Game 9 | Barner's school-record 324 rushing yards lead Oregon over USC

Barner's school-record 324 rushing yards lead Oregon over USC

By The Sports Xchange | The SportsXchange – 8 hours ago

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/barners-school-record-324-rushing-042012630--ncaaf.html

LOS ANGELES -- Oregon tailback Kenjon Barner put on a Heisman-worthy performance Saturday night, scoring five touchdowns and rushing for a school-record 324 yards as the No. 4 Ducks blew past No. 17 USC 62-51 before 93,607 fans at The Coliseum.

The teams combined for 1,357 yards, but the Ducks were the superior team as Barner's running kept USC off-balance for much of the game.

Barner wasn't the only one to be part of five touchdowns as USC quarterback Matt Barkley threw for five scores and 489 yards in the losing cause.

Oregon running back Kenjon Barner (24) scores a touchdown as teammate Rahsaan Vaughn (10) blocks Southern California cornerback Nickell Robey (21) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Bret Hartman)

"We felt like, if we could hold serve, that was a big deal for us," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. "I knew those guys were good."

So were the Ducks. Barner was nearly perfect and quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 20 of 23 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Barner set an Oregon record for yards in a single game and a USC opponent record.

"It's just a great rivalry and tonight we got the best of them," Barner said.

USC coach Lane Kiffin went to the Oregon locker room after the game to congratulate Barner.

"We felt like it would be a heavyweight championship fight and there would be huge death blows," Kiffin said. "I don't know if there's ever been a game with only two punts combined."

Barner's 5-yard touchdown run with 9:15 left gave the Ducks a 55-38 lead that they did not relinquish.

After three quarters, Barner already had 250 yards, a USC opponent record. The Ducks had 737 yards, far eclipsing the USC opponent record of 623 yards set by Notre Dame in 1946. Oregon's 61 points also were the most the Trojans have allowed in a game.

Oregon running back Kenjon Barner (24) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against the Southern California, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Los Angeles. Oregon won 62-51. (AP Photo/Bret Hartman)

USC tailback Silas Redd cut Oregon's lead to 34-31 on a 2-yard run with 9:59 left in the third quarter, the closest the Trojans got since it was 7-3 in the first quarter. Oregon struck back with a 10-yard run from Barner to make it 41-31, but Marqise Lee returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards to the Oregon 16-yard line and Redd scored on a 2-yard run to cut Oregon's lead to 41-38.

Oregon took only 65 seconds to start the scoring as Mariota coolly took the team 75 yards in five plays, culminating in a 16-yard touchdown pass to De'Anthony Thomas.

USC responded with a 39-yard field goal by Andre Heidari after an apparent 44-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor was ruled incomplete after a video review.

But Oregon ignored that score and went another 75 yards in just more than three minutes, with Mariota throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Josh Huff and a 14-yard advantage.

USC drove inside Oregon's 10-yard line on the next possession, but the Ducks' Ifo Ekpre-Olomu intercepted the pass in the end zone.

The Ducks then toyed again with USC's defense as Barner made a terrific 27-yard touchdown run on third-and-5. Barner zigzagged through the Trojans' defense like no tailback has this season.

Just when it looked like a blowout, Barkley found a wide-open Lee for a 75-yard touchdown pass that made it 21-10 with 14:36 left in the first half.

That did not faze the Ducks, who merely went 87 yards with ease as Barner scored on a 5-yard touchdown.

But Barkley found Robert Woods on an 8-yard touchdown pass and it suddenly was 27-17 with 5:59 left. Oregon then took 50 seconds to score another touchdown before Barkley found Nelson Agholor for a 76-yard touchdown pass.

Notes: Lee set a Pac-12 record with 251 yards in kickoff returns. ... USC had never allowed an opposing team to score 62 points. The previous record was Stanford's 56 last season.