CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The loose ball tumbled through the end zone, slipping through one set of fingertips, then another, blue-and-orange bodies clawing desperately aside cardinal-and-gold ones. So much had gone poorly for No. 21 USC all afternoon, from its struggling secondary to its stifled pass rush to its inconsistent quarterback, but at the most critical moment in its season thus far, here was a particularly fortunate twist of fate, as linebacker Eric Gentry punched out a fumble, and somehow, some way safety Christian Pierce landed on top of it.
The late-game gift, with six minutes remaining, had come after a particularly frustrating afternoon. The deck had seemed stacked against the Trojans from the start of Saturday’s 34-32 loss to No. 23 Illinois. Not only were they playing without two starting offensive linemen and their top red-zone target, they lost Kamari Ramsey, their defensive leader, to a bout of food poisoning just before the game.