LOS ANGELES — Words such as “frustrating” and “disappointing” haven’t been thrown around in regard to USC’s defense in quite some time — at least by the Trojans.

But after a second consecutive squeaker featuring a whole bunch of points by the other guys, USC couldn’t help but feel frustrated and disappointed, if not concerned.
Some early stops, a relentless offense and a big special-teams play helped No. 4 USC hold off Oregon State, 42-36, on Saturday night at the Coliseum. The victory sets up a Pac-10 showdown next Saturday at No. 12 Oregon, which has won six in a row and leads the conference with a 4-0 record.
Oregon State became the first team to score 30-plus points against the Trojans since Nebraska in September 2007. That came on the heels of Notre Dame scoring 27 against a defense that hadn’t surrendered more than 16 in any of its first five games.
“At least we won,” defensive tackle Armond Armstead said, and that’s more than USC could say about last season’s meeting with Oregon State.
The Beavers stunned the then No. 1-Trojans last September, jumping on them early, running at them persistently and altering their BCS fortunes. This time, it was USC (6-1, 3-1 Pac-10) that started fast and hung on.
“It was the opposite almost,” defensive coordinator Rocky Seto said.
He could have been talking about the sea change USC has experienced the past two weeks. As the offense has grown under freshman quarterback Matt Barkley the Trojans increased their point total for the fourth consecutive week the defense has slipped.
USC entered this week fifth in scoring defense (11.7 points per game) and ninth in total defense (260 yards per game). Yet Oregon State (4-3, 2-2) continually found cracks, piling up 482 yards of offense — the most against the Trojans since Texas had 556 in the Jan. 4, 2006, Rose Bowl.
“This was a different game than we hoped to have,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “We were scrambling trying to slow them down. It was a very hard night for us on defense.”
The Trojans initially did well against 2008 nemesis Jacquizz Rodgers, who had just 18 rushing yards in the first half (he missed the second quarter because of a sprained ankle). But after concentrating so much on stopping the inside running game, USC left room on the perimeter. Rodgers ended up with 113 yards, becoming the first back to top 100 against the Trojans this season.
“Tackling was important for us in the first half,” Seto said. “In the second half, we missed some tackles and gave up some big plays.”
Meanwhile, patient Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield kept the Beavers moving with a series of bubble screens and checkdowns. He finished with 329 yards and three touchdown passes. If Oregon State had done a better job of converting in the first half the Beavers settled for four field goals, making three the outcome might have been different.
“The real difference was in the first half,” Canfield said. “You have to get touchdowns out of those (drives) if you want to win, especially against a team like USC.”
In the second half, the touchdowns came. Only Oregon State constantly was playing from behind.
The Beavers twice cut the Trojans’ lead to five points in the third quarter; each time, USC responded.
Junior tailback Allen Bradford served as the hammer, rushing for a career-best 147 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yarder that gave the Trojans a 35-23 lead late in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth, Damian Williams provided what turned out to be the winning points with a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown. He became the first Trojan to score two punt-return touchdowns in one season since Reggie Bush in 2004.
“The punt return was exhilarating,” Carroll said. “I thought it was the play of the year.”
But the Beavers kept coming. Both Rodgers brothers (Jacquizz, 1-yard run; James, 7-yard pass) scored touchdowns to make it a six-point game with 5:41 left. The onus turned back to the USC offense to run out the clock and the unit delivered.
Bradford converted a third-and-1 with a plunge into the line, and Barkley and Williams hooked up for a 7-yard pass on third-and-2.
“I was happy with how we kept responding,” said Barkley, who passed for 202 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The offense had to on a night when the defense wasn’t its best.
Then again, as linebacker Chris Galippo said: “I’d rather win a million games giving up 36 points than give up three points and lose.”