But, as the Trojans trailed by five points late in the fourth quarter, Barkley, with the help of running Joe McKnight and an offensive line that finally found its rhythm after being out of sync, engineered an 86-yard drive to the winning touchdown with just over a minute left. Final score, USC 18, Ohio State 15.

With a national television audience watching his every move and the rabid Ohio State faithful ready to swallow him like a grape, Barkley, the tall boyish blond from Orange County, couldn't have had a bigger opponent. Jeremy Bates, USC's new offensive coordinator, called plays for the freshman that were high percentage. Barkley either handed the ball off to McKnight and Stafon Johnson, the two backs in USC's running arsenal that got most of the playing time, or he threw short, easy-to-catch passes to his tight ends. USC's longest play actually came on an interception of a Terreile Pryor pass by linebacker Chris Galippo in the first quarter, who returned it 50 yards to the Ohio State four-yard line.

But with the game on the line, Bates had to open up the offense because the Ohio State front seven had stubbornly stopped the USC running attack. Barkley responded by completing three of five passes, converted twice on fourth and one sneaks, and Johnson scored on a sprint that gave USC the victory.

"He's no longer that young freshman quarterback," Bates said in the jubilant Trojans dressing room.

Overall, this Ohio State team looked much stronger than the one that USC easily defeated in the Coliseum a year ago. Pryor was elusive, both in his running and passing. USC must have thought Vince Young was playing in the Horseshoe. It appeared that Ohio State was USC's equal and would hold on to a 15-10 lead until the final gun.

One play that irritated Carroll was a bad snap on a fourth-down punt that went through the hands of Billy O'Malley and out of the end zone for a safety. It was a costly error and one that USC teams usually don;t make.

In the end, it was sighs of relief on one side of the field, and groans of frustration on the other. Both teams deserved to win but both also showed that they deserving, yet, of playing for a national championship.

USC is now 13-9-1 against Ohio State and has won the last seven games played between the two teams.

Up next is a home game this Saturday against Washington, now coached by former Trojans offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. The Huskies broke a 15-game losing streak Saturday with a 42-23 win over Idaho.