For USC and Washington, This Is a Comedown Today

In almost every November since the ‘70s, the outcome of the USC-Washington game has had a bearing on the Rose Bowl race.

But this time around these dinosaurs, who between them have won 10 of the last 13 conference championships, are just trying to salvage seasons that began with high expectations.

The Trojans, 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the Pacific 10, and Washington (5-4 and 4-2) have been all but eliminated from the Rose Bowl, or, perhaps, from any bowl.

So, as USC Coach Ted Tollner said, only pride, self-esteem and the prospect of a winning record are at stake in today’s game at Husky Stadium.

USC and Washington have had similar seasons. Both teams have been routed, the Huskies by Arizona State, 36-7, and Brigham Young, 31-3, and the Trojans by Notre Dame, 37-3, and Arizona State, 24-0.

Both teams have been upset, Washington by Oregon State, 21-20, and USC by California, 14-6, last Saturday.

Both teams have also suffered injuries to key players, but the really good teams overcome adversity.

Washington Coach Don James anticipated at the start of the season that his offense would carry the team, considering that he lost five defensive starters, four now playing in the NFL.

But the Husky offense has broken down at times, especially when Rick Fenney, a 242-pound fullback, has been unable to play because of an assortment of injuries. He is expected to be available today.

USC, with a veteran offensive line and reputed quality tailbacks, was also expected to be an offensive force this season. But the Trojans can’t seem to locate the end zone. They failed to score a touchdown in losses to Arizona State, Notre Dame and California.

The drought, though, isn’t of historical significance. USC was shut out six times during John McKay’s first two seasons as coach in 1960 and ’61.

Tollner, in an effort to revive his offense, has turned to Rodney Peete, a redshirt freshman, who will start at quarterback today, relieving veteran Sean Salisbury.

Salisbury will play, too, although Tollner isn’t sure to what degree.

Peete is a versatile athlete who also plays on the USC baseball team. He’s probably the fastest quarterback the Trojans have had in the modern era of the game. But he’s inexperienced, and James will most likely try to confuse him with disguised defenses.

“What we’ve read and heard about him, we’ll be more contain conscious,” James said. “They’ll probably put in more sprintouts and rollouts for him. We have a young, freshman quarterback, Le-Lo Lang (from Jordan High in Los Angeles), who we work against every week. He has excellent quickness and we’ve had him scrambling more this week.”

Tollner said that he just wants to see what Peete can do when a game is on the line.

Salisbury has had a star-crossed career at USC. A heavily recruited athlete from Escondido, he became USC’s starting quarterback in 1982. But he went down with a season-ending knee injury in the seventh game.

He was a starter again in 1983, Tollner’s first season as USC’s coach, and the team had a 4-6-1 record, the first losing season in 22 years.

Another knee injury early in the 1984 season forced him to the sidelines. Tim Green took over at quarterback as USC won the Pac-10 championship and beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

It was Salisbury’s team again this year and, although his passing statistics are decent, the team is struggling offensively.

Salisbury has a 15-12-1 record as a starting quarterback but only a 10-10-1 mark under Tollner.

Last year, the conference race came down to a game between USC and Washington at the Coliseum. The Trojans beat the No. 1-ranked Huskies, 16-7. It was Washington’s only loss in an 11-1 season that included a victory over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

But that accomplishment seems to be ancient history to some USC supporters, who are grumbling about Tollner and his .500 team.

“We accomplished something (the Rose Bowl victory) that hadn’t been done in some time (1980), but nobody wants to hear about those things,” Tollner said. “The only thing that counts is right now. We’re 4-4 and that’s not acceptable to me or anybody else who cares about USC football.”

Trojan Notes There is a probability of rain, the usual weather condition in the Northwest at this time of the year. . . . Washington is a 1 1/2-point favorite. . . . If USC wins today, it will be the first time a team coached by Don James has lost five or more games in a season since 1976. Washington has finished first or second in the conference the last eight years and has appeared in bowl games in seven of the last eight seasons. . . . Husky quarterback Hugh Millen has completed 59.8% of his passes for 1,565 yards and 6 touchdowns. But Millen threw four interceptions in a 36-7 loss to ASU last Saturday. His protection broke down as three starters in the offensive line were unable to play because of injuries. Two of them, tackle Dennis Soldat and guard Tim Burnham, are expected to play today.

USC inside linebacker Rex Moore, who has been inactive the entire season with a hamstring injury, has been given medical clearance to play today. Tollner regards him as a fiery, inspirational sort of player. . . . Washington has only 24 takeaways, fumble recoveries or interceptions, this season compared to a national best of 51 in 1984. . . . USC punter Chris Sperle did a good job of getting his punts away against Cal in the face of a 10-man rush. The Huskies probably will harass him in the same way. . . . USC and Washington have been inconsistent offensively, so field goals could be the difference in today’s game. USC’s Don Shafer has made 9 of his last 10 attempts, and Washington’s Jeff Jaeger is 17 of 19 this season. . . . USC split end Hank Norman, with 105 catches, needs only two more to become the school’s all-time leading receiver, replacing Jeff Simmons. . . . USC has been outscored, 37-3, in its last two trips to Seattle. The Trojans haven’t won here since 1979.