After the conclusion of his first home game coaching Southern California, Lane Kiffin strode through a deflated locker room, one he later called one of the most miserable he has ever encountered - at least after a win.
The No. 16 Trojans eked out a 17-14 victory Saturday night against visiting Virginia, whose gritty players embraced their team's underdog role with gusto in the storied stadium that houses 11 national championship trophies. The 81,375 fans on-hand at Memorial Coliseum expected to revel in a glorious pulverization of a team picked to finish last in their conference - instead, they watched the Cavaliers scratch and claw at their battered Trojans for a full 60 minutes in a defiant refusal to submit to all the hoopla.
"We came to play to win," Virginia coach Mike London said. "We didn't come to just feel good about staying close with them ... I'm proud of the effort of my team and the coaches and the game plan they put together."
After several consecutive stalled drives, the Cavaliers finally got the ball moving and nearly kick-started an improbable comeback run late during the fourth quarter. Following USC's 34-yard field goal that extended its lead to 17-7, Virginia was bailed out by two 15-yard personal foul penalties in a row, bringing the ball to the USC 35-yard line. Sophomore wide receiver Tim Smith then gathered a reverse handoff and dashed 16 yards down the sideline, setting up a suddenly confident Virginia offense for a score. But the Cavaliers -
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