Putting away pesky Purdue positive sign for USC

It was a long, wet afternoon in West Lafayette, but USC emerged unscathed from Big Ten country with its first conference road win in hand and a pick-six for its massive, 360-pound nose tackle.

- BY RYAN KARTJE

MICHAEL CONROY Associated Press

THE USC DEFENSE sacked Purdue's Ryan Browne, with the ball, five times.

What more could you really ask for from a trip to Purdue? After marching up and down the field for two weeks and beating up on its first two opponents by an average margin of 50 points, USC was finally tested by a real, genuine football team on Saturday. And while it wasn't perfect, it was certainly important, considering what awaits the Trojans during the next six weeks.

There are still some reasons for concern as the conference competition ratchets up.

The secondary, aside from two Bishop Fitzgerald picks, gave Purdue's receivers too much space and gifted them too many busted coverages. The run game didn't always find room and the passing attack wasn't always consistent.

But just closing out a close game on the road in the fourth quarter was a critical step for USC this season. The manner in which it shut the door on Purdue was especially encouraging, given how similar circumstances were handled a season ago.

USC had just two fourthquarter drives, which it turned into just three total points. On paper, without context, they might look entirely unremarkable. The Trojans averaged just 5.95 yards per play through that stretch, nearly a yard lower than they managed during the full game.

But those two drives, from a situational perspective, were precisely what USC needed in that moment.