The biggest upset of the young 2015 college football season came on Saturday night in Los Angeles, and from a familiar matchup. Stanford used a bruising offense and just enough defense to topple No. 6 USC, 41-31.
Stanford vs. USC final score: Cardinal upset Trojans on the road, 41-31
The fall of Troy came rather early this year.
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Kevin Hogan threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns, Christian McCaffrey ran for 115 yards and Remound Wright scored three touchdowns for the Cardinal, who looked like an entirely different team from the outfit that began its season by losing to Northwestern by a 16-6 count.
USC's offense had a fine night of its own — Heisman contender Cody Kessler completed 25 of 32 throws for 272 yards and three touchdowns, and piloted a unit that rolled up better than seven yards per play — but the Trojans' defense, which gave up just 15 points to Arkansas State and Idaho, was gashed by the Cardinal when it mattered. Stanford converted eight of 12 third downs and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes of game clock, thwarting the Trojans' attack largely by controlling the ball.
Stanford has troubled USC in recent years, losing by field goals in 2013 and 2014 after winning four straight games in the series from 2009 to 2012, but this is arguably the biggest upset by the upstart Cardinal since their 2007 upending of a six-touchdown favorite coached by Pete Carroll all but made Jim Harbaugh’s star as a coach.
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