CBS SportsLine wire reports
Sept. 19, 1998

LOS ANGELES -- Chad Morton rushed for 123 yards and a late touchdown Saturday night as No. 18 Southern California scored 17 points in the final two minutes to break open a close game and beat Oregon State 40-20.

Adam Abrams kicked

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his fourth field goal for a six-point lead with 2:11 remaining. After Oregon State failed on a fourth-and-10 try, USC took over at the Beavers' 12 and Morton scored on a 12-yard run with 1:27 left.

Linebacker Chris Claiborne capped the scoring when he intercepted a pass by Tyler Tomich and returned it 40 yards for a TD with 59 seconds left.

Southern California, 3-0 under new coach Paul Hackett, never trailed in the Pac-10 opener, but the 15-point underdog Beavers stayed close until the Trojans' late scoring burst.

The victory was the Trojans' 24th straight over Oregon State (1-2) dating back 31 years.

MORTON CARRIED 23 TIMES FOR USC, and Mike Van Raaphorst completed 12-of-26 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown.

Terrance Bryant completed 19-of-46 for 101 yards and one touchdown for Oregon State, which kept the game close most of the way despite not being able to generate much offense.

The Beavers, who trailed 17-7 in the second quarter, came back to tie it at 17 when Tim Alexander ran the second-half kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown. But they got only a 33-yard field goal by Jose Cortez afterward.

The loss kept long-suffering Oregon State from stringing together three victories since winning the last three games of the 1970 season.

The Trojans and Beavers traded 33-yard field goals in the fourth quarter, with Abrams hitting his third kick to put the Trojans up 23-20, and Cortez making his second.

AFTER ALEXANDER'S KICKOFF RETURN,

Greg Ainsworth, left, is brought down by Antuan Simmons (AP)

the Trojans went back in front on Abrams' 28-yard field goal, set up when Pat Swanson recovered Ken Simonton's fumble at the Oregon State 37.

Alexander, a three-year starter at quarterback who lost the job to Bryant and shifted to flanker, fielded the kickoff at the goal line, sprinted up the middle untouched and outran the defenders.

The Beavers got a 28-yard field goal by Cortez -- with help from the Trojans -- in the final minute of the first half to close within 17-10.

Rashard Cook intercepted Bryant's pass in the USC end zone, but the Trojans drew a roughing the passer call that gave the Beavers the ball at the Trojans' 12, and after three plays netted just 2 yards, Cortez made his kick with 47 seconds left in the half.

USC opened a 17-7 lead earlier in the second quarter. With Oregon State punting from its own 19, Danny Bravo blocked the kick and Cook recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

Abrams kicked a 33-yarder later in the quarter to put USC up by 10.

THE TROJANS STRUCK FOR A QUICK early touchdown, with Van Raaphorst throwing a 47-yard touchdown pass to Larry Parker on the fourth play of the game. Parker, running a crossing pattern, got a step behind the Oregon State defender and Van Raaphorst's pass was right on target.

The Beavers evened it shortly afterward, with Darnell Robinson recovering the ball at the USC 27 when R. Jay Soward fumbled a punt. Bryant capped the short drive with a 5-yard scoring pass to James Battle, who leaped up between two defenders and came down with the ball.

Oregon State hasn't beaten USC since 1967, when the Beavers shut down Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson 3-0 in the mud at Corvallis. The last time the Beavers beat the Trojans in Los Angeles was in 1960.