Trojans Bounced at Berkeley : Hicks Puts Bear-Hug on Fumble and Runs USC Out of Rose Bowl

California’s Marc Hicks scored a late touchdown in a most improbable manner to clinch a most improbable 14-6 victory over USC Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The Trojans, with a stagnant offense, got only two field goals and were virtually eliminated from the Rose Bowl race by a previously struggling, last-place team in the Pac-10.

USC Coach Ted Tollner said the loss to a 10-point underdog was the lowest point since he became the school’s coach in 1983. Quarterback Sean Salisbury echoed that sentiment.

Although USC was inept offensively, it still had a chance to win while trailing, 7-6, midway through the fourth quarter.

Al Washington, normally sure-handed in returning punts, couldn’t handle a ball at midfield and fumbled to Cal.

The Bears moved to a first down at the USC 16-yard line. Outside linebacker Marcus Cotton then jarred the ball loose from Cal quarterback Kevin Brown, who was trying to hand off to Hicks.

Hicks, an impressive freshman, picked the ball off the ground, sprinted to the corner and scored easily. Hicks provided Cal with its other touchdown in the first quarter when he took a short pass from Brown and broke two tackles on a 26-yard scoring play.

There was time, a little more than four minutes remaining, for USC to salvage a tie with a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Salisbury moved the Trojans to the Cal 38, where on a fourth-and-one situation he lofted a surprise deep pass to tight end Joe Cormier with 1:49 left.

Cormier was alone on the Cal 11-yard line, but the ball was just out of his reach. “I thought I could pull it in,” Cormier said, “but I only had my fingertips on the ball.”

Salisbury was kneeling dejectedly on the artificial turf after the ball eluded Cormier.

“I never saw the ball. I got hit right after I threw it,” Salisbury said. “This is an all-time low. I don’t believe it. I’m dumbfounded.”

So are those people who made the Trojans a heavy favorite to repeat as Pac-10 champion with another trip to the Rose Bowl.

But USC is 4-4 overall now, 3-2 in the Pac-10, without any bowl prospects.

California hadn’t beaten USC since 1977 and it has been generous defensively this season as previous opponents hadn’t scored fewer than 20 points against the Bears.

So what’s wrong with a USC offense that couldn’t score a touchdown against Cal for the first time since 1957 when a 1-9 team, worst in the school’s history, lost, 12-0, here?

There weren’t any perceptive answers.

“I don’t know what to say. We had every chance to win the game and didn’t do it,” said Tollner, referring to USC’s desirable field position in the second half. “We’re not doing anything drastically different (offensively) than what the school has always done. But you have to evaluate something when you score only two field goals.”

California, now 4-6 overall and 2-6 in the Pac-10, is probably a better team than its record indicates--and it has been competitive in most of its games.

But that still doesn’t account for USC’s shoddy showing offensively. USC’s defense played decently enough, but the Trojans haven’t been a catch-up, big-play team in the Tollner era, especially this season.

“We just didn’t play at the level to be successful, and I don’t have any answers,” Tollner said. “It’s as low as we’ve been. We had so much to shoot for. You have to win this type of game.”

California came out with a new look on offense. Hicks, a strong runner with a deceptive, gliding cutback move, was the deep tailback. Dwight Garner and Ed Barbero were in front of him in sort of an inverted wishbone.

Hicks wound up with 113 yards rushing in 22 carries, a 5.1 average and even made a first down from punt formation after fumbling a low snap. He’s a triple threat sort of a back, a throwback to the ‘30s and ‘40s.

On the touchdown that put USC away, Hicks said that he was told to look for the ball if he didn’t get it. He found it all right, stunning the Trojans.

“I didn’t even see the ball,” Cotton said. “I thought I had a sack. I looked up and there he was in the end zone.”

Defensive tackle Matt Koart said he saw the ball but couldn’t get to it in time.

Matt Johnson, USC’s boundary cornerback, said he was blitzing from the corner. “I saw the ball, but I was focusing on hitting the quarterback,” Johnson said.

Cal led, 7-3, at halftime on Hicks’ dazzling run. He caught a short pass from Brown at the USC 15, pulled away from Cotton and charged through an attempted tackle by inside linebacker Sam Anno.

“I hit him, but I didn’t wrap him up,” Cotton said. “He’s very talented. He can do about anything, as he showed today.”

USC stayed close at halftime on Don Shafer’s 32-yard field goal. The Trojans were bogged down in their own territory most of the first half, but had better field position in the third quarter.

USC got to the Cal 44 and 36-yard lines in the third quarter, but no farther. Then, at the outset of the fourth quarter, split end Hank Norman couldn’t hold Salisbury’s perfect pass at the Cal 11--and the Bears dodged a bullet.

But USC was fortunate, too. Cal’s Leland Rix missed on a 36-yard field goal attempt late in the second quarter and his 30-yard try was blocked by safety Tim McDonald in the third quarter.

The Trojans closed to 7-6 early in the fourth quarter on Shafer’s 31-yard field goal that was set up when Barbero fumbled at the Cal 24.

USC forced Cal to punt on its next possession, but Washington bobbled the ball and cornerback Gary Hein was credited with the fumble recovery.

The Bears then moved into scoring position, and Hicks provided the clincher with his alert 16-yard touchdown.

California hasn’t provided much opposition for USC in recent years. Since 1980, the Trojans have been especially dominant, out-scoring the Bears, 173 points to 26.

USC has three conference games remaining, Washington next Saturday at Seattle, UCLA Nov. 23 at the Coliseum, and Oregon Nov. 30 at Tokyo. But the Trojans are out of the Rose Bowl race, excluding some extreme circumstances. “We’re just playing on pride the rest of the way,” Tollner said.

Tollner said that Cal controlled USC’s running game at critical junctures during the game. With Fred Crutcher, in the first half, and Ryan Knight, in the second half, sharing the tailback position, USC had only 130 yards on the ground. Cal had 228 yards rushing and led in total offense with 384 yards to USC’s 296.

The Trojans, kept out of the end zone again, have failed to score a touchdown while losing to Arizona State, Notre Dame and now Cal.

“I can’t pinpoint what’s wrong. I just can’t believe it,” Salisbury said. ‘You have to give Cal credit but it (the loss) hurts bad.”

Tollner said he didn’t consider using reserve quarterback Rodney Peete, a running threat, in the second half because USC was getting good field position under Salisbury’s direction.

Koart said that this season has been more frustrating than 1983, when USC was 4-6-1 in Tollner’s first year as coach.

“I was only a 225-pound tackle then and we didn’t have much experience,” he said. “But there are no excuses. Everybody is working hard and it’s not a lack of effort. I just can’t look at it (the record) now. But after the season I will be very disappointed.”