The Memphis State Tigers?
"One of the big things is that everybody across the country is going to wonder who Memphis State is," coach Chuck Stobart said Monday after his unheralded Tigers shocked 16th-ranked Southern Cal 24-10."I don't think anyone expected us to do this or gave us much of a chance. This just shows what can happen if you work hard and prepare," added Stobart, formerly an assistant under Southern Cal coach Larry Smith.
The Tigers were led by Keith Barton's two touchdown passes and linebacker Danton Barto's 10 tackles. Memphis State outgained the Trojans 178 yards to 156 in the second half and outscored them 21-0 after halftime.
"I told our team that they might overlook us," Stobart said. "Word got back to us that they didn't even put us on their schedule board and had Penn State (Sept. 14) as their opening game.
"I don't know whether that's true or not, but obviously we used anything we could."
The Tigers took control in the second half of the season opener, which also marked the first football meeting ever between the schools.
The Tigers, 4-6-1 last season and 17-point underdogs against the Trojans, 8-4-1 in 1990, scored two touchdowns in a span of 1 minute, 12 seconds of the fourth quarter to pull away from a 10-10 tie.
Benton threw a 4-yard scoring pass to Jeff Bynum on third-and-goal to give the Tigers a 17-10 lead 4:03 into the final period.
On the kickoff following that 97-yard, 8-minute, 20-second Tiger scoring drive, Jeff Buffaloe's soft kick landed between Southern Cal players and bounced backward and Brown recovered at the Trojan 18.
Three plays later, Xavier Crawford scored on a 2-yard run to give Memphis State a 14-point pad.
"Memphis State doesn't have the big name, but I wouldn't say our team overlooked them," Smith said. "Our team prepared hard for the opener but Memphis State played an excellent game and a very sound game."
Sophomore quarterback Reggie Perry, who had never thrown a pass in a college game, was unable to generate any consistency on offense for the Trojans. He inherited the starting job when Todd Marinovich left after his sophomore season to turn pro.