Looking Back: The 2008 Win Over No. 1 USC
November 01, 2018 | Football
By Kip Carlson
With Oregon State's 2008 football season one-quarter over, the Beavers had a bye week followed by a Thursday night game. That meant OSU would have 12 days to prepare for No. 1-ranked USC's visit to Reser Stadium on September 25.
"We might need 12 months," Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said. "They are a great team and it will be good."
"Great" doesn't quite describe the way USC was being viewed at that point. The Trojans were off a 35-3 dismantling of then-No. 5 Ohio State after opening the season with a 52-7 win at Virginia.
After two games, the Trojans were being described not only as practically a shoe-in for at least the national championship game, but perhaps one of the best Trojan teams ever if not one of the greatest teams of all time.
Against its first two foes, USC had allowed an average of just 197 yards total offense per game and the Trojans had racked up an average of 453 yards per game on their own. That came both on the ground (186 ypg rushing) and through the air (267 ypg passing).
"You can stop debating the identity of the best team of the coach Pete Carroll era, because, in four months, everyone will agree," wrote Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles times. "This will be it."
Oregon State's season thus far had gone nowhere near as well. The Beavers opened with a 36-28 loss at Stanford, then were thrashed 45-14 at No. 19 Penn State. OSU bounced back in its home opener with a 45-7 win over Hawaii but that didn't raise the Beavers anywhere near the level of the Trojans in the eyes of pundits. USC was rated as a solid 25-point favorite going into the game.
Still, there was some trepidation among the Trojans about coming to Corvallis, as their last two trips to Reser Stadium hadn't been easy.
Their last journey, in 2006, resulted in Oregon State ending USC's 27-game Pac-10 winning streak with a 33-31 upset of the No. 3 Trojans. The trip prior to that in 2004 was a "fog bowl" game in which OSU pressured another No. 1-ranked USC team before losing 28-20; those Trojans went on to the national championship that season.
"We've had difficult times the last two games in Corvallis," Carroll said. "I don't know why that was. We turned the ball over a bunch in the first half (in 2006). They capitalized and took advantage of it. The first one was a hard-fought game in that wild fog game."
Going further back, the Beavers had beaten the No. 1-ranked Trojans in 1967, a 3-0 win at then-Parker Stadium that was the only blemish on USCs record during a national championship season. And in 1933, Oregon State's famous 11 "Iron Men" went the distance in a 0-0 tie in Portland that broke Southern California's 25-game win streak.
There would be no overlooking Oregon State as USC went after another national title in 2008.
"It's the key to our program: taking every game like it's a championship game," Southern California offensive lineman Jeff Byers said early in the week.
The Beavers did have weapons of their own. Freshman Jacquizz Rodgers had rushed for 263 yards and four touchdowns in OSU's first three games, and quarterback Lyle Moevao had thrown for 922 yards and six touchdowns.
"When they can protect that quarterback, man, they can tear anybody up," Carroll said. As for the 5-foot-7 Rodgers, USC had prepared for him by practicing against their own 5-foot-8 freshman tailback, Curtis McNeal.
The Oregon State campus was treating this like a championship game as well.
OSU students were returning to Corvallis for the start of classes the following week; they began lining up by late Sunday afternoon for 6,000 tickets that wouldn't be distributed until Monday morning; the line eventually stretched halfway around Gill Coliseum.
"I haven't seen that in a long time, and I've been here since 1990," OSU sports information director Steve Fenk told the Corvallis Gazette-Times. "It's never been a rush like it was last night and into today."
That afternoon, as the Beavers began arriving at Valley Football Center for lunch, they could hear the OSU marching band rehearsing in Reser Stadium.
"It kind of gives me goose bumps," Oregon State guard Adam Speer said. "It's what we play football for. We want to play the best and we want to play our best, and we want to be on national TV."
Indeed, the game would be the first-ever broadcast by ESPN from Corvallis. The views would include the "SkyCam," a moveable camera suspended over the field.
The morning of the game, the Corvallis Gazette-Times published a "Who Gets The Edge?" chart that chose the team with the advantage in eight facets of the game: rushing offense, passing defense, special teams, coaching, etc. USC got the nod in seven of the categories and the other, special teams, was rated a tossup. The prediction for the final score: USC 48, OSU 17.
With a start time of 6 p.m. on a weeknight, Reser Stadium wasn't quite sold out, but a crowd of 42,839 – 8,500 of them OSU students - was on hand for kickoff. Most of them had heeded the exhortation to wear orange.
The Beavers didn't allow the Trojans a first down on their first possession, took the ball at their 40 and went the distance in eight plays. Moevao hit James Rodgers with an eight-yard pass for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 9:20 left in the first quarter.
Rodgers' younger brother, Jacquizz, carried four times for 27 yards on the drive. James Rodgers' score came despite being horse-collar tackled at the goal line.
"USC losing its cool would be a first-half theme," wrote Paul Buker of The Oregonian. "The Trojans' secondary did a lot of talking in the first quarter, but when it became apparent the Beavers had come to play, there was mostly stunned silence on the field and on the USC sidelines."
Another long Oregon State drive ended scoreless after a sack, but by the end of the first quarter Jacquizz Rodgers alone had outgained the Trojans, 54-29. USC didn't manage a first down until the final play of the period.
"We started out really well, a couple three-and-outs," Beaver linebacker Keaton Kristick said. "Being at home, our fans were wilding out, and it's amazing how that can help."
Oregon State extended its lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter on Jacquizz Rodgers' two-yard run up the middle. That capped an 11-play, 62-yard drive that included Moevao's 14-yard pass over the middle to Sammie Stroughter on a third-and-11 from the USC 16-yard line.
Southern California answered with its best drive thus far, reaching the Beavers 37. But Oregon State defensive end Slade Norris hit running back Joe McKnight to force a fumble and linemate Victor Butler recovered. A few plays later, a 17-yard screen pass to Jacquizz Rodgers gave OSU a first-and-goal at the Trojan 9; USC then appeared to hold the Beavers on a third-and-7 but was called for a personal foul.
With four seconds to go in the half, Moevao aimed for James Rodgers in the left side of the end zone; however, the ball found the hands of USC cornerback Kevin Thomas. Thomas, though, could only tip the ball and Rodgers plucked it out of the air for a touchdown and a 21-0 halftime lead.
Reser Stadium was bedlam.
By then, the Beavers had allowed USC just 75 total yards and three first downs. OSU had racked up 220 yards and 16 first downs, and Jacquizz Rodgers had rushed for 117 of those yards on 21 carries. On one play, Rodgers had his helmet knocked off and still tried to rush for extra yardage as an official whistled the play dead.
"They didn't hide what they were doing," Carroll would say afterward. "They just did it and we couldn't stop it … I am just beside myself. We couldn't tackle him."
Added Moevao of Jacquizz Rodgers: "He was able to pop open a few runs and when things didn't look good early on, he was able to twist and turn and spin out of a few tackles and get a few extra yards."
The guys up front had a lot to do with that.
"We were so well prepared," Oregon State guard Gregg Peat said. "We knew exactly what they were going to do and when they were going to do it and that means a lot as an offensive line, playing the odds and knowing where they're going to be before they get there."
Looking at their national championship hopes in danger of taking a huge hit, the Trojans responded in the second half.
USC exploded for 222 yards in the third quarter; quarterback Mark Sanchez completed 11 of 15 passes in the period for 158 yards. USC's first two possessions produced scoring passes of 26 yards to Ronald Johnson and 29 yards to Damian Williams to pull the Trojans within 21-14 with 2:54 left in the period.
"By now, the Trojans' offensive linemen were blocking as if Carroll had threatened to revoke their scholarships," Buker wrote.
"It got a little scary there," OSU head coach Mike Riley said. "But our guys just kept playing."
Oregon State had a chance to pad its lead in the fourth quarter, but Sean Sehnem – kicking in place of the injured Justin Kahut – had a 41-yard field goal try partially blocked by the Trojans' Clay Matthews with 6:52 to play.
The teams then traded punts, with Johnny Hekker's kick pinning USC at its 2. The Trojans picked up a first down, then Sanchez tried to go downfield but sailed his pass into the arms of Beaver safety Greg Laybourn at the 30-yard line, and Laybourn – securing the ball with both hands – managed to weave his way to the USC 2.
Jacquizz Rodgers scored from there but the point-after kick missed, leaving OSU's lead 27-14 with 2:39 remaining. It looked like the Thursday night party was getting started, as the Beavers doused Riley with the Gatorade bucket and OSU students clambered over the front wall of the east grandstand, crowding behind and around the OSU bench.
It was a bit premature.
USC wasn't finished, getting a 48-yard kickoff return by Johnson to the Beaver 41-yard line. It took just four plays for the Trojans to score, reaching the end zone on Sanchez's 14-yard pass to Patrick Turner. Suddenly, it was 27-21 with 1:19 still to play and the outcome in doubt.
The Trojans tried the onside kick, with David Buehler bouncing it to the left side of the field. But the Beavers' Taylor Kavanaugh leaped to grab the ball and take it to the turf at the USC 41-yard line.
With Southern California down to just one time out, Moevao simply took a knee three times to run out the clock.
"So much for the greatest USC team ever," wrote Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
As soon as Moevao's knee touched the turf for the final time, the celebration began in earnest. Within seconds, much of the field was covered in jumping, screaming, orange-clad OSU students and fans.
"Man, that was great," Jacquizz Rodgers said. "That is something I've never witnessed before. To be on the field with that was nice."
On the national stage provided by ESPN, Jacquizz Rodgers had made quite the impression. He finished with 186 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries.
"He's a stud," Sanchez said of Rodgers. "An absolute stud." Taylor Mays, a USC safety, offered praise of his own: "He ran the ball hard, he ran the ball with a lot of heart. He was not intimidated. He wasn't scared at all."
Rodgers' 186 yards was the 16th-best individual rushing game in OSU history at the time and the second-best ever by a Beaver freshman.
"We came out and the linemen hit them straight in the mouth and we were able to establish the run game,' Rodgers said.
Peat described Rodgers' running as "unreal."
"The kid is everything to us," Peat said. "All five of us on the offensive line love blocking for him. He's amazing to watch.
"We're sitting there grid on grid with a guy and we look to our right and he's flying past us. It's the best feeling in the world."
Moevao did his part, completing 18 of 28 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
"Lyle had a heck of a game," Riley said. "He did subtle things that were outstanding. He checked us into good runs, managed the game and made crucial throws."
James Rodgers caught those two touchdown passes and had six catches for 36 yards overall, while Stroughter had three receptions for 42 yards and Shane Morales three for 35 yards.
As Oregon State's celebration continued, the Trojans trudged around the edge of the mob and up the ramp to their Gill Coliseum locker room. There, they pondered what just happened to their No. 1 ranking and chances at a national title.
"We are extremely disappointed," Carroll said. "They did all the things they needed to do to win this football game. Mike (Riley) had them ready. They played better than us, they played harder than us, and they made all the plays they needed to make."
Wrote Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times: "There was no single moment (USC) could point to as the reeling Trojans tried to sort through the whys and wherefores of their stunning 27-21 loss to the Beavers at Reser Stadium, now affirmed as their personal house of horrors."
Sanchez forced a smile as he told reporters, "I've been here before. This state ain't too good to us."
Recapping the game, Buker wrote: "Giant Killers III. It wasn't a fairy tale. It wasn't a figment of Oregon State coach Mike Riley's imagination. The Beavers – 25-point underdogs – believed to a man they could knock off No. 1 USC Thursday night at Reser Stadium, and they did… in Corvallis, this will be an instant ESPN Classic."
Moevao added some final thoughts of his own.
"This means a lot to us, and to the community," Moevao said. "There are people watching nationwide. We were not only playing for ourselves, but all the people in this small town and Beaver Nation."
