Sanchez, defense sparkle in dominant Trojans’ performance
LOS ANGELES — Chris “Beanie” Wells wouldn’t have mattered. The same goes for Warren Wells, Dawn Wells, Orson Welles or the Mineral Wells (Texas) High Rams. No. 5 Ohio State could have put them all in white jerseys and gray pants, and it wouldn’t have mattered Saturday evening.
No. 1 USC struck with a consistency atypical for mid-September on both sides of the ball. Led by quarterback Mark Sanchez’s four touchdown passes, and by a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Rey Maualuga, the Trojans defeated the Buckeyes 35-3.
Ohio State suffered its worst loss since 1994 and scored its fewest points in head coach Jim Tressel’s eight seasons. USC’s 32-point margin matched what it did to Illinois in the Rose Bowl last January. The only thing you could say about this so-called showdown is that it could have been worse. USC made two other trips into the red zone against Ohio State and didn’t score.
epsn.com
9/14/08
