Trojans sneak by Stanford on late field goal

Senior kicker Andre Heidari played the role of hero for the second straight season on Saturday, helping the USC football team steal a 13-10 win over Stanford with a dramatic late field goal. Heidari’s career-long 53-yarder came with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter, leaving the No. 13 Cardinal (1-1, 0-1 Pac-12) one last chance to win or tie the game. Senior linebacker J.R. Tavai ended that opportunity, sacking Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan to force a fumble at the USC 27-yard-line with 19 seconds remaining. Redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler then kneeled to seal the victory for the No. 14 Trojans (2-0, 1-0). The play marked Tavai’s first career forced fumble.

“To be honest it felt like a normal play,” Tavai said. “But making a play that big comes once in a while. When the opportunity comes, you just gotta take it.”

The USC defense looked shaky for large stretches of the game, but was saved by a less than impressive showing from the Cardinal in the redzone. Stanford took the ball inside the Trojans’ 25-yard-line seven times, only managing to score twice. USC head coach Steve Sarkisian was impressed by his defense’s ability to bend but not break.

“If we weren’t a strong-willed team there’s a lot of times we could’ve folded,” the first-year coach said. “Couldn’t be prouder of a defense in the red zone. It was a huge point of emphasis coming into the game.”

The first half was a story of missed opportunity for the Cardinal offense. The team drove all the way to the USC 21-yard line on its opening drive, but settled for a long field goal try after a 15-yard tripping penalty. Jordan Williamson’s field goal attempt went wide, setting the stage for the Trojans’ first score. Kessler started the game a perfect four-for-four, including a 10-yard strike to sophomore running back Justin Davis that put the Trojans on the Stanford one-yard-line. Davis punched in a touchdown on the next play. USC converted three third downs on its only first-quarter drive, wearing down Stanford’s front seven with an up-tempo attack. Davis’ touchdown was the Stockton, California native’s first score of the season and the seventh of his career.

The Cardinal again found themselves in the redzone on their second series, but the offense’s hopes were thwarted after a direct snap sailed over wide receiver Ty Montgomery’s head for a loss of 16 yards. Stanford head coach David Shaw elected to punt from the USC 29-yard-line, leading to a three-and-out for USC. This resulted in redshirt junior punter Kris Albarado finally seeing the field, his first action in over five quarters of play.

Stanford’s third trip to the redzone finally paid off in the form of a two-yard yard touchdown from fullback Patrick Skov. Hogan looked strong on the drive, completing passes of 20-plus yards to running back Remound Wright and tight end Anthony Hooper. USC’s secondary looked lost as Hogan was consistently able to find wide open receivers, a trend that would continue for most of the day.

The Trojans’ next drive stalled after Stanford’s Peter Kalambayi sacked Kessler for 10-yard loss directly after an intentional grounding call. The two teams racked up a combined 155 penalty yards over the course of the game, with the Trojans accounting for 10 total penalties. One of those penalties, a third-quarter targeting call on senior linebacker Hayes Pullard, resulted in Pullard’s automatic ejection. Athletic Director Pat Haden came to the sideline to question the call, later explaining that Sarkisian did not want to risk arguing with officials after an earlier sideline warning. Pullard will be forced to miss the first half of next week’s game at Boston College as well.

Stanford took its only lead of the contest just before halftime on a 33-yard field goal from Williamson, who would finish the game just one-for-three in field goal opportunities. The Trojans would tie the game late in the third quarter on a 25-yard kick from Heidari, setting up the game’s thrilling final chapter.

A promising USC drive to open the fourth quarter ended on a fourth-down attempt at the Stanford 35-yard-line, when junior wideout Nelson Agholor was unable to hold onto a Kessler pass. The Cardinal appeared like they were going to take the lead on their next series, when Hogan found tight end Anthony Hooper wide open near the end zone. The play was called back after an illegal chop block, however, and Stanford would eventually be forced to punt. USC would take the ball back at its own seven-yard-line, starting a 58-yard drive that would culminate in Heidari’s go ahead field goal. The Bakersfield, California native kicked a similar game-winner in last year’s 20-17 upset of the Cardinal.

“As a kicker you always have to be ready every time you step on the field,” Heidari said. “I’m just glad I got the opportunity.”

Redshirt junior tailback Javorius “Buck” Allen carried the load for the Trojans, finishing with 23 carries and a career-best 157 yards. Kessler, who only attempted 10 passes in the first half, finished 15-of-22 with 135 yards. The quarterback is now 2-0 against the Cardinal.

“The team has been through a lot, and you don’t always hear me say it,” Kessler said. “The guys fight hard and never give up. As a quarterback, that’s all you can ask for.”

Agholor reached a career-high with nine receptions, picking up 91 yards along the way.

Though it was in no way pretty, Sarkisian was impressed with how things turned out.

“Obviously it’s a really exciting win,” Sarkisian said. “I have all the respect in the world for Stanford. They play the game hard. They play it right. They don’t give you much and you have to earn everything you get.”

The Trojans next game comes at Boston College next week.

For photos from the game, visit our gallery.