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USC out for revenge against Stanford

Nov 15, 2008 - 11:26 AM (6) USC (8-1) at Stanford (5-5), 7:00 pm EST

PALO ALTO, California (Ticker) -- Southern California has had this game circled on its calendar all season.

On Saturday, the sixth-ranked Trojans visit Stanford, which shocked USC as a six-touchdown underdog last season in one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

Tavita Pritchard tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mark Bradford on 4th-and-goal with 49 seconds remaining as the Cardinal stunned the college football world with a 24-23 win at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The victory snapped USC's 35-game home winning streak.

The Trojans out-gained Stanford, 459-235, but committed five turnovers and had an extra point blocked blocked in the second quarter as the Cardinal rallied from a 9-0 halftime deficit.

A year later, USC (8-1, 6-1 Pac-10) heads to The Farms eager to make amends for one of the most embarrassing defeats in the program's storied history.

USC is still in the national championship picture after coach Pete Carroll railed against the BCS last week, saying the system "stinks."

The Trojans climbed one spot to No. 6 in the latest BCS standings.

USC's offense still is not operating at peak efficiency as the Trojans struggled to put away California last week. They needed a late score with under three minutes remaining to seal a 17-3 victory - the second time in three weeks USC was held to 17 points.

However, the defense continues to be nearly impenetrable, as the Trojans have allowed only 13 points in their last five games.

USC continues to lead the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense, allowing an average of only of 6.7 points per game.

During its six-game winning streak, which follows a 27-21 loss at Oregon State on September 27, USC is outscoring its opponents by a combined margin of 231-23. The Trojans gave up four touchdowns against the Beavers and three to their seven other opponents.

Stanford (5-5, 4-3) could be emotionally deflated coming off a 35-28 loss to Oregon in which the Ducks scored the winning touchdown on LeGarrette Blount 3-yard run with six seconds remaining.