Southern Cal was a 17.5-point favorite going into the game with Virginia, and the Trojans had of course mauled the Cavaliers in their 2008 meeting in Charlottesville by a 52-7 final.
This one was supposed to be a cakewalk for first-year USC coach Lane Kiffin’s group. The 17-14 win late Saturday in the Los Angeles Coliseum was anything but what anybody outside the UVa. football program had expected.
“It was a tremendous effort by the guys in the locker room. No one gave us a chance. We played a good game, but we need to get some things in order,” said first-year Virginia coach Mike London, whose ‘Hoos could and maybe should have flown back home from the Left Coast with the W.
The Cavs (1-1) victimized themselves as much if not more than SC did. Prized placekicker Robert Randolph missed two very makeable field goals. Marc Verica had a bad, bad interception in the Southern Cal end zone that snuffed out a first-quarter Virginia scoring threat.
“I knew it was a stupid play,” said Verica, who finished 17-36 passing for 190 yards and a touchdown to go with the interception, which came on a second-and-goal play from the Virginia 4, on a play-action pass where Verica was flushed left and threw against his body short into triple coverage.
“I know exactly what I have to do on every single play,” Verica said. “You can’t let one play rattle you. It was a costly decision, but you have to put it behind you.”
USC (2-0) got on the board first late in the second quarter after UVa. failed to convert on a fourth-and-inches at the SC 45. Matt Barkley connected with Jordan Cameron on a four-yard scoring pass to cap a quick three-play, 55-yard drive that gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead.
Keith Payne’s six-yard run finished a six-play, 69-yard response from Virginia that knotted the game at 7 with 1:14 to go in the second. Barkley drove Southern Cal back down the field in the two-minute drill, and hit Brandon Carswell with an 11-yard TD pass with one second remaining in the half to up the lead to 14-7.
It stayed there until the fourth, when the Trojans were able to get some breathing room with a 34-yard field goal by Joe Houston that made it 17-7 with 5:52 to go. Randolph missed the second of his two field-goal attempts, from 35 yards out, with 3:49 to go, but Virginia was able to get the ball back and got the ball in the end zone with four seconds left on a three-yard pass from Verica to Kris Burd at the end of a 13-play, 78-yard drive.
A last-ditch onside kick was recovered by USC.
Virginia outgained Southern Cal 340 yards to 329 yards.
“I’m proud of our guys and their effort,” London said. “To come here, travel and play and go toe-to-toe with these guys is great. We had a turnover in the red zone and had chances to score. We missed two field goals. Could have, should have, would have.”
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at [email protected].
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