That is one parting present Stanford gained’t quickly neglect.
Within the final Pac-12 matchup between longtime convention rivals, No. 6 USC hammered Stanford 56-10, sending the Cardinal into the ACC with its largest margin of defeat within the collection since a 42-0 drubbing in 2006. With a spot within the Huge Ten ready subsequent season, the Trojans (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12 Convention) had their greatest scoring night time within the rivalry since hanging 51 on the Cardinal in 2005.
It was essentially the most factors USC has scored in opposition to Stanford and the 46-point distinction marked the Trojans’ largest win over the Cardinal since 1977 (49-0).
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Whereas the Trojans stored Stanford’s new-look offense underneath first-year head coach Troy Taylor out of the tip zone till the three:35 mark of the fourth quarter, quarterback Caleb Williams continued his early-season dominance. The junior threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns on 19-for-22 passing. By three video games, Williams has led 25 drives that resulted in 18 touchdowns.
On Saturday, the Heisman winner simply stored making magical performs look routine. He did it on the bottom, speeding 21 yards whereas bulldozing a Stanford defender on the objective line for USC’s opening landing. He did it via the air, throwing an ideal cross 65 yards that hit a sprinting Brenden Rice in stride for a 75-yard landing. And he did it off script, dancing within the pocket for six seconds till he scrambled to his proper and fired a 19-yard landing strike to a crossing Dorian Singer.
Then he went to the sideline.
With a cushty 49-3 lead, Williams stepped apart for your complete second half as backup Miller Moss appeared in his third consecutive blowout win.
Aided by a 75-yard punt return for landing by freshman Zachariah Department, the Trojans had been so potent within the first half that by their sixth landing, mascot Traveler was too drained to make the customary celebration run across the subject. They nonetheless tacked on a seventh earlier than the break as Lake McRee caught a one-yard cross from Williams with 10 seconds left within the second quarter.
With 178 mixed factors in opposition to San José State, Nevada and Stanford, USC has scored essentially the most factors via the primary three video games of a season since 2005, when the Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush-led Trojans hung 178 in opposition to Hawai’i, Arkansas and Oregon.
The Trojans locked down the Cardinal with a stout defensive entrance that tallied eight tackles for loss.
Bear Alexander, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive sort out, completed with two tackles and one cross breakup, however impacted the sport in methods past the stat sheet. His stress within the face of Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels on second-and-seven on Stanford’s first drive led to a wobbly throw that security Max Williams simply picked off for USC’s first interception of the season.
Daniels left the sport early within the second quarter after he was injured on a strip sack by Solomon Byrd, who led the Trojans with two tackles for loss and one sack. The Cardinal recovered Daniels’ fumble, however Byrd’s rush finish operating mate Jamil Muhammad secured one other takeaway on the following drive, sacking backup Justin Lamson and forcing a fumble that linebacker Tackett Curtis recovered.
After no takeaways within the first sport, USC had three within the subsequent two.
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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Instances.