EUGENE, Ore. - As Mark Sanchez stared into the end zone while walking off the field, he wondered what could have been.
Only minutes earlier, his confidence was soaring as he led USC, trailing Oregon by seven, on a potentially game-tying drive with only seconds remaining.
But the Trojans' charge was brought to a screeching halt as Oregon safety Matthew Harper intercepted Sanchez's pass to cement a 24-17 Oregon win Saturday in front of a record 59,277 people at Autzen Stadium.
Saturday's seven-point differential was the most USC has lost by since a 2002 defeat at the hands of Kansas State.
Sanchez was trying to hit tight end Fred Davis when Harper jumped in front of the pass for his second interception of the game.
"I didn't even see him," Sanchez said. "Seeing him intercept that -- that was the lowest feeling ever." Down 24-10 with nearly five and a half minutes left in the game, Sanchez sparked No. 9 USC (6-2, 3-2 Pac-10) to a five-play, 85-yard drive. David Ausberry caught a pass in the back of the end zone to bring USC within seven.
"We thought we had a good chance to get back into it and started to feel it, but we just couldn't make it," USC coach Pete Carroll said.
After forcing No. 5 Oregon (7-1, 4-1) to punt, USC received the ball with a chance to send the game into overtime. Sanchez quickly drove the Trojans to Oregon's 33-yard line, but his interception allowed the Ducks to run out the remaining 11 seconds.
"The offense can't perform well when I take them out of it," Sanchez said. "It hurts me to know that's the reason for this loss."
Oregon scored 14 points off USC's three turnovers. The Trojans forced two fumbles from the Ducks but could only score three points off them.
USC outgained Oregon in total offense, 378 yards to 339, but the Trojans couldn't overcome the turnover margin.
"When you give teams the ball, it's so hard to win, especially with a team that's as loaded as Oregon is," Carroll said. The final drive and interception were a microcosm of Sanchez's day of highs and lows. In the second half, the redshirt sophomore hit Patrick Turner on a series of deep passes. Turner finished with seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
But Sanchez spent much of the day scrambling from the Ducks' defensive line. He finished with 277 yards on 26 of 41 passing with a pair of touchdowns to match his two interceptions.
"Last week I was a hero and this week I am a zero," Sanchez said. "That's the name of this game. I have to evaluate my mistakes."
Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon found Saturday to be much more serene than Sanchez did. Dixon ran for 76 yards and a touchdown and passed for an additional 157 yards.
Running back Jonathan Stewart led the Ducks with 103 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Stewart became the first back to rush for more than 100 yards against USC this season.
But it was the Ducks' defense that stymied the Trojans for much of the game. At the half, the Trojans had gained only 111 yards of offense.
"This was a defensive victory," Oregon coach Mike Belotti said. "Coach (Nick) Aliotti put together a tremendous game plan, and the kids executed it."
But even with the piercing screams of the raucous fans, the Trojans thought they had the Ducks where they wanted them on the final drive.
"We thought we were going to score," said linebacker Keith Rivers, who tied for a team-high 12 tackles. "We felt like if it went to overtime after that, we could hold on and get the win."
Now with two Pac-10 losses, USC is looking up in the Pac-10 standings at Oregon, UCLA, and Arizona State.
After winning at least a share of the Pac-10 title for the past five years, the Trojans will need more than a little help if they want an opportunity for an encore.
"This was a great win simply because USC has been the flag-bearer of the conference for the past three years," Belotti said.
With four games remaining on the schedule, USC has little time to look to the past.
"All we can do is clear up the mistakes we made in this game," Sanchez said. "We have the heart and the ability to bounce back from this."
