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Backup QB Leads Stanford To Upset

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By JOHN NADEL, The Associated Press

Published: October 7, 2007

Updated: 10/07/2007 12:44 am

LOS ANGELES - Led by a backup quarterback, Stanford pulled off a stunner.

Tavita Pritchard threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mark Bradford on fourth-and-goal with 49 seconds remaining Saturday night, giving the 41-point underdog Cardinal a 24-23 victory against No. 2 Southern California.

In a season that started with Appalachian State's improbable victory against Michigan, and a week after half the top 10 went down, the Cardinal pulled off what may very well be the biggest upset of all.

The Cardinal (2-4, 1-3 Pac-10) scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and moved 45 yards in 11 plays for the winning touchdown after USC's John David Booty threw the third of his four interceptions.

A leaping Bradford caught the ball over cornerback Mozique McCurtis in the corner of the end zone, leaving the crowd of 85,125 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in stunned silence. Bo McNally's interception thwarted USC's final chance.

In the days leading up to the game, first-year Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh stuck to his preseason assessment that USC might be the greatest college football team ever. In the end, the Trojans weren't the best team in the Coliseum.

The Trojans (4-1, 2-1) dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 after barely holding on for a 27-24 victory against underdog Washington last weekend. They'll drop a lot more this week after losing to a team that was playing its first road game of the season and had been outscored 141-51 in previous Pac-10 action.

USC's 35-game winning streak at the Coliseum is over. The Trojans hadn't lost at home since Stanford beat them 21-16 on Sept. 29, 2001.

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