Bloom Is Off the Rose for Trojans : College football: An opportunity briefly presents itself, but Stanford nips it in the bud by beating USC, 23-9.

PALO ALTO —  When Arizona upset top-ranked Washington on Saturday at Tucson, it opened a window of opportunity for USC, giving the Trojans a more realistic shot at reaching the Rose Bowl.

Stanford slammed it shut.

The Cardinal defeated the 11th-ranked Trojans, 23-9, before 72,571 at Stanford Stadium, taking advantage of five turnovers to earn its first victory over USC at Palo Alto since 1970.

“It was a great victory for Stanford,” Cardinal Coach Bill Walsh said. “It was the best game of the year offensively, defensively and in special teams. We held off an outstanding Trojan team.”

Stanford never trailed, scoring 10 points in its first two possessions and effectively shutting down the USC offense the rest of the way, intercepting four passes and limiting the Trojans to 59 yards rushing.

The loss ended a four-game winning streak for USC, which could have pulled into a tie with Washington for the Pacific 10 Conference lead and all but guaranteed itself a bowl bid with a victory.

The Trojans are 5-2-1 overall, 4-2 in the Pac-10. They are still in position to attract a postseason bid, but are suddenly less attractive to organizers of major bowls, such as the Fiesta.

Stanford is 7-3 and 4-2.

“Any loss is a big disappointment, especially since guys get a taste of winning consistently; and then all of a sudden, you come up here and pretty much get dominated by a team that we feel we should beat,” said Trojan linebacker Jeff Kopp, a sophomore from nearby Danville.

Senior safety Stephon Pace said the Trojans were unprepared.

“It had nothing to do with the coaching staff,” he said. “It had to do with the players. We weren’t ready to play at the very beginning. After a while, we got going, but by then they were up on us.

“It wasn’t a week where we went out and took care of business. I think we caught ourselves paying attention more to what Arizona and Washington did than to what USC and Stanford (were doing).”

Soon after Arizona upset Washington in a game that started three hours earlier, the Cardinal had revealed its game plan, using a no-huddle offense and a ball-control passing attack to move down the field in its first possession.

A 47-yard field goal by freshman Eric Abrams gave Stanford the lead for good only 2:24 into the game.

After forcing a punt, Stanford scored again in its second possession, this time on a 38-yard pass play from quarterback Steve Stenstrom to fullback J.J. Lasley. The pass to Lasley, a senior from Crespi High in Encino who caught nine passes for 125 yards, capped an 80-yard drive.

“It was really hard to try to figure out what their offense was going to throw at you,” USC defensive tackle David Webb said. “They put you in queer situations. They got us thinking a little too much.”

Stenstrom completed 23 of 39 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, and Stanford ran for 118 yards.

The USC offense didn’t awaken until late.

During the Trojans’ second possession, quarterback Rob Johnson threw the first of his three interceptions, a high for his career.

Dwight McFadden, a second-year freshman who made his first start for the Trojans at tailback, lost a fumble at USC’s 17-yard line in the second quarter after he was hit hard by Stanford free safety John Lynch.

Stanford didn’t take advantage. On the next play, USC cornerback Jason Oliver made a diving interception of Stenstrom’s pass.

Still, after Abrams added the second of his three field goals with 4:17 to play in the second quarter and a pass by USC’s backup quarterback, Reggie Perry, was intercepted in the end zone, Stanford led at halftime, 13-0.

Johnson had been lifted, Coach Larry Smith said, because “Rob was having difficulty making things happen, and we thought maybe Reggie would give us a little spark.”

Kyle Wachholtz, another Trojan quarterback, was unavailable after tearing a stomach muscle in practice last week.

Perry started the second half and, after USC took the kickoff, led a 53-yard drive that ended when sophomore Cole Ford kicked a personal-best 41-yard field goal to cut the Trojan deficit to 13-3.

Johnson returned in the fourth quarter and moved the Trojans into scoring position at Stanford’s 28-yard line. But his first-down pass intended for split end Johnnie Morton was tipped by cornerback Vaughn Bryant and intercepted in the end zone by strong safety Seyon Albert.

“I was just trying to throw the ball out of (the end zone),” Johnson said. “They covered it really well. I tried to throw it across my body and didn’t get enough on it. I didn’t intend to underthrow it like that.”

Abrams soon added to the Cardinal lead, kicking a 49-yard field goal with 9:41 remaining to make it 16-3.

With time running out, USC tried a trick play. And it worked, flanker Curtis Conway taking the ball on a reverse before passing 44 yards to Morton, who would have scored if he hadn’t slipped at Stanford’s four-yard line.

Two plays later, McFadden scored on a one-yard dive, pulling USC to within 16-9. Ford’s conversion attempt was blocked by Darrien Gordon.

USC had time to pull it out.

But after Stanford ran more than 5 1/2 minutes off the clock before it was forced to punt, Johnson was hit as he threw and his pass was intercepted by Lynch, who returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.

The Trojans were disappointed, but it could have been worse.

“We played a very poor first half, particularly offensively,” Smith said. “(We) kept our defense on the field. I’m amazed our defense didn’t crack. They kept us in the game, kept it so we at least had a chance.”

* ON THE REBOUND: Stanford comes back from a beating at Washington to record what Coach Bill Walsh calls its most satisfying victory of the season. C6