FanHouse Stafon Johnson

When in doubt, play defense. That seems to be the philosophy right now at USC, which has taken an offense with nine returning starters and the nation's best offensive line and driven it into a ditch for large stretches of this season. And so it was on the road Saturday, the USC Trojans steadily outplaying the Cal Bears on the way to a 30-3 victory.

Mirroring last week's performance against Washington State, USC came out firing offensively in building a 20-0 second-quarter lead, eventually cooled, and still cruised to victory behind yet another dominating defensive performance. Strange days considering that defense was one of the best of this era last year and graduated the bulk of its talent to the NFL.

Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten tries to make sense out of the upcoming weekend's games.

It was not supposed to be like this for Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State Spartans. Sure, they lost in the Capital One Bowl last season, but not by much, which is why many people tagged them as the Big Ten's third-best team going into this year. It was going to be hard to replace Brian Hoyer and Javon Ringer, but at long last things were looking up for Sparty.

Now, after a heart-shattering 1-3 start, things are still looking up, if only because "up" is the only direction left. Now it's time to pull the wreckage of this season out of the ditch to see what can be salvaged.

Folks around USC are experiencing those classic feelings of relief Tuesday after senior back Stafon Johnson came out of surgery alive and with a good prognosis after his dramatic weight lifting incident Monday afternoon.

Johnson emerged from seven hours of complicated surgery conscious and cognizant, but unable to speak, communicating through writing and hand signals. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a while and will likely miss the rest of this season.

So, where does that leave his career? And how does USC move forward without its most effective short yardage runner since LenDale White? In the short term there's tremendous uncertainty for both although each has unusual resources at their disposal that could make for a special reunion if the parties can individually clear particular hurdles.

It doesn't matter if you've played in the NFL or just worked out with free weights at your local health club, the danger of being injured weightlifting exists every time a person does a lifting workout.

And, it can happen at any time and it doesn't matter if you have a spotter in place or not.

That certainly was the case for USC senior running back Stafon Johnson, who had to go through a seven-hour surgical procedure to repair injuries to his windpipe and larynx sustained when he dropped a weight bar on his neck while bench-pressing Monday.

Update: Stafon Johnson left surgery around midnight last night, after doctors worked on him for around seven hours. Johnson is expected to make a full recovery but is unlikely to play again this season.

Earlier: USC's official football blog says the bar slipped out of his right hand and fell at an angle onto his throat. He is now having surgery on his throat. USC says he had a spotter but it was an extremely unusual situation.

Earlier: ESPN's SportsCenter is reporting that USC tailback Stafon Johnson was hospitalized after a lifting accident. A bar apparently fell on Johnson's throat while lifting. Little else is known at this time. ESPN's Shelley Smith said Johnson was coughing up blood and bleeding from the nose, adding that his situation is "very serious" and that possibly he would need surgery.

The embattled Ohio State football program -- losers of five straight against elite programs -- made its stand. Saturday night was going to be the place where they bucked history and reclaimed some former glory in toppling No. 3 USC. Over 106,000 fans, most in Ohio Stadium history, made life hell for the visitors from sunny California. The Buckeye defense made stop after stop, harassing the Trojan run game and freshman quarterback Matt Barkley over four solid quarters. They made their stand, but in soul-crushing fashion, they once again failed.

Trailing 15-10 and looking ready to wilt, USC mounted a 14-play, 86-yard, six minute touchdown drive to go ahead 18-15 with just over a minute left. Same. Old. Story. Not enough.