USC v Minnesota

The answer was a simple one -- understated in form, just like the player who delivered it.

“[The kickoff return for a touchdown] picked us up a lot. It was big for the team. It was a pretty huge spark.”

Freshman Robert Woods may have been playing the modesty card in front of the media but what developed during his postgame press conference was the birth of USC’s next rising star.

The return Woods humbly referred to was a back-breaking, 97-yard run for a touchdown that completely shifted the momentum in favor of the No. 18 Trojans in the third quarter of their 11-point, come-from-behind (if only for a few seconds) victory on Saturday afternoon inside TCF Bank Stadium.

But it was the timing of the play that gives optimism to even the most pessimistic Trojan fan heading into Pac-10 play.

For the first time all season, in a hostile Big Ten atmosphere mind you, USC trailed a contest in the third quarter.

On the surface, this seemed harmless: a confident Trojans team trailing 14-13 to a Golden Gophers squad that is frankly less talented than other teams in their conference with more than 20 minutes to play. But what the score failed to reflect was the two errant interceptions thrown by sophomore quarter Matt Barkley, the drive-stalling penalties, the lack of cohesion in the defensive secondary and a general absence of enthusiasm from the Trojans' sideline.

However, just as the maroon and gold-clad crowd of the self-proclaimed “Gopher Nation” rose to its feet to celebrate the lead, a wide-eyed 19-year-old just eight months removed from his last high school game quickly and emphatically asked them to take their seat.

As Woods’ purposeful and unabated strides to the end zone concluded with a collective hush of 50,000 fans, it became apparent USC hadn’t just found its game-changer, it had found its long sought after pulse.

Following Woods’ go ahead touchdown, USC signed on for some necessary late-game insurance with a 21-yard touchdown catch by redshirt senior David Ausberry and a crippling 56-yard touchdown run by senior running back Allen Bradford.

But behind the big plays and error-masking moments, there was one play that rose to the top: the 97-yard dash by the 2009 and 2010 Daily Breeze South Bay Track Athlete of the Year.

In a game that solicited its share of uncontrollable yells and sighs of “here we go again,” sanity was restored (at least for another week) by an eager freshman making the right play at the right time.

Heading into Pullman next week, USC is holding its head high.

For the first time all season, coach Lane Kiffin labeled USC’s point advantage over Minnesota a “win.” Players put on their best Whitney Houston impersonations, proudly singing the lyrics to “Fight On.” Even assistant head coach Ed Orgeron was  seen boasting about the Trojans’ run defense outside the visitors locker room.

If not for Woods’ rejuvenating run, though, I’m not sure a happy ending would have happened in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

There wasn’t much to learn from a game that included six turnovers, five touchdowns of more than 20 yards and three failed 2-point conversions, but my word of advice is to re-watch Woods’ 97-yard sprint.

Look closely and you'll see the Lake Superior-sized hole created by players whose names are typically associated with sacks and tackles: Shane Horton, fellow Junipero Serra High School graduate DaJohn Harris and Chris Gallipo. You'll also see a burst of speed not seen from a USC returner since You Know Who and, of course, the jolt electricity that surged through the 41 USC players standing outside the field of play.

I’m by no means insisting that you go to the USC bookstore or the nearest Dick’s Sporting Goods and request a No. 13 jersey. But to understand the importance of Woods' one shining moment, take yourself back to Game 3 of the previous two campaigns for the Trojans.

In both of those games, USC suffered road losses to an inferior opponent (Washington in 2009 and Oregon State in 2008), and both games were close, defined by one or two key plays.

Saturday’s score shouldn’t fool you -- for three-plus quarters of play this game was as close as the aforementioned defeats.

Woods’ heroics should not take anything away from Allen Bradford’s big day, Ronald Johnson’s fourth touchdown grab or Jurrell Casey’s successful stint at nose tackle, but on this up-and-down afternoon it was Woods' spark that sent the team back to Los Angeles still clinging to the hope of a perfect season.

Although 97 yards in 12 seconds won’t garner any attention from the track and field community, Woods’ six-point statement proved that sometimes speed doesn’t kill.

Sometimes it’s exactly the right dose to liven up a team from the bowels of listlessness.

To reach writer Dave Dulberg, click here.

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