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SEATTLE (Ticker) -- It was worth the wait. John Anderson capped a wild final 5 1/2 minutes with a 32-yard field goal as time expired that lifted 10th-ranked Washington to a 27-24 victory over Pac-10 Conference rival Southern California. The Trojans (1-4, 0-3 Pac-10), who have struggled recently against Washington, forced a 24-24 tie with just under four minutes to play when Carson Palmer hit a streaking Kareem Kelly up the middle for a 58-yard touchdown. However, the unbeaten Huskies (4-0, 2-0) calmly moved down the field and positioned the ball perfectly for Anderson, who had missed on a 35-yard attempt with 8:37 left. "Everyone just told me to concentrate on the next one," Anderson said. "I mean I love having my teammates around me. I couldn't tell you how many people came up to me and told me to forget about it. Everyone said 'come on John, kick it through.'" Washington has won 12 games in a row, the third-longest streak in the country. The victory, however, could be a costly one after quarterback Cody Pickett separated his right shoulder in the first half. It is uncertain how long Pickett will be sidelined. Anderson improved to 12-of-15 from beyond 30 yards and it was his second field goal of the final quarter. He connected from 25 yards out with 11:13 to play to force a 17-17 tie, the third of four deadlocks in the tightly-contested battle. It was a dramatic renewel of a rivalry between the two all-time winningest schools in Pac-10 history. USC leads the all-time series, 42-26-4, but Washington has now won seven of the last 10 matchups. Saturday was the first meeting between the schools since 1998. It was also another dramatic victory in a long-line of comeback victories for the Huskies, who have rallied in the fourth quarter for 16 of their 21 wins under Rick Neuheisel, including earlier defeats of Michigan and California this season. "We have improved so much," Neuheisel said. "That was a really good game for us compared to what we've been doing. I liked the whole overall feel of it. We definitely took a step forward." Washington put up the only points of the opening quarter on Pickett's seven-yard TD pass to Todd Elstrom 13 1/2 minutes into the contest. However, USC scored a pair of touchdowns in the second period, with Palmer finding Charlie Landrigan for a 21-yard TD and safety Troy Polamalu returning an interception 22 yards. The Huskies forced a 14-14 tie during the early stages of the second half as Taylor Barton hooked up with freshman wideout Reggie Williams on a 13-yard score. But five minutes later, David Davis put USC on top with a 40-yard field goal. Barton completed 11-of-20 passes for 197 yards without being intercepted for the Huskies, who held a 441-286 total yards advantage. Palmer was 8-of-14 for just 152 yards but Sultan picked up the slack, gaining 132 yards on the ground on 32 attempts. "We came out a different team today. I thought we played good across the board, offensively, defensively and on special teams," Palmer said. "We just need to learn how to turn a corner and win." After Palmer and Kelly hooked up for the tying touchdown with 3:47 left, USC freshman B.J. Newberry sent the kickoff out of bounds, giving Washington control on its 35. Willie Hurst broke off runs of 11, seven and two yards into USC territory before the Trojans called a timeout. That appeared to halt Washington's momentum, as the Huskies managed just two yards on the next two plays. However, Barton hit Elstrom on the left side for an 18-yard gain to the 25 and Hurst went up the middle for three more yards. USC used its final two timeouts around a four-yard gain by Hurst before the senior dove for two more yards into the middle of the field. The Huskies let the clock wind down to three seconds before stopping it with a timeout of their own. Moments later Anderson provided the game-winner. Hurst totaled 102 yards on 19 carries, all but 18 of those yards coming after halftime. Williams totaled 101 yards on five receptions.
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