Cardinal opens conference play with win over rival USC

Stanford football defeated No. 6 USC for the first time since 2012 by a score of 41-31.

Conrad Ukropina iced the game with a 46-yard field goal with 2:27 left to go that put Stanford up by two possessions, and a last minute drive by USC fell short to ensure the Cardinal victory.

Quarterback Kevin Hogan led the Stanford offensive drive with a marquee performance, passing for 279 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 attempts. Remound Wright added three more touchdowns for the team, all on 1-yard runs, as the Cardinal outmuscled USC’s defensive line increasingly over the course of the game.

The Trojans got out to much the brighter start, finding the end zone on three of their opening four drives, but Stanford struck twice late in the second to take the lead going into halftime. The Cardinal offense was able to dominate possession in the second half, limiting the time Heisman candidate QB Cody Kessler got with the ball and holding the USC to just 10 points.

With the win, Stanford improves to 2-1 on the season going into the heart of Pac-12 play.

Contact Andrew Mather at amather ‘at’ stanford.edu.