DEATH OF A DYNASTY: Oregon Rips Crown Off USC’s Head

The King is dead!

No longer are the Trojans of Southern California the marquee team of the Pac-10.

No longer do the Trojans have the aura of invincibility and intimidation that helped them become a dynasty in the land of the setting sun.

Dennis Dixon and the Oregon Ducks proved that Saturday. With a key pick by DB Matthew Harper in the final minutes, Oregon baffled USC offensively and then held on to send the Trojans to its second loss in seemingly forever and possibly out of the national title picture.

And while a seven point victory might not seem like a blowout, it was the most lopsided loss by USC in five years and the second biggest loss in the Pete Carroll era since the turn of the century.

The Ducks came out quacking, taking a 7-0 lead on a QB sneak that saw Dennis Dixon walk into the end-zone untouched with 55,000 fans roaring from their seats at Auzten Stadium. After a USC field goal, Oregon answered with three of their own to end the half, gaining a 10-3 lead.

Mark Sanchez threw a touchdown pass early in the third to tie the game at 10 all. Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart responded, rushing for two scores to put the Ducks up 24-10 in the middle of the 4th quarter.

Fourteen points is pretty comfortable right?

Well, USC is still USC, and Sanchez came back to throw a 14-yard score to David Ausberry. The Trojans were driving again, but a pick with 4:44 left effectively ended the game.

USC actually had more total yards than Oregon's vaunted offense, but Sanchez, making his third career start, threw two costly picks that proved to be the difference in the game.

After a big win, the Ducks can look toward their matchup with a suddenly pretty good Arizona State team. Meanwhile, the Trojans, who were the underdogs in a Pac-10 game for the first time since 2000, are watching any hopes for any title slip away.

After seeing the Sun Devils win on Saturday and with Cal still being dangerous, USC may not even be the third best team in the Pac-10.

The rest of the season will tell if the torch has officially been passed, but, for now at least, the King is dead.

—C. Nierman