History offers ASU proof that USC can be beaten

 LOS ANGELES - Before Texas played Southern California in the 2006 Rose Bowl, Lyle Sendlein remembers, Longhorns coach Mack Brown utilized the drugstore psychology that often works with men in their late teens and early 20s.

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“He kept saying that they put on their pants one leg at a time, just like us,” said Sendlein, Texas’ starting center, who is now doing the same job for the Arizona Cardinals.

The Longhorns did not play in awe of the Trojans, who were playing for their third consecutive national title. Texas did not need to, as it is one of the few teams that have matched USC in skills and athleticism since the Pete Carroll coaching era began in 2001.

Behind quarterback Vince Young’s 200 yards rushing and 267 yards passing, the Longhorns won 41-38, giving USC one of just seven losses it has suffered since the start of the 2003 season.

The other five teams to topple Troy — Oregon State has done it twice — were not in the same talent ZIP code, but they played without fear.

That’s the best advice those who have been part of a victory against USC can give Arizona State, which visits the Trojans today.

“So many times in all of these guys’ lives, they are told that they can’t do something,” Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said after his team upset the Trojans last season. “They are told, 'No, you’re not big enough, you’re not fast enough, you’re not strong enough, you’ve got too many players hurt, you can’t possibly think or expect that you can beat USC.’

“And they hear that hundreds and thousands of times, and our team said, 'Yes.’ As a team, they said, 'Yes, we can win.’ It was about the team, the team, the team, the team.”

Over the years, Trojans losses have been so infrequent that it is hard to decipher a most likely scenario for them to happen. Playing the Trojans at your place helps; the Stanford loss was the only one of the seven to occur at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Catch them looking ahead? That has happened once, when a 2006 loss in the regular-season finale at UCLA cost USC a spot in the BCS championship game. Catch them with injuries? That was a factor in the two losses last year, as quarterback John David Booty was among those limited or out against Stanford and Oregon.

Oregon State coach Mike Riley — whose teams have beaten the Trojans the last two times they have played in Corvallis, most recently on Sept. 25 — recognized the Trojans’ massive resources but emphasized the importance of preparing for them like any other opponent.

“You look at what they do and figure out ways to defend and attack it,” Riley said. “That will always be the key. … For example, you’re looking at their defense, you have to ask yourself if there are things with your offense you need to back off on. Can you do certain things in the passing game, considering how good their pass rush is?

“That’s something you do for every game. The biggest factor is who’s doing what for the other team. And (USC) has got pretty good 'who’s.’”

If a coach treats USC like it is extraordinary, so will the players. If the Trojans are just another team to you, Cardinals running back J.J. Arrington said, you have won half the battle.

“You see a lot of highlights on 'SportsCenter’ telling you that they are the greatest program ever,” said Arrington. “That is intimidating, you bet. A lot of times, they can just roll their helmets on the field, and the other team falls over.”

Added Sendlein: “They always look better on film than they are in person.”

Arrington was a member of a California squad that beat USC 34-31 in triple overtime in 2003. He said he knew that the Golden Bears could win on the second play from scrimmage, when starting running back Adimchinobe Echemandu rumbled 36 yards for a touchdown.

California kept running the ball and pushing the Trojans around.

“You have to take it to them,” Arrington said. “A lot of people felt that we couldn’t run on their front seven, but we showed that it could be done.”

Two weeks ago, Oregon State repeated that feat. Save for freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers, there were no eye-popping individual performances.

The Beavers excelled in the fundamentals, averaging 4.7 yards a rush, forcing two turnovers while giving none away and holding USC to 2-for-10 on third-down situations. The result was a six-point victory.

“I told our guys, 'we don’t need superhuman performances,’” Riley said. “That’s when you get in trouble, trying to do too much. Just play together. Be a team.”

Trojan rarities
Since the start of the 2003 season, the year Southern California won the first of consecutive national titles, the Trojans are 62-7. A look at the losses:

California 34, USC 31 (3 OT)
Date: Sept. 27, 2003
Details: California quarterback Reggie Robertson, a graduate of Tucson Sahuaro High, is the hero in relief of starter Aaron Rodgers. USC’s Ryan Killeen fails to extend the game by missing a 39-yard field-goal attempt in the third overtime.

Texas 41, USC 38
Date: Jan. 4, 2006
Details: In the Rose Bowl for the national championship, Longhorns quarterback Vince Young culminates one of the best individual performances in college football history by running for the game-winning score on fourth down with 19 seconds remaining.

Oregon State 33, USC 31
Date: Oct. 28, 2006
Details: The Beavers storm to a big early lead, but the Trojans overcome four turnovers to threaten to tie in the final moments. However, a potential two-point conversion is denied in the final moments when quarterback John David Booty’s pass is batted down.

UCLA 13, USC 9
Date: Dec. 2, 2006
Details: Perhaps looking ahead to a berth in the BCS title game that would have come with a win, the Trojans’ offense is sluggish. Eric McNeal’s diving interception clinches the game for the Bruins.

Stanford 24, USC 23
Date: Oct. 6, 2007
Details: The largest underdog (41 points) in college football history to win a game, Stanford pulls off the stunner when receiver Mark Bradford outreaches a USC defender to pull in the go-ahead touchdown with 49 seconds remaining. Coach Pete Carroll plays Booty despite a broken finger on his passing hand.

Oregon 24, USC 17
Date: Oct. 24, 2007
Details: This is not an upset, as the Trojans are underdogs in a Pac-10 game for the first time since 2001. Mark Sanchez makes his first start at quarterback in place of an injured Booty in front of an Autzen Stadium crowd that roars its approval as Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart lead the Ducks to victory.

Oregon State 27, USC 21
Date: Sept. 25, 2008
Details: Freshman Jacquizz Rodgers introduces himself to the college football world, running for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Dominated physically in the first half, USC does not display much fire until after halftime, but a three-touchdown deficit is too much to overcome.