College Football Tickets

To buy College Football tickets click above to see the complete list of all available Football Inventory

USC Facts

For all of the talk about Southern California's overwhelming talent, the top-ranked Trojans' best traits so far have been their poise and resiliency. USC's offense has been on and off, at times explosive and at other times average. Defensively, the Trojans have been faulty in pass coverage and far softer against the run than they were last season. Despite it all, USC is 5-0 after surviving a masterful performance by California quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Saturday to beat the Golden Bears 23-17. The Trojans had already overcome two halftime deficits this season before using a late defensive stand against Cal to earn their 14th consecutive victory. "This game is the mark of a champion," defensive end Shaun Cody said. "We pull the close ones out. We know a target is on our backs as the No. 1 team, but we have to take care of our business. We just credit the coaches." USC is No. 1, but the Golden Bears looked like the better team. Led by Rodgers (29-for-34 for 267 yards) and running back J.J. Arrington (112 yards on 21 carries), they outgained the Trojans 424-205. Their defense contained Matt Leinart (15-for-25 for 164 yards) and the USC offense, allowing just one long touchdown drive. The only facet of the game where USC came out on top was special teams. The Bears botched a punt, muffed a USC punt and allowed an 84-yard kickoff return to Reggie Bush. While USC's Ryan Killeen went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, Cal's Tom Schneider was 1-for-2, missing a 36-yarder that would have cut the lead to three in the fourth quarter. Mostly what kept the Trojans unbeaten against Cal is their ability to play mistake-free football when things get tight. It was the same way two weeks ago at Stanford, where they trailed by 11 at halftime, and against Virginia Tech, when they were down 10-7 at half. Cody's right: The credit goes to coach Pete Carroll and his staff. "We have to be good at this," Carroll said. "We have to be poised in these moments that you're faced with to keep this thing going. You can't avoid it and you can't hope that they don't happen. You've got to look forward to it and you've got to get ready for them and execute and perform in those situations. "This is the kind of stuff that makes you tougher, makes you stronger. I love these kinds of wins. They're good for us." For all the yards Cal piled up, with Rodgers completing an NCAA record 23 consecutive passes to start the game, USC never made the kind of mental breakdowns that lead to huge gains or long touchdowns.

We are not affiliated with the Lakers or College Football.

Sign up for last minute specials, merchandise giveaways and more!
Email us at info@LakersTicketsCheap.com.

.