"RAAAANR! RAAAANR!" The Oregon State chainsaw revved as it prepared to saw down the mighty Trojan wall. "RAAANR!" There goes the twenty-seven game Pac-10 winning streak.

The University of Southern California suffered their first loss in the Pac-10 since 2003 on Saturday. It didn't come against No. 10 California, nor No. 24 Oregon, nor even to unranked cross-town rival, UCLA. Nope, this loss came in Corvallis, Oregon against the mediocre Oregon State Beavers.

Before kickoff, the last game before Halloween seemed ominous for USC. Fog rolled through Corvallis, making the atmosphere cold and dark despite a 12:30 pm kickoff. Coincidentally, Reser Stadium was filled with fans dressed in orange and black. The sky cleared just in time for kickoff, but the spooky atmosphere did not.

"BOO!" Oregon State quarterback Alex Moore scrambled into the end zone on the first drive of the game, giving the Beavers a 7-0 lead.

The Trojans tried to respond on the following drive when John David Booty threw a pass to Dwayne Jarrett in the end zone. "Trick or treat!" Oregon State cornerback Bryan Payton stepped up and took that ball from Jarrett's bobbling hands for an interception.

"RAAANR!" The Beavers saw cut into the Trojan wall.

Throughout the first half, the Trojans were haunted by phantom turnovers. In the second quarter, John David Booty botched a snap at the USC 27-yard line and Oregon State recovered. On the next drive, Chauncey Washington mysteriously dropped the football at the USC 36 without being touched. Again, Oregon State recovered. Both turnovers resulted in Alexis Serna field goals, and the Beavers paddled out of the first half with a 16-10 lead.

"We couldn't get out of our own way when we needed to," USC Coach Pete Carroll said today.

The haunting got much worse in the third quarter. Oregon State scored a touchdown on their first offensive drive. Then, after the Trojans went three-and-out, Sammie Stroughter returned the punt 69 yards to give OSU a 30-10 lead. On the first play after the kickoff, Washington again coughed the ball up at the USC 20. After Serna's field goal with 5:49 left in the third, the Beavers had a 23-point lead over the spooked Trojans.

"RAAANR! RAAANR! RAAANR!" The saw shouted every third down the Trojans could not convert.

Down by 23 points, it was time for the dawn of the dead. The Trojans would need to wake up for an epic comeback or risk falling from their lofty ranking in the national polls.

Wake up they did. After a botched the punt snap by the Beavers, the Trojans took over at the OSU 16. Three plays later they scared off the evil spirits, when Fred Davis caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Booty.

The fourth quarter was Steve Smith's time to trick-or-treat for USC. Smith caught a 37-yard touchdown pass to bring USC to within eight points with 12:20 remaining. Two drives later, with the game on the line, Smith caught three balls for 14, 22, and a 2-yard touchdown with 12 seconds remaining. He finished the day with 11 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns. His second TD catch put the Trojans in a position to tie the game.

"PUT! PUT!" The saw seemed to be out of gas. The Beavers gave it a little shake though and found the last ounces they needed.

With the Trojans trailing by two, Booty looked for Jarrett on his two-point conversion pass. However, the ball was batted at the line of scrimmage. It wobbled and fell to the ground, taking the powerful Trojan wall with it. Oregon State 33, USC 31.

With the loss, the Trojans are left trying to pick up the pieces. "The guys are serious and determined to get back on track," Carroll said at the opening of today's press conference.

USC has a tough road ahead. They are at a point where they can get back on the track and steam roll some very good teams, or they can become discouraged and fade away into a disappointing season. This team is certainly capable of being resilient. "We just are resilient," said Carroll when asked what makes the team resilient. "I am, and (as a result) they are."

The key for the Trojans will be playing like they did in the last 17 minutes of the game when they flooded the Beavers' defense for 21 unanswered points. For much of the season, USC has been a team struggling to hold on for wins. Many times, it seemed like the Trojans were playing not to lose. Saturday's fourth quarter was the first time in a long time the Trojans seemed more concerned with winning than not losing.

Carrying this mentality into the rest of the season will be the difference between the Rose Bowl and the Sun Bowl for the Trojans.

USC does not have Heisman winners, Matt Leinart or Reggie Bush, nor do they have LenDale White, like they have in years past. However, the biggest difference in the Trojans from last year and this year is their killer instinct, or lack thereof.

Not since the first week of the season, when USC stomped now No. 12 Arkansas 50-14, have the Trojans run away with a game. USC needs to get back to their dominating ways. They need to force the other team to make more turnovers and capitalize on the chances when they get them.

While no longer a realistic goal, the BCS Championship Game on January 8 is not completely out of the cards for the Trojans. However, they will have to act quickly to rebuild the Trojan wall that the Beavers dismantled this past weekend. Heading to take on the 0-8 Stanford Cardinal this weekend, the Trojans have an excellent opportunity to return to their old dominating ways. Don't be surprised if the sound heard at this weekend's game is the grunting of the Trojans rebuilding their wall.

NOTE: This blog was written as an assignment for the Journalism 499: Sports Commentary class at the University of Southern California, taught by Joshua Adande.