Stanford Stands in Way of USC Comeback Today

It’s back to work for USC, now and for the rest of the season, as the Trojans get down to the serious matter of trying to defend their Pacific 10 football championship. After two byes in five weeks, USC has a string of seven games, beginning with Stanford today at the Coliseum, that will determine whether the Trojans are capable of being a factor in the conference race.

The Trojans, 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-10, can’t afford to lose another league game and realistically expect to return to the Rose Bowl.

Stanford, 1-4 and 0-2, is a 15-point underdog, but the Cardinal is always conceded a chance for an upset because of its traditional offensive philosophy.

Teams that emphasize passing are like fighters who have a knockout punch, if no other skill. Stanford has that weapon and a quality quarterback, John Paye, to implement it.

“Stanford is a team that concerns us from a preparation standpoint,” USC Coach Ted Tollner said.

“Stanford has an explosive offense, can score rapidly and move the ball with big chunks of yardage. That ability far outweighs their won-lost record. Those kinds of teams can beat you.”

But Stanford has beaten only San Jose State, in its opening game. It has lost four straight, to Oregon, Texas, San Diego State and UCLA.

Still, Tollner has a point since Stanford is averaging 433.6 yards a game, 322.4 passing. But the opposition is rolling along at the same rate, averaging 436.4 yards and 33 points a game.

Stanford’s defense isn’t usually battered for an entire game, but it has a tendency to break down and get burned on big plays.

For example, the Cardinal trailed UCLA, 13-9, in the third quarter. But a 51-yard scoring pass to Willie Anderson when cornerback Toi Cook tried for an interception instead of knocking the ball away, and a 40-yard touchdown run by tailback James Primus broke the game open. The Bruins went on to win, 34-9.

Stanford attacked UCLA last week with short passes, mainly to the outside. Paye didn’t throw deep often because he was frequently either harassed by the Bruin rush or wasn’t patient enough to wait for a deep pattern to develop.

Paye has admirable statistics, though. He has completed 69% of his passes for 1,623 yards and 7 touchdowns while throwing only 5 interceptions.

But he’s operating behind an inexperienced offensive line. Tackle John Barns is the only lineman with any previous starting experience.

In fact, Stanford is generally rebuilding as Coach Jack Elway has only nine starters back from his 5-6 team last season.

The Cardinal could be at a disadvantage today if versatile fullback Brad Muster is unable to play. He has a chest injury and sat out most of the UCLA game.

Muster is the nation’s leading college receiver with 45 catches and a 9.6-yard average per catch. He is also his team’s most productive running back with an average of 4.1 yards a carry.

Tollner is hardly concerned with Stanford’s problems, however. As he said, he has to get his own team moving.

The Trojans haven’t proven much this season. They beat 10th-ranked Illinois, 20-10, in the opener, but the Illini were apparently overrated, since they have a 2-3 record.

Then USC was upset by Baylor, 20-13, and by Arizona State, 24-0, before routing outclassed Oregon State, 63-0.

Washington and Arizona, unbeaten in conference play, have the edge on the rest of the conference. Every other team has at least one loss. USC will play Washington later in the season, but Arizona isn’t on the schedule. So even if the Trojans win the rest of their conference games, they will be shut out of the Rose Bowl unless someone beats Arizona.

Trojan Notes

Today’s game will begin at 1:30 p.m. and is expected to attract a crowd of 60,000. . . . A taped replay of the game will be shown at 1 p.m. Sunday on Channel 2. . . . Mike Garrett, USC’s first Heisman Trophy-winning tailback, will be honored in a pregame ceremony for his induction into the College Hall of Fame. More fun: a parachutist will land at midfield--everybody is hoping--and deliver the game ball. . . . Quarterback Sean Salisbury will become USC’s all-time passing leader if he completes eight passes today. That would give him 300 for his career, one more than Paul McDonald completed. . . . Ted Tollner said that Salisbury has been more consistent in practice with his passing than he has ever been. Salisbury had only one subpar game, against Arizona State Sept. 28, when he completed only 5 of 13 passes, threw an interception and lost two fumbles. . . . Tight end Paul Green, tailback Steve Webster and outside linebacker Greg Coauette will miss today’s game because of ankle injuries.

Stanford quarterback John Paye suffered a strained tendon on a finger of his passing hand in last year’s game with USC and had to leave in the second quarter. He hadn’t completed a pass in four attempts at the time. Fred Buckley replaced Paye as USC beat Stanford, 20-11, at Palo Alto. . . . Barry McKeever, son of the late USC All-American guard, Mike McKeever, and nephew of Marlin McKeever, a former USC All-American end, is a reserve linebacker for the Cardinal. “I remember when I told my mom that I had decided to go to Stanford (instead of USC), she leaned over, hit me and called me a jerk,” McKeever said. “But she knew it was best for me, and so did my uncle.” . . . Fred Crutcher, who is No. 7 on the all-time USC rushing list with 2,483 yards, and Aaron Emanuel are expected to share playing time at tailback today. Ryan Knight, who has been hampered by an ankle injury, is also available. . . . The USC-Stanford series began in 1905 with the Cardinal winning, 16-0, spoiling an unbeaten season for the Trojans, who had previously mopped up on such teams as the National Guard, L.A. Poly High School and Whittier Reform School. . . . USC leads the all-time series, 42-18-3. . . . Representatives of the Fiesta, Holiday, Sun and Freedom bowls will be in the press box today, although their presence would seem to be premature.