Plenty of blame to go around after USC loss
USC FOOTBALL
Joe McKnight and Mark Sanchez each take responsibility as Trojans wait to see how far they will fall in polls.
USC can only sit and wait until Sunday to see how far it will fall in the polls.
But in the immediate aftermath of Oregon State's upset of the soon-to-be-previously-top-ranked Trojans, no USC player appeared more distraught than tailback Joe McKnight.
"I didn't make any plays," McKnight said quietly, shaking his head as he sat at his locker room dressing stall. "They trusted me with the ball, and I dropped it."
McKnight's second-quarter fumble led to an Oregon State touchdown and a 21-0 halftime lead for the Beavers.
The sophomore from Louisiana had taken a snap out of the shotgun formation, faked a handoff to fellow tailback Allen Bradford and then ran to his left. But an Oregon State defender knocked the ball out of McKnight's hands, and another Beavers player recovered it, setting the stage for an 11-play scoring drive.
McKnight also fumbled a punt in the fourth quarter but fell on the ball. Several other Oregon State punts rolled untouched deep into USC territory, giving the Trojans poor field position through most of the game.
McKnight finished with 10 yards in seven carries and caught three passes for 29 yards. Junior Stafon Johnson also got seven carries and rushed for 48 yards. Sophomore C.J. Gable gained 19 yards in three carries while Bradford, who starred during spring practice and training camp, did not get a carry.
Trojans players did not point fingers, each position group shouldering the blame for the defeat.
"We all had our share in the loss," quarterback Mark Sanchez said before putting the defeat on himself.
McKnight, like Sanchez, singled out himself.
"My game just didn't come to me," he said.
gary.klein@latimes.com
