September 29, 1979
Southern Cal at Louisiana State
The top-ranked, 3-0 Southern Cal Trojans of coach John Robinson traveled to Baton Rouge to take on the 20th ranked, 2-0 Louisiana State Tigers of Charlie McClendon. Southern Cal’s Heisman Trophy winning, All-American RB Charles White rushed for 185 yards with a touchdown & All-Pac 10 QB Paul McDonald found WR Kevin Williams with 0:32 left in the game as the Trojans retained The Belt with a 17-12 victory. After exchanging interceptions, Southern Cal got a 32-yard field goal from PK Eric Hipp for a 3-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Early in the 2nd quarter, the Tigers took the lead when QB Steve Ensminger found RB LeRoid Jones on a 13-yard touchdown pass. Late in the quarter, Louisiana State’s PK Don Barthel connected on a 32-yard field goal giving the Tigers a 9-3 halftime lead. After Hipp missed a field goal on Southern Cal’s first drive of the 3rd quarter, Barthel hit on a 28-yard field goal as Louisiana State pushed the lead to 12-3. Early in the 4th quarter, the Trojans drove 57 yards in 6 plays with White scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run but still trailed 12-10. With 4:16 to play, Southern Cal took possession at their own 21-yard line & methodically moved down the field. Louisiana State still led 12-10 but with 0:32 to play, McDonald hit Williams with an 8-yard touchdown pass for the 17-12 win. McDonald finished with 145 yards passing with a touchdown. Ensminger threw for 91 yards with a touchdown in the loss. Southern Cal finished the season 11-0-1; Pac-10 Champions & ranked 2nd nationally while the Tigers finished 7-5 in McClendon’s final season. Louisiana State would play for The Belt again in 1983.
Leave a Reply