STANFORD, Calif. — Even without Andrew Luck, Stanford still had every answer for Matt Barkley and Southern California.
Josh Nunes threw a go-ahead 37-yard touchdown to Zach Ertz, Stepfan Taylor ran for 153 yards and scored two touchdowns, and No. 21 Stanford upset second-ranked USC 21-14 on Saturday night for its fourth straight win in this series.
Heisman Trophy hopeful Matt Barkley threw for 254 yards and two interceptions while completing only 20 of 41 passes. He was sacked twice on the final drive for the Trojans (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) and threw out of bounds on a final, desperate heave on fourth-and-39 from USC’s 25-yard line.
Coming out of a two-year bowl ban, USC had national title hopes this season. Now the Trojans will have to climb out of another hole to get there.
A sold-out crowd at Stanford Stadium rushed the field, tossing streamers and jumping in a wild celebration at midfield with Cardinal coach David Shaw and players caught in the middle of the mess. Stanford (3-0, 1-0) is 3-0 for the third straight season for the first time since 1970-72 and has its longest winning streak ever against USC in a rivalry that dates back to 1905.
In other Saturday games:
No. 22 UCLA 37
Houston 6
PASADENA, Calif. — Redshirt freshman Brett Hundley passed for 320 yards and two touchdowns, and UCLA (3-0) used its hard-hitting defense to hold high-scoring Houston in check.
No. 24 Arizona 56
South Carolina State 0
TUCSON, Ariz. — Matt Scott accounted for 349 total yards and four touchdowns in three quarters, and Arizona (3-0) breezed through its final nonconference game.
Utah 24
No. 25 BYU 21
SALT LAKE CITY — Jon Hays had two touchdown passes, Moe Lee returned a fumble 57 yards for another and BYU missed two last-second field goal attempts as Utah held on for the win. The Utes (2-1) blocked Justin Sorensen’s 51-yard attempt with one second remaining, but BYU (2-1) got a second shot because the crowd prematurely rushed the field, resulting in a 15-yard penalty.
No. 12 Ohio State 35
California 28
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Braxton Miller lofted a 72-yard touchdown pass to an all-alone Devin Smith with 3:26 left and Christian Bryant snuffed out California’s last chance with an interception to power Ohio State to a win. The Golden Bears (1-2) missed three field goals and had a touchdown called back by a penalty, while the Buckeyes (3-0) gave up 512 yards and were outplayed for much of the second half.
Washington 52
Portland State 13
SEATTLE — Keith Price threw three first-half touchdowns, Washington returned a blocked field goal and interception for touchdowns, and the Huskies shook off their Bayou beat down of a week ago with a rout of Portland State. Former Culver standout Nevin Lewis scored on a 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kieran McDonagh for the Vikings.
Missouri 24
Arizona State 20
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Corbin Berkstresser ran for a score in his first career start at quarterback in place of injured James Franklin, and Missouri’s defense forced four turnovers to ease the pressure on the redshirt freshman in a victory over Arizona State. Missouri (2-1) built a 17-point cushion in the third quarter.
Fresno State 69
Colorado 14
FRESNO, Calif. — Robbie Rouse set the Fresno State all-time rushing record on a 94-yard run that gave him four touchdowns in the first quarter as the Bulldogs rolled past winless Colorado.
