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No. 1 USC Again Falls To Beavers
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Carroll asked that the score be reviewed, because it did not look as if the ball had crossed the line. The touchdown stood, giving the Beavers a 7-0 lead.
The Beavers more than held their own through the first half, with the Trojans appearing confused about how to handle the 5-foot-7 Jacquizz Rodgers -- James Rodgers's younger brother.
Jacquizz Rodgers, who ran for 117 yards in the first half alone, pushed through the defensive line for a two-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0.
His big brother would see the end zone again before halftime. Moevao's pass was nearly intercepted by USC cornerback Kevin Thomas, but the ball was tipped into the hands of James Rodgers to make it 21-0.
USC answered on its first series of the second half with Sanchez's 26-yard scoring pass to Ronald Johnson.
Sanchez found wide-open receiver Damien Williams, who sprinted down the sideline -- and narrowly avoided Laybourn's efforts to push him out of bounds -- to narrow it to 21-14 with 2:56 left in the third quarter.
The Beavers squandered a chance to add to the lead midway through the fourth when they tried for a field goal, but Sean Sehnem's 41-yard attempt was blocked.
The Beavers opened the season with two losses, at Stanford and Penn State, before returning home for a victory over Hawaii. Despite their struggles, the Beavers had seen steady growth on offense and the emergence of Jacquizz Rodgers, who went into the game against the Trojans as the nation's leading freshman rusher with 87.7 yards per game.
USC had shown little vulnerability in victories at Virginia and then at home against the then-No. 5 Buckeyes. But Carroll noted earlier in the week that the familiarity of Pac-10 play posed a danger.
The Beavers certainly seemed to have the Trojans figured out, holding them to 313 yards of total offense. Stafon Johnson was USC's leading rusher with 48 yards. Williams had six catches for 94 yards.
USC was without cornerback Shareece Wright, who will miss several games because of a hairline vertebra fracture suffered in the Ohio State game.
USC has lost three of its last four games in Corvallis. This was the Beavers' first win over a No. 1 team since they beat the O.J. Simpson-led Trojans, 3-0, in 1967.
