of his career, he was laughing, trading jokes with LaMichael James. "I was so relaxed . . . ", he said.

As for Matt Barkley, listening to his interview afterwards, he seemed in denial. "I never thought this could happen," he said.  He refused to acknowledge that Oregon was just better. It had not yet been impressed on him that he just quarterbacked the worst Trojan loss in this century. He maintained that the crowd noise didn't bother him, but hinted it may have bothered others (his offensive line, called for 6 illegal procecedure penalties).

Here's another question I have about Barkley. Can he run? If his pocket collapses, can he scramble out? Teams still on the Trojans schedule are asking that question too.

Freshman Phenom feels fury of feathered Frankensteins on this Fright Night.

(It took me two hours to put all that together.)

Even if Barkely didn't, the pollsters did recognize the significance of the game. Oregon rose to 7th or 8th. USC plummetted from 4th to 12th and are in danger of not going to a BCS bowl. Or as one ESPN writer put it, we may not have to listen to USC complain this year like they have most of the other years this decade about having to settle for the Rose Bowl.

It would be gracious of Duck fans everywhere to send their favorite Trojan a tourist brochure of beautiful sunny San Diego -- home of the Holiday Bowl. --kb

Talmadge Jackson III breaks up what would've been a sure USC TD pass. The Ducks' D-backs have been doing this all season long.



VIDEOS:
Link to Register Guard Video: The Haunting of USC. Very well produced. Shows the general atmosphere of Autzen plus a hint of the noise when Masoli scores.
http://blogs.registerguard.com/mm/index.php/videos/?bcpid=14508185001&bclid=1387524738&bctid=47295129001

Matt Barkley Postgame Interview


Highlights of "The Perfect Game"
USC at Oregon 2009