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Stanford Upsets USC

Danny Dabiri |Oct 06,2007

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Stanford Upsets USC

Wow! Move over Appalachian State, the Stanford Cardinals may have pulled off the biggest upset in college football history with their stunning 24-23 victory over the USC Trojans. Stanford entered the Coliseum 40-point underdogs to the mighty Trojans. USC had won 35 consecutive home games, the last loss coming in 2001, ironically against Stanford.

The Cardinal entered the contest without their starting quarterback T.C. Ostander. His replacement filled in nicely. Sophomore Tavita Pritchard showed incredible poise and toughness under center in leading the Cardinal to the upset. His numbers weren’t sexy, 11-30 for 149 yards and a touchdown, but Pritchard converted twice on fourth down on the game winning drive. Pritchard hooked up with receiver Richard Sherman on a fourth down and 20 to keep the drive alive. He followed that up with a clutch game winning touchdown pass to Mark Bradford on fourth and goal.

“I knew he would come through,” Harbaugh said of Pritchard. “From the beginning of the week, he had a bounce in his step. He had a gleam in his eye from Sunday on. We have found a true warrior.”

The Stanford defense was surprisingly effective against the Trojans. The Cardinal forced USC quarterback John David Booty into four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Incredibly, the Trojans only rushed for 95 yards after entering the game averaging over 230 yards on the ground.

First year Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh earned a signature win. To his delight, the victory came over Pete Carroll. Harbaugh drew criticism earlier in the year for allegedly telling recruits that Carroll would leave USC for the NFL. Conventional wisdom suggested the Trojans and Carroll would take Harbaugh and the Cardinal behind the woodshed, but this college football season has been anything but conventional. Harbaugh and Carroll did not shake hands after the game.

Trojan fans stood in disbelief and total shock as the Cardinal reveled in their glory. Things like this just don’t happen to Pete Carroll’s Trojans. USC will undoubtedly plummet in the polls but should still be in good position to make a run for the national title game. With road games at Oregon and Cal looming, USC will have the opportunity to climb back into contention.

As for Stanford, the hope is that this monumental victory can springboard the Cardinal program into the upper echelon of the PAC 10. They still have a long way to go but it is clear that Harbaugh has laid the foundation for future success.

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