Trojans find that luck can be on their side

With the waning minutes of the fourth quarter ticking off the clock, the Trojans line up to try and stop a field goal attempt that would put their opponent ahead with little time left in the game.

The players are exhausted, having just scraped back into the lead on the previous drive. Coaches and fans are hit with a different emotion, one of terror and anxiety at the notion that they are about to witness last-minute heartbreak yet again, despite the Trojans’ best efforts to stop it.

The ball is snapped and the kick is up, sailing past the line of defensive players, headed straight for the uprights.

Sound familiar?

It should, because outside of USC’s game against Oregon, this exact scenario has been the sole reason the Trojans sit at 3-3 and in a tie for fifth place in the Pac-10. It’s the difference between an AP Top 25 ranking and a season written off as a “rebuilding period.” It’s the margin of victory that could erode what a decade of success had built for a program once synonymous with the word “dynasty.”

But as that ball sailed toward the goal posts, a funny thing happened: It missed, hooking wide left, and the Coliseum breathed an unfamiliar sigh of relief.

Call it what you want, but the missed field goal at the end of Saturday’s game against Arizona State that allowed the Trojans to hold onto victory was the one thing USC hasn’t encountered all season — a break.

Sure, you could pin the win on the Trojans’ clutch special teams play — the unit blocked two punts, returned a blocked PAT attempt for two points and converted a 29-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter to take a 34-33 lead. But then again, special teams also allowed a kick return touchdown and missed two close-range field goals.

The Trojan defense is in the same boat: Though it held the Sun Devils to seven points in the first half and intercepted Arizona State quarterback Steven Threet for a touchdown in the third quarter, it also broke down in coverage several times late in the game, ultimately allowing the Sun Devils the opportunity to take the lead with a late field goal.

There were plenty of exciting, back-and-forth moments that ended up swinging the final result in USC’s favor, but any further examination of Saturday’s events leads to the sole conclusion that the Trojans finally just got lucky.

For once, it was the opponent’s kicker, not USC’s, who missed the clutch field goal. For once, it was USC’s kicker, not the opponent’s, who made the clutch field goal. And for either of those events to be relevant only because of a blocked extra point try that led to a three-point swing for the Trojans? You can’t make this stuff up.

There are plenty of things to still be concerned about as a USC fan, and by no means was Saturday’s win a pretty one. But football can be a sloppy sport even when the best teams are involved. At those points, games are won or lost depending on the way the ball bounces.

Just look at No. 5 Louisiana State University, who failed to score a touchdown in the final seconds against Tennessee a month ago only to be granted a re-do because the Volunteers accidentally put too many players on the field. The Tigers went on to score on the next play, win the game and stay undefeated.

Or how about No. 9 Nebraska, who did everything possible to lose its game on Saturday against a mind-numbingly average Iowa State and yet still came out with a win? The Cyclones took the Cornhuskers into overtime, scored a touchdown, then even had a man wide open in the end zone for the game-winning two-point conversion, only to have a terrible pass get intercepted by Nebraska to somehow seal the victory.

Think those teams will take the win, luck included?

For a team up to its neck in adversity, USC’s victory over Arizona State isn’t just welcome — it’s necessary. Coach Lane Kiffin and the Trojans would obviously have preferred to close out the match with a showing of brute force and flawless play, but they didn’t. Still, you won’t hear anyone in Heritage Hall complaining about the way things turned out.

With the final stretch of games on the horizon for the depleted Trojans, finishing ball games in whatever manner possible is an absolute must, even if the path to victory happens to be paved by an opponent’s mistake.

Luckily for Kiffin and USC, this wasn’t a case of déjà vu all over again. And they’ll gladly take it.

“One-Two Punch” runs Mondays. To comment on this article, visit dailytrojan.com or e-mail James at [email protected].