It was a pretty score, but the offense…not so pretty. USC shut out the ASU Sun Devils on Saturday, in a stellar day for the Trojan defense but with a sloppy performance from USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. The Trojans turned it over five times, including three interceptions and a Sanchez fumble, in as many consecutive drives during an atrocious 3rd quarter that seemed to stuck on a never ending loop. It seemed during the third quarter that Sanchez was doing all in his power to help the Sun Devils put points on the board. Luckily for the Trojans, USC DE Fili Moala blocked two field goals and recovered a fumble as part of a defensive stand that helped keep ASU scoreless.

And kudos to ASU QB Rudy Carpenter who taped up his injured ankle and started despite last year’s Thanksgiving bludgeoning. Crazy, stupid, or maybe just permanent memory loss from the ’07 LoJack and Maualuga collision, Carpenter was hit 12 times in his first 20 pass attempts. Thomas, Cushing and Moore recorded sacks on Carpenter, and Thomas, Harris and Bryant came away with interceptions.