CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- Javorius Allen ran
for 133 yards and three touchdowns, Marqise Lee returned from a knee
injury and had five catches for 105 yards and a score, and USC beat
Oregon State 31-14 on Friday night for the Trojans' first win in
Corvallis since 2004.
Cody Kessler threw for 247 yards and a
touchdown and Silas Redd ran for 140 yards for Southern California,
which has won three of its last four games under interim coach Ed
Orgeron. With the victory, the Trojans (6-3, 3-2 Pac-12) became bowl
eligible.
Oregon State's Sean Mannion threw for
277 yards and a touchdown but also threw three uncharacteristic
interceptions in the loss, the second straight for the Beavers (6-3,
4-2) after a six-game winning streak.
Mannion, who went into the game leading
the nation with an average of 408 yards passing, looked slightly off
against the Trojans. He was sacked eight times last weekend in the
Beavers' 20-12 loss at home to No. 6 Stanford.
Mannion hit favorite target Brandin
Cooks with a 43-yard pass on the opening series and the Beavers were
helped by a pass interference call, but Trevor Romaine's 46-yard field
goal attempt was blocked.
The Trojans took over on the 29 and, on
the first play from scrimmage, Cody Kessler hit Lee with a 71-yard
touchdown pass to put USC up 7-0.
Lee, last year's Biletnikoff Award
winner as the nation's top receiver, was questionable going into the
game because of a left knee injury that has sidelined him for two of the
last three games.
The Trojans went up 14-0 on Allen's 9-yard scoring run late in the first quarter.
Oregon State closed the gap with
Mannion's 27-yard touchdown pass to Cooks. On the next series, Ryan
Murphy intercepted Kessler's pass and ran back 41-yards to even it at 14
with 9:29 to go in the half.
Allen, a sophomore who had scored two
touchdowns this season going into the game, put USC back on top with an
18-yard run and the Trojans led 21-14 at halftime.
Southern California opened the second
half with Andre Heidari's 34-yard field goal. Oregon State had a chance
to pull closer, but Romaine's 26-yard attempt went wide left.
Allen added a 52-yard touchdown run with 3:25 left in the third quarter to give USC a 31-14 lead.
The Trojans were coming off a 19-3 victory over Utah last Saturday.
Already depleted because of NCAA
sanctions that have cost the team a significant number of scholarships,
the Trojans have been stung this season with numerous injuries that have
forced them to shift players and use walk-ons. Right tackle Kevin Graf
(ankle), safety Su'a Cravens (groin), linebacker Morgan Breslin (hip),
tight end Randall Telfer (knee) and cornerback Anthony Brown (knee) were
among the players who did not play.
Oregon State was notably without senior
receiver Kevin Cummings, who suffered a wrist injury sometime during
the first half of the loss to Stanford and required surgery. It will
keep him out the rest of the season but he could be back for a bowl
game.
The Beavers are known for their success
against some very formidable Trojans teams. In 2008, the Beavers were
26-point underdogs when they knocked off then-No. 1 USC 27-21 on a
Thursday night in Corvallis. Two years earlier, Oregon State topped
then-No. 3 USC at Reser 33-31.
The two teams hadn't met since 2010,
when the Beavers downed then-No. 20 USC in Corvallis. Ryan Katz threw
for 154 yards and two touchdowns while Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 128
yards and another score in the 36-7 victory.
USC's last win in Corvallis was a foggy
28-20 victory in the 2004 season when the Trojans went undefeated and
beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the national championship -- which
was later vacated by the NCAA sanctions over improper player benefits.
