LOS ANGELES — Just what Dr. Pete ordered.

No. 9 Southern California roared back from its stunning loss to crush No. 23 Oregon, 44-10, last night, manhandling what was considered the Beaver State's better Pac-10 team after being upset by Oregon State.

"This is exactly what we needed to do," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "This was exactly the game we were looking for to bounce back and get back on track.

"These guys came out and played like crazy. This was a big moment for us."

The "big moment" was keyed by quarterback Mark Sanchez, who had a so-so outing in the 27-21 loss at Corvallis that cost USC (3-1, 1-1) the No. 1 ranking, and by the Trojans' defense, which had been pushed around by the Beavers.

Sanchez threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns in the Trojans' 598-yard offensive avalanche, and their defense held the Ducks (4-2, 2-1), the Pac-10's best rushing team coming in, to 60 yards on the ground and 239 overall. Oregon had been averaging 308 on the ground alone.

"It was a good victory for us and I'm excited about the way this offense and defense bounced back and how special teams played," Sanchez said.

USC safety Kevin Ellison, who was in on 12 tackles, explained: "A lot of it was because of our performance last week. We definitely knew we had to get our assignments right and swarm the ball."

The Ducks, playing with a third-string quarterback, never really had a chance.

"I guess they answered the wake-up call after Oregon State," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said.

Sanchez completed 19 of 28 and did not throw an interception. He completed passes to seven different receivers, with Joe McKnight catching five passes for 86 yards, and Patrick Turner grabbing five for 77 yards and a TD.