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Football Falls to California, 32-31
October 10, 1998
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A week after Southern California scored 22 points in the fourth quarter for a comeback win over Arizona State, the 19th-ranked Trojans managed nothing but two costly errors in the final 15 minutes. Marcus Fields scored on a 3-yard run with 3:30 left as California capitalized on a penalty and fumble by USC to upset the Trojans 32-31 Saturday. "Coming into the Coliseum and seeing that horse run around and for us to score all these points, this was a big deal," Cal wide receiver Dameane Douglas said. Traveler, the white horse that gallops after USC touchdowns, had plenty of running to do as the Trojans (4-2, 2-1 Pac-10) led 31-10 in the third quarter. But the Golden Bears (4-1, 2-0) scored 16 points in a five-minute span over the end of the third and start of the fourth to rally for only their second win in the Coliseum since 1970. "This was bad, a huge disappointment," USC first-year coach Paul Hackett said. "We had a game we could have won and didn't do it." A 58-yard touchdown run by Petros Papadakis that would have put the game away for USC was nullified on a personal foul by Larry Parker with 19 seconds to play in the third. Then Antoine Harris fumbled a pass from freshman backup Carson Palmer. Cal's Damian Marzett recovered and ran 40 yards to the USC 37. "That drive proved we can beat a top team," Douglas said. Five plays later, A.J. Kunkle caught his second TD pass of the game, a 2-yarder from Justin Vedder, as Cal trailed 31-25 with 13:51 left in the fourth. "USC played a darn good game. They fought hard, but it was the little mistakes that cost them," Cal coach Tom Holmoe said. "There's something magical about this team, the chemistry. They just depend on each other." Vedder, who was benched in the first quarter, engineered Cal's winning drive as he hit Douglas with a 13-yard slant pass to set up Fields' 3-yard TD run. Vedder was 28-of-39 for 244 yards, was intercepted once and sacked twice. Douglas had a career-high 13 receptions for 151 yards. "This is the one time at Cal that we never gave up," Douglas said. "Normally, when we're down by seven or 10 points, we start to give up, but we didn't do that. We came together." Fields cut Cal's deficit to 31-18 on a 3-yard TD run - the Bears' first rushing score of the season - with 30 seconds to play in the third after a safety by Sekou Sanyika. Mike Van Raaphorst threw two touchdowns, including a 77-yarder to R. Jay Soward, who returned a punt 80 yards for another score for the Trojans. Van Raaphorst was 11-of-22 for 203 yards and was sacked five times. "I'm not feeling good about anything," Van Raaphorst said. "I thought the game was in hand and we kept kicking ourselves in the butt." Both teams had relied on defense to remain undefeated in the Pac-10, but they put on an offensive show before a season-high 65,678 fans at the Coliseum. With the game tied 7-7, Windrell Hayes caught a 13-yard TD pass in the
corner of the end zone from Van Raaphorst to put USC ahead with 8:05 remaining
in the second quarter. After Cal was forced to punt on its next possession, Van Raaphorst connected
with Soward on USC's first play of the series for a 77-yard TD pass. Soward
shook off defender Drae Harris near the 25-yard line and scored as USC led 21-7
at 6:15 of the second.
USC's first touchdown came on a 65-yard run by Papadakis in the opening
quarter. On its second possession of the game, Cal tied the game on a halfback
option pass from Deltha O'Neal to Kunkle.
By BETH HARRIS
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