Arizona Is Another Unwitting Witness for the Trojans’ Defense

You would think that Artie Gigantino, USC’s defensive coordinator, would like everyone to forget the day his team yielded 34 points to Washington State.

Everyone else around USC certainly would like to forget.

But Gigantino won’t let them.

“That was a total collapse by everyone involved with the team, me included,” Gigantino said Friday night, less than 24 hours before the Trojans were to play Arizona, the Pacific 10’s leader in total offense.

“I guarantee you that will never happen to our defense again as long as I’m at USC. We won’t be embarrassed like that again.”

It appears as if his message is getting through to the people who count most, his defensive players.

They took the first step toward redemption last week, shutting out Stanford in USC’s 10-0 victory.

They took another one Saturday night at Arizona Stadium.

Entering this game, the Wildcats were averaging 186 yards rushing and 413 yards in total offense, leading the conference in both categories.

The Trojans held them to 186 yards rushing and 253 yards in total offense.

Entering this game, the Wildcats were averaging 31.4 points, tied for second in the conference.

The Trojans held them to a touchdown and two field goals in a 20-13 victory.

USC’s defense also caused five turnovers, including a couple of fumbles forced by cornerback Greg Coauette. Coauette also recovered a fumble.

That’s a considerable improvement for the Trojans, who didn’t recover any fumbles in their last three games. They recovered three in one quarter Saturday night.

“We thought we might get some breaks in this game,” Gigantino said. “It’s not like we were playing Arizona State, which hardly ever turns the ball over. Arizona fumbles a lot. We just told our players to be alert.”

The second fumble Coauette caused clinched the victory.

Trailing by seven points, Arizona had the ball for the final time with 1:28 remaining at its own 28.

On the first play, reserve quarterback Andy Crouch, replacing the benched Alfred Jenkins, was sacked at the line of scrimmage.

On the next play, Crouch completed a pass to fullback Charles Webb for a five-yard gain, but he was hit by Coauette and dropped the ball. USC safety Cleveland Colter recovered.

Arizona Coach Larry Smith said Webb didn’t have possession of the ball long enough for it to count as a reception.

“I thought it was an incomplete pass,” Coauette said.

But he added that he had other things to do besides count the number of seconds that the ball was in Webb’s hands.

“I don’t really know how long he held the ball,” Coauette said.

Coauette, who missed most of last season with an injury and is still adjusting to the secondary after playing linebacker two years ago, said this was his best game of the season.

“I feel like I should play every game like that,” he said. “I’ve been playing all right, but not great.”

One Trojan defender who has been playing great is strong safety Tim McDonald, who made perhaps the most crucial play of the game Saturday night.

The Trojans were leading, 7-3, midway through the second quarter when the Wildcats drove to the USC 3. On second and goal, Jenkins thought he had Webb open at the goal line, but McDonald stepped in front of him, intercepted the pass and returned it 47 yards. The only thing that prevented him from scoring was a saving tackle by Jenkins.

“I hid behind the coverage,” McDonald said. “Jenkins didn’t get a chance to see me until it was too late.”

McDonald said he was counting on a block by cornerback Louis Brock to get past Jenkins after intercepting the pass.

“I guess he found somebody else to block,” McDonald said.

Two of Arizona’s three scores followed USC turnovers.

The Trojans were particularly disappointed about the touchdown, which came after the Wildcats recovered a fourth-quarter fumble by quarterback Rodney Peete at the USC 26.

USC had a chance to end the drive almost before it started when Crouch, on his first play after replacing Jenkins, threw a pass that hit Trojan linebacker Keith Davis in the hands.

But since one of those hands is covered with a cast because of a broken thumb, Davis couldn’t hold the ball.

“I should have tried to catch it with my arms,” Davis said. “But I didn’t think about that until I had already dropped the ball. The first thing I thought was, ‘Oh yeah, the cast.’ ”

Crouch finally got the Wildcats into the end zone five plays later, but that was the first and last time.

“We had a letdown at the middle of the season,” Davis said. “I don’t know what caused it, some intangible, I guess.

“We began to doubt ourselves after the Washington State game. But we’ve got it back now. We don’t have any choice. Maybe we had to be backed into a corner.

“We know now that it’s up to us to do our jobs if we’re going to win. If a game needs winning, we’re going to do it.”