AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian via ESPN.com game day photos

USC 47, WSU 14

Last year a similar Washington State team nearly pulled a fourth quarter upset of topped ranked USC. After the opening series of this 2007 game, with a tied score of 7, it looked like it could be another contentious battle.

Instead the WSU offense folded, the defense crumbled, and USC’s prized cougar hunt became something more of a methodical kitten slaughter…

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The Trojans are on the march for an unprecedented 6th consecutive Pac-10 title. This season USC opened their Pac-10 assault on the Washington State Cougars. After some heavy run-oriented play calling in wins over Idaho and Nebraska, John David Booty was ready to quiet the opposition by blasting some rockets. And blast off he did. Booty flashed his Heisman potential, connecting on 28 of 35 passes for 279 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception.

The Trojans hushed any doubts of lack of depth at receiver, with Booty finding nine different players to play catch with. Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazelton pulled in a combined 12 receptions for over 100 yards. It was 6-4, 250 pound tight end Fred Davis however, a fifth year senior, that excelled at hauling in a career best 124 yards and two touchdowns.

But it was USC’s offensive balance that seemed to throw Wazzou’s d-line for a loop, keeping their secondary ever guessing. USC followed up last weekend’s heavy-footed rushing performance in Lincoln, adding another 207 yards on the ground against the Cougars. It was Chauncey Washington’s time to shine. After being held back by a nagging injury Washington, the Trojan’s top rusher last season, finally saw some ample playing time. Washington pounded it out, rushing for 84 yards on 11 carries for 1 touchdown. Emerging stars Stafon Johnson and freshman Joe McKnight each carried for 48 yards. 6th year senior Hershel Dennis, finally fully-recovered from knee injury, got back onto the field for the first time since 2004, gaining 14 yards on 4 carries. CJ Gable, who averaged over 17 yards a carry against Nebraska, only saw a single carry for 6 yards.

The Trojan defense again showed why they are touted as among the best in the country. Every hit delivered against WSU looked painful. USC disrupted a typically strong and accurate WSU quarterback Alex Brink, forcing him from completing only 17 of 31 passes for 165 yards. It all started with a sack by Lawrence Jackson in WSU’s opening drive. Brink was sacked twice during the game. Trojan Kyle Moore added to his list of interceptions, stealing his second ball of the season. In fact, after their opening drive of the game, the Cougars offense fell nearly completely flat. Cougar tailback Dwight Tardy, who had rushed for nearly 100 yards in each of his first three games of the season, had nowhere to run. Tardy was held to only 27 yards on 11 carries.

The only problem in the Trojan defense seems to be USC’s injury prone secondary. Cornerback Cary Harris dislocated his right shoulder in the first quarter, and his availability for next week’s game has come into question.

But it was WSU coach Bill Doba who best described USC’s aggressive defense, so I’ll end the post-game report with his wise words:

You make mistakes against a team like USC, they’re like piranhas going after a piece of meat.

*stats from ESPN U