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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, January 5, 2005

OU blunder ignited USC spree

 •  No doubt!
 •  Southern Cal dominated Oklahoma in all phases

Advertiser News Services

MIAMI — In the end, Mark Bradley's blunder didn't decide the Orange Bowl. It merely triggered the scoring onslaught that helped Southern California drub Oklahoma.

Bradley's ill-advised punt return proved disastrous for the Sooners when he fumbled the ball away yesterday, setting up the touchdown that put the Trojans ahead to stay en route to their 55-19 victory for the national title.

"That was just a bonehead play," Bradley said. "I don't know what I was thinking. It really turned the momentum of the game."

It was the first of five turnovers by Oklahoma, and the most costly. Barely five minutes later, USC had turned a 7-all game into a 28-7 lead.

The play began with a poor punt by USC's Tom Malone, but the ball took a favorable bounce for the Trojans inside the 10 as returner Antonio Perkins wisely got out of the way.

Then Bradley entered the picture. He tried to block a USC player, and with the ball about to roll dead he inexplicably scooped it up, even though he was surrounded by Trojans. One of them, Collin Ashton, quickly knocked the ball loose, and the fumble was recovered at the 6 by Josh Pinkard.

"I have no idea why Mark would have done that," Oklahoma coach Bobby Stoops said. "I was as shocked as anybody in the stadium. It's as bad a play as there is."

Trojans' defense stops Peterson in his tracks

In the most important game of his young life, Heisman Trophy runner-up Adrian Peterson was stuffed by a USC defense that promised all week to stop him before he got into open space.

"I don't know what to say. I just can't think right now," said the freshman as he walked past the USC celebration toward the locker room.

At the end of three quarters with USC way ahead, Peterson had 23 carries for 75 yards.

USC goes wire-to-wire as top team in nation

Southern California went back-to-back and wire-to-wire.

The Trojans became the second team to start and finish the season No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25, receiving all but three first-place votes early today to easily outdistance Auburn.

USC (13-0) became the first team since Nebraska in 1994-95 to win back-to-back AP titles.

USC received 62 first-place votes and 1,622 points. Auburn (13-0), which won the Sugar Bowl on Monday, got the other first-place votes and 1,559 points.

The Sooners (12-1) finished third, ahead of unbeaten Utah (12-0) and Texas (11-1).

The USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Top 25 had the same top three, but had Texas at No. 4 and Utah No. 5.