USC puts 118-year rivalry to rest with 56-10 destruction of Stanford

Posted on September 10, 2023

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USC puts 118-year rivalry to rest with 56-10 destruction of Stanford

The Trojans hung eight touchdowns on the Cardinal in an electrifying defeat.

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By LEILA MACKENZIE

September 9, 2023

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Junior wide receiver Dorian Singer completes a pass by Caleb Williams for a touchdown. (Bryce Dechert / Daily Trojan)

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Look back at our live coverage.

USC football opened the final season of Pac-12 play in a resounding rout of the Stanford Cardinal.

The USC front line held its own against sophomore outside linebacker David Bailey and the Cardinal defense; in fact, it was the Trojan defense that wreaked havoc tonight. The 56-10 score marked the greatest margin of victory in the matchup since 1977.

Junior quarterback Caleb Williams continued to excite the crowd, recording 281 passing yards and 21 on the ground, complemented by 4 total touchdowns — all in just the first half. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Miller Moss started in the second half when he passed for 112 passing yards and rushed for a touchdown.

Meanwhile in the opposing pocket, sophomore quarterback Ashton Daniels was replaced by fellow sophomore quarterback Justin Lamson at the beginning of the second quarter. Daniels notched an interception and threw for just 19 yards on 7 passes. Lamson struggled early as he lost a fumble on his first drive, but he managed to carry the Cardinals to three drives into the redzone.

Williams started the game 6-for-6 and scored a 21-yard rushing touchdown on the opening drive.

Three plays into the Cardinal opening drive, sophomore defensive lineman and Georgia transfer Bear Alexander barreled toward Daniels, leading to a pass thrown right into the hands of USC’s redshirt senior safety Max Williams. Following a 39-yard return, USC took a 14-0 lead when redshirt junior running back Marshawn Lloyd found the endzone, profiting quickly off the Stanford turnover.

Before the end of the first quarter, redshirt senior running back Austin Jones rushed for the Trojans’s third touchdown to conclude a drive that was highlighted by a 28-yard completion to Tahj Washington, his longest reception of a 73-yard receiving night.

The Trojans continued their domination to begin the second quarter. After a quick Cardinal three-and-out, freshman wide receiver Zachariah Branch returned the punt for an astounding 75-yard touchdown, giving USC the 28-0 lead.

Lamson’s first drive ended in a strip-sack forced by redshirt senior rush end Jamil Muhammad. Within minutes, Williams connected with a dart in the back of the Stanford endzone to junior wide receiver Dorian Singer to put the Trojans up 35-0.

The Cardinal recorded a field goal on a methodical drive down the field before Williams aired out a 75 yard touchdown to USC’s senior wide receiver Brenden Rice, his third of the season, to put the Trojans up 42-3.

Redshirt sophomore tight end Lake McCree reeled in his first touchdown of the season in the closing minute of the second half placing the score at 49-3.

A mellow second half ensued, with the USC defense continuing to resist the Cardinal’s hopes of putting together a successful drive. Collectively, USC and Stanford punted the ball seven times before Stanford scored their first touchdown on a drive lasting over five minutes.

The Trojans quickly responded with their eighth and final touchdown when Moss rushed 15 yards into the endzone. This final score topped off the 46-point victory. This astounding win will be cemented into the history of college football as the conclusion to the 118-year rivalry against Stanford.

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