The USC Trojans welcomed Arizona State to the Pac-10 in 1978. ASU and Arizona turned the Pac-8 into the Pac-10. ASU had no interest in playing nice or thanking the Trojans for their newfound status as a Pac-10 member. The Devils knocked off USC in 1978, giving that Trojan team its only loss of the season. If ASU had not won that game, USC would have been the undisputed national champion. As it was, the Trojans shared the title with Alabama. As we consider the Pac-12 history of USC-Arizona State football, one Trojan victory outshines all the others.
We wrote about that game a few years ago:
“In that abysmal first half, the Trojans and some of their fans wondered if they had already lost the game for reasons beyond the 21-3 score Arizona State accumulated. Matt Leinart took a blow to the head when ASU was whistled for roughing the passer. This was before concussion protocol became a regular part of football game operations and standard practice. Leinart was almost certainly concussed.”
In that October 2005 game at Arizona State — played in 100-degree heat and a burning desert sun — USC’s star quarterback was in bad shape. The Trojans were down 18 points. They were likely to lose. They didn’t care. They slapped a 35-7 second half on the Sun Devils with a dominant offensive line and a ballhawking defense which kept intercepting ASU quarterback Sam Keller. Few games from the Pete Carroll era exhibited USC’s toughness and resolve more than this one.
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Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/usc-football-pac-12-greatest-230057337.html
Author : Trojans Wire
Publish date : 2024-05-29 23:00:57
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