UCLA GAME REPORT
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1. R. Jay Soward fields a punt at the USC 15-yard line, feints right, turns left, cuts through a crowd in the middle and dashes all the way back to his right, breaking four tackles along the way before breaking free around the 45-yard line for an 85-yard touchdown. It is the third punt return for a touchdown of Soward’s career, and with the extra point, it gives the Trojans a 7-0 lead. Soward later leaves the game because of nausea and dehydration, and though he returns, he finishes with no receptions.
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2. With a little more than a minute left and USC’s 30-point lead down to eight, Trojan tailback Chad Morton fumbles and Oregon State recovers at its 41-yard line. The Oregon State drive that follows gets as close as the USC 31 before Terrance Bryant’s fourth-down pass is incomplete with 17 seconds left in the game.
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3. USC’s Mike Van Raaphorst lies on the field after a hit by Oregon State’s Shawn Ball, and the question is raised: What if USC loses a second quarterback to injury? Van Raaphorst is only shaken up, but John Fox--the quarterback-turned-linebacker-turned-quarterback--comes in to big cheers from the crowd and keeps the ball on a sneak for a first down before Van Raaphorst returns.
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4. Oregon State quarterback Jonathan Smith drops back on first and 10 from his 25-yard line and is crushed by USC tackle Ennis Davis, knocking the ball into the air for linebacker Zeke Moreno to catch it and race 17 yards for a touchdown as the Trojans take a 23-7 lead. Moreno would also score USC’s next touchdown, picking off a pass and returning the interception 71 yards.
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5. Tight end Antoine Harris of USC catches a 20-yard pass, then throws the ball at the tackler, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty that cuts the gain to a mere five yards. Despite a week of harping on reducing unnecessary penalties, the Trojans still commit 11 for 99 yards--although that counts as progress after committing a Pacific-10 Conference record 21 last week in a loss to Oregon.
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