That was a really solid effort by USC. There were definitely some penalties - including a couple of ones that in my totally unbiased opinion were complete crap - but the quality of play was high.
Some key stats from the game:
- Booty threw no interceptions and was 26 / 39 for 375 yards
- USC picked up 265 yards after the catch
- ASU had 13 possessions, with 7 resulting in having to give up the ball: 5 punts, 1 fumble, and one over on downs
- Rudy Carpenter was sacked 6 times for 39 yards in losses overall
- Even if you exclude the sacks, ASU rushed for a total of 39 yards
- Lo-Jack got 4 of the six sacks - a huge effort and the most for an SC player since 1989
It's a good win to carry some momentum for the ucla game, which is going to require similarly solid execution if SC wants to pick up a win over the talented but mercurial Bruins.
Your thoughts in the comments section, as you see fit...