Booty Leads No. 1 USC Past Idaho 38-10
As expected, No. 1 Southern California began the season with a one-sided victory. It could hardly be called a memorable performance.
John David Booty threw three touchdown passes, Stafon Johnson scored the first two TDs of his college career, and the top-ranked Trojans sputtered at times while beating outmanned Idaho 38-10 for their 34th straight victory at home dating to 2001 - the longest such active streak in the country.
The crowd of 90,917 at the Los Angeles Coliseum got restless on occasion, and there were some boos following USC's second straight punt late in the second quarter. The vaunted USC defense allowed 182 yards of total offense in the first half and forced only one turnover.
The Trojans, favored by 46 points, scored touchdowns on their first three possessions before being outgained in the second period. Then, they scored 17 points while holding Idaho without a first down in the third quarter to make it a runaway. Reserves played most of the final period.
USC entered the season with a 59-6 record during the last five years, and was ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason poll for the third time in four years.
Idaho was just 14-45 during the last five seasons, and Robb Akey is the Vandals' third coach in three years. Akey spent the last eight years as an assistant at Washington State.
John David Booty completed 21 of 32 passes for 206 yards with one interception before coming out of the game for good late in the third quarter. C.J. Gable gained 68 yards on eight carries and Johnson, who had only three carries as a freshman last year, picked up 64 yards on 12 attempts.
Idaho's Nathan Enderle was 16-of-34 for 155 yards, and Deonte Jackson gained 99 yards on 22 carries. Both are redshirt freshman.
After taking next weekend off, the Trojans figure to get a much stiffer test Sept. 15 when they travel to face No. 20 Nebraska, a 52-10 winner over Nevada on Saturday.
A 4-yard run by Johnson and an 8-yard pass from John David Booty to Gable capped 80-yard scoring drives in the first quarter, and John David Booty threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Vidal Hazelton early in the second period.
Following their first touchdown, the Trojans lined up for the conversion without a kicker in memory of Mario Danelo, who made 26 of 28 field goals while holding the job the past two years before falling to his death Jan. 6. After USC took an intentional delay-of-game penalty, David Buehler kicked the first of his five conversions.
The USC offense didn't do much in the second quarter following the third touchdown, with John David Booty being intercepted by Shiloh Keo before the two punts, and Idaho finally showed some offense, putting together two impressive drives.
Tino Amancio's 36-yard field goal with 3 1/2 minutes left before halftime was blocked, but the Vandals moved into position for a 20-yarder by Amancio with 22 seconds left in the half, cutting USC's lead to 21-3.
The Vandals gained 122 yards to USC's 80 and had eight first downs to the Trojans' four in the second period.
John David Booty threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Stanley (nyse: SXE - news - people ) Havili to cap a 70-yard drive with the second-half kickoff, and the Trojans added a 1-yard scoring run by Johnson and a 36-yard field goal by Buehler before the third quarter was over, giving them a 38-3 lead.
Idaho scored its touchdown on a 1-yard run by Jayson Byrd to cap a 39-yard drive after Keo's second interception of the game, this one on a pass thrown by Michael McDonald.
Keo also recovered a fumble by Joe McKnight at the USC 16 early in the fourth quarter before Amancio missed a 44-yard field goal.
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