2007 Stanford vs. Southern California football game
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Stanford vs. Southern California football game was a college football
game held on October 6, 2007, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
in Los Angeles
, California
. In a remarkable upset, the visiting Stanford Cardinal
won 24–23. Southern California was favored by 41 points over Stanford, making the game the largest point-spread upset in college football history. Southern California
entered the game with a 35-game home game winning streak (its previous home game loss was also to Stanford in 2001) which included a 24-game home game winning streak in Pac-10 play. By contrast, Stanford had compiled a Pac-10 worst 1–11 season in 2006 which included a 42–0 loss to USC. To compound their situation, Stanford's starting quarterback, T. C. Ostrander
, had suffered a seizure the previous week; the backup quarterback, Tavita Pritchard
had never started a game and had only ever thrown three passes.
At the end of the regular season, Sports Illustrated
chose the Stanford upset of USC as the second "Biggest Upset of 2007" after Division I FCS Appalachian State's upset of #5 Michigan
.
In 1979, Stanford had pulled a similar feat, by coming back in the last 4 minutes to tie USC 21-21 on October 13. This game, considered one of the greatest of the 20th century, effectively cost USC the national championship.
In the 2009 football season, Stanford would eclipse the point spread by handing USC its worst defeat ever. Stanford won 55-21, and USC was an 11 point favorite.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game held on October 6, 2007, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In a remarkable upset, the visiting Stanford Cardinal
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
won 24–23. Southern California was favored by 41 points over Stanford, making the game the largest point-spread upset in college football history. Southern California
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
entered the game with a 35-game home game winning streak (its previous home game loss was also to Stanford in 2001) which included a 24-game home game winning streak in Pac-10 play. By contrast, Stanford had compiled a Pac-10 worst 1–11 season in 2006 which included a 42–0 loss to USC. To compound their situation, Stanford's starting quarterback, T. C. Ostrander
T. C. Ostrander
Thomas Clinton "T. C." Ostrander is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent.-High school career:...
, had suffered a seizure the previous week; the backup quarterback, Tavita Pritchard
Tavita Pritchard
Tavita Pritchard is a former college football quarterback for Stanford who is now a defensive assistant football coach at Stanford.-High school career:...
had never started a game and had only ever thrown three passes.
Game summary
The weather was sunny and 74 degrees with a slight West wind. The game began at 4:09pm Pacific Daylight Time. It ended at 7:36pm.Third quarter
- Stanford - Austin Yancy 31 yd interception return (Deric Belch kick) USC 9-7
- USC - Davis, Fred 63 yd pass from Booty, J.D. (David Buehler kick) USC 16-7
Fourth quarter
- Stanford - Anthony Kimble 1 yd run (Derek Belch kick) USC 16-14
- USC - Ronald Johnson 47 yd pass from Booty, J.D. (David Buehler kick) USC 23-14
- Stanford - Derek Belch 26 yd field goal USC 23-17
- Stanford - Mark Bradford 10 yd pass from T. Pritchard (Derek Belch kick) Stanford 24-23
Aftermath
The final score was announced at the Rose Bowl, where USC's two arch-rivals UCLA and Notre Dame were playing each other. Irish and Bruins fans cheered in unison and celebrated together briefly.At the end of the regular season, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
chose the Stanford upset of USC as the second "Biggest Upset of 2007" after Division I FCS Appalachian State's upset of #5 Michigan
2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game
The 2007 Appalachian State-Michigan game was a college football game held on September 1 at Michigan Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It pitted the #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines against the two-time defending champions of the Division I FCS, the...
.
In 1979, Stanford had pulled a similar feat, by coming back in the last 4 minutes to tie USC 21-21 on October 13. This game, considered one of the greatest of the 20th century, effectively cost USC the national championship.
In the 2009 football season, Stanford would eclipse the point spread by handing USC its worst defeat ever. Stanford won 55-21, and USC was an 11 point favorite.
See also
- 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season2007 NCAA Division I FBS football seasonThe 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
- 2007 Stanford Cardinal football team2007 Stanford Cardinal football teamThe 2007 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the college football season of 2007–2008. In Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's inaugural season at Stanford, the 41-point underdog Cardinal pulled off the greatest point-spread upset in college football history by defeating the #1...
- 2007 USC Trojans football team2007 USC Trojans football teamThe 2007 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference Championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl...
- 2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football gameThe 2007 Appalachian State-Michigan game was a college football game held on September 1 at Michigan Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It pitted the #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines against the two-time defending champions of the Division I FCS, the...
External links
- USC Trojans vs. Stanford - Video of Stanford's final drive, the interception, and the crowd reaction.
- Stanford vs. USC Final Stats. October 6, 2007 USC Trojans Athletics official site
- Stanford vs. USC pregame information. October 1, 2007 Stanford University Athletics official site