The USC football team stretched, ate and did whatever it had to do to calm down during the three-hour weather delay that kept the Trojans from taking the field against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.
Elsewhere, the marching band engaged in a battle of the bands against the Boilermakers.
It was as unique a game day start as anyone had been through, but getting started wasn’t a feat to be feared. Ending the game was, and it’s a fear that USC (3-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) has seemingly put to bed.
“I did feel like we were in complete control of the game the entire time and we never gave that up,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley told reporters after the game, “which I think was a really good first step.”
The Trojans struggled to put together a consistently successful four quarters last season — particularly in the final frame — and were only able to win one away game. Saturday’s Big Ten Conference-opening win could indicate a shift toward a more put-together team.
USC was leading 30-17 when it began its penultimate drive at its own 35-yard line with five minutes and 37 seconds left in the game. Smart clock management by the coaching staff allowed the Trojans to burn 4:24 off the clock and position kicker Ryon Sayeri for a 19-yard field goal.
Efficiency from running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders guaranteed field goal position. Jordan had three straight carries for a combined 26 yards before Sanders was handed the ball for three runs that equated to 22 yards.
Two timeouts and another run from Jordan wrapped up the drive and put the Trojans in control of their own destiny. It was a well-rehearsed moment, thanks to the “Trojan Period” that happens in practice.
“Right before we went into that drive, everyone was saying ‘This is just like our Trojan Period,’” tight end Lake McRee told reporters.
“We’ve done this a bunch of times, so everyone was very comfortable with the situation and what we were doing. We knew how much time we had to chew and the running backs did a great job staying in bounds with ball security and the linemen did a great job blocking.”
Earlier in the game, the defense repeatedly dug itself out of holes to put USC in a position to win.
Purdue was trailing 23-10 in the third quarter when Kamari Ramsey tackled Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne, sending the ball into the air and eventually into the hands of defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett.
Jarrett, at 360 pounds, then ran 70 yards to the end zone to pull off arguably the most uncommon touchdown of the game.
“Transition, running to the ball is kind of our emphasis on defense,” Jarrett said. “I don’t even remember the play. I just looked up and saw the ball fall down. I said, ‘Oh snap.’ And I kind of just went with my instinct.”
Safety Bishop Fitzgerald changed the trajectory of the game even more when he snagged a fourth-quarter interception with 5:38 left on the clock.
The Trojans’ defense gave up back-to-back first downs on penalties, which put the Boilermakers on the 14-yard line with a fresh set of downs. Fitzgerald was warned by the coaching staff about the next play, and he was effectively able to read the offense and pick off Browne.
All that was left to do was eat up the clock.
“It was a heavy tendency in our scouting report this week,” Fitzgerald said of the play. “The formation for the last one we saw all week and coach actually alerted me before the play before it happened. I just fell back on my training and just made the play that came to me.”
USC had made intentional changes to its travel schedule in order to ease the process of getting to games. Now it’s up to them to recover and keep the thundering confidence that came after Saturday’s lightning delay subsided.
“I never felt like we panicked, got upset,” Riley said. “I thought our guys really stayed in the moment. I just felt like they were physically and mentally ready the entire way. We weren’t perfect, but it felt like we brought a complete team in here.”
