Brendan Smith

What a way to end a surprisingly great day of college football! A rematch of the 2006 Rose Bowl, 11 years in the making, double overtime, and USC’s first overtime victory since 2001. Also, shoutout to Chase McGrath, a true freshman walk-on, for hitting the game-tying field goal and then the game-winning field goal for the Trojans. Ice in his veins.

USC has now shown that they can win in many different ways. In a season-opening shootout with Western Michigan, the Trojans were able to outlast the Broncos for a 49-31 victory, showcasing their offensive ability. Last week, the Trojans routinely disposed of conference rival Stanford 42-24, outgaining the Cardinal an astonishing 623-342. Tonight, USC was able to get the job done, despite a missed field goal and two interceptions from Sam Darnold. Still, Darnold was able to lead the offense down the field with just 45 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts, to set up McGrath’s first career field goal, which sent the game to overtime. Darnold finished the game with an impressive 397 yards and 3 touchdowns.

USC’s insane depth at all skill positions was showcased tonight, as 10 different players caught passes tonight, with four of them catching at least three passes. Deontay Burnett showed why he is the number one option for Darnold, racking up 123 yards and 2 touchdowns off of 8 catches. Even though they lacked a strong rushing attack (71 yards on 37 carries as a team), USC still totaled 468 yards of offense.

Cam Smith and the rest of the Trojan defense impressed as well, holding Texas to 366 yards of offense, while forcing 2 interceptions and recording 5 sacks. Clancy Pendergast made life miserable for true freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who seemed to be constantly on the run.

Also, just as it seems to be every season, Texas is still NOT back. But, we will continue to think they are back at the beginning of every season, just to be disappointed soon after.