Texas dominates No. 22 USC in front of record crowd

Texas players celebrate their 37-14 win over USC in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Texas players celebrate their 37-14 win over USC in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Photo: Eric Gay/Associated Press Photo: Eric Gay/Associated Press Image 1 of / 71 Caption Close Texas dominates No. 22 USC in front of record crowd 1 / 71 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN – For the contingent of Texans wary of the seemingly endless influx of Californians to their state, Friday presented a brief vision of their imagined apocalypse.

That afternoon, cardinal-and-gold USC gear stained the lush lawn of the Capitol building while the Spirit of Troy marching band planted itself on the front steps. The invasion had begun – without a hint of opposition in sight.

Saturday night, those interlopers finally encountered the resistance. The Trojans found conquering Royal-Memorial Stadium wasn't as easy as strolling onto defenseless property through open gates.

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In arguably the most important – certainly the most shocking – triumph of the Tom Herman era, Texas (2-1) defeated No. 22 USC (1-2), 37-14, in front of a school-record 103,507 fans to close out the non-conference portion of its schedule.

It was a game thoroughly dominated by Texas after it fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter.

Freshman quarterback JT Daniels steered the Trojans to touchdowns on two of their first three drives despite an onslaught of pressure from the Texas defense. Even with coordinator Todd Orlando dialing up blitzes, Daniels was able to create chunk plays and convert on third down to prolong possession.

A 29-yard completion to receiver Amon St. Brown on third-and-9 setup tailback Stephen Carr's 23-yard touchdown run on the game's opening drive.

The highlight of USC's third offensive outing was Daniels' 40-yard hookup with St. Brown. Tailback Vavae Malepeai scored on the very next play when he shed Texas safety Brandon Jones and bounced outside to narrowly beat freshman safety Caden Sterns to the goal line.

Those touchdowns sandwiched Texas freshman Cameron Dicker's first career field goal attempt and make, a 20-yarder on a 12-play drive that fizzled at the 3-yard line. Dicker also nailed a pair of 46-yard tries in the second quarter.

Herman has said before that momentum "is an illusion," an intangible concept that has no real effect on a game's outcome. It felt real for Texas Saturday night.

When receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey spun off a defender and sprinted 47 yards for a touchdown to cut USC's lead down to 14-10, Texas perked up. After Kris Boyd soared to wrestle away a ball from St. Brown in the second quarter, the stadium shook. And when speedy safety Brandon Jones tracked down USC running back Stephen Carr 2 yards shy of the goal line on fourth-and-goal, the Longhorns began to believe.

Even the officiating crew seemed to be swayed.

Late in the first half UT quarterback Sam Ehlinger appeared to be sacked for a safety in the end zone by linebacker Porter Gustin, but officials ruled the ball was across the goal line when the quarterback's knee touched ground. Gustin, an All-American candidate and USC's defensive totem, was disqualified early in the second half for a questionable targeting penalty.

USC did itself few favors after a scorching start. The Trojans committed nine penalties for 94 yards, including several that prolonged Texas drives at the most inopportune times.

Even without a slew of self-inflicted wounds, USC just looked outgunned. That perception grew more glaring especially as the night wore on, allowing Texas to expose and exploit even the slightest opening.

The rout truly took form when freshman wideout Joshua Moore burned his single defender and lunged for a 27-yard touchdown reception on Texas' opening second-half drive. By that point, Texas had reeled off 20 straight points to seize a 23-14 lead.

For Texas, it only got better.

About four minutes later, Sterns leapt through the Trojans line to block a long field goal attempt. Senior linebacker Anthony Wheeler scooped the ball and rumbled 46 yards to put Texas ahead 30-14.

Ehlinger added one final score on a 4-yard touchdown scramble late in the third quarter.

Texas will once again have to defend its home turf next Saturday when No. 15 TCU (2-1) visits. The Horned Frogs on Saturday fell to fourth-ranked Ohio State, 40-28.