STANFORD, Calif. — Andre Heidari kicked a 53-yard field goal with 2:30 left and USC forced a fumble by Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan in the closing seconds to give the No. 14 Trojans a 13-10 victory over the No. 13 Cardinal on Saturday at Stanford Stadium.
The loss ended Stanford’s 17-game home winning streak, which was the longest in the country.
Stanford (1-1) moved the ball most of the game, outgaining the Trojans 413-291. But the Cardinal failed to take full advantage of opportunities after putting itself in position to score. In addition to their first-half touchdown drive, the Cardinal got as far as the USC 21, 13, 9, 7, 3, 23 and 22 on drives and came away with just three points on those seven possessions.
After Heidari booted his career-long 53-yard field goal to give the Trojans (2-0) a 13-10 lead with 2:30 left, the Cardinal drove to the USC 22-yard line. After Hogan was sacked on first down, Trojans linebacker J.R. Tavai hit Hogan from the blind side, forcing a fumble recovered by USC’s Scott Felix with 19 seconds remaining.
Running back Javorius Allen had a career-high 154 yards rushing for USC (2-0) and Trojans wide receiver Nelson Agholor had a career-high nine receptions for 91 yards.
USC quarterback Cody Kessler was 15-for-22 for 135 yards. Hogan was 22-for-30 for 285 yards.
The Cardinal led 10-7 when Stanford fullback Daniel Marx was stopped inches short of a first down on a fourth-and-1 play from the USC 3-yard line with 4:25 left in the third quarter.
USC turned that into points as a 50-yard run by Allen got Heidari in position to kick a 25-yard field goal that tied the score 10-10 in the final minute of the third quarter.
Linebacker Hayes Pullard, USC’s leading tackler last year, was ejected from the game for targeting, when he hit Montgomery with a helmet-to-helmet tackle near the sideline after Montgomery’s 31-yard kickoff return.
However, Stanford running back Remound Wright fumbled on the next play and USC defensive tackle recovered at the USC 28.
The Cardinal had 230 yards of total offense in the first half compared with just 91 for USC, and Stanford led 10-7 at halftime.
Stanford got to the USC 21-yard line and the Trojans’ 13-yard line on its first two possessions but failed to score on either one, as penalties and an errant snap ruined those drives.
USC marched 68 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead. Allen rushed for 40 of those yards, and running back Justin Davis scored from 1 yard.
Stanford used its version of a no-huddle offense to score the tying touchdown, going 77 yards in 11 plays. Fullback Patrick Skov scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter to make it 7-7.
Stanford took a 10-7 lead when it drove from its 20 to the USC 16, setting up Jordan Williamson’s 33-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the first half.
The Cardinal missed another chance when a 44-yard Ty Montgomery punt return helped Stanford get to the USC 7 on its first possession of the second half. But Williamson missed a 26-yard field goal attempt.
NOTES: Stanford came into Saturday’s game with the nation’s longest active home winning streak at 17 in a row. … Standout USC DE Leonard Williams was limited in practice this week because of an ankle injury, but he was in the starting lineup Saturday. … Trojans QB Cody Kessler practiced only on a limited basis early in the week because of a toe problem, but he also was in the starting lineup. … As Washington’s head coach last season, Steve Sarkisian claimed Stanford faked injuries to slow down the Huskies’ hurry-up offense in the Cardinal’s 31-28 victory. A few days later, Stanford coach David Shaw vehemently denied the charge. … USC ran a Pac-12-record 105 plays with its no-huddle offense in a 52-13 victory over Fresno State in last week’s opener. … Stanford posted its first shutout since 2012 with a 45-0 victory over UC Davis in its opener.
