The Peete Principles : Owing to His Many Skills, Quarterback Has Become New Hub of USC Offense

Seldom, if ever, has a USC quarterback been the focal point of the offense.

This is a school that is renowned for producing and promoting outstanding tailbacks. For sure, quarterbacks such as Mike Rae, Pat Haden, and Paul McDonald performed efficiently.

But, in essence, they had secondary roles, crossing up defenses with passes when opponents were geared to shutting down the running game.

Now a new type of USC quarterback has emerged in a more diversified offense than the run-oriented teams of the past.

Rodney Peete may be symbolizing a new era at USC. Or, perhaps Coach Ted Tollner is merely restyling his offense to take advantage of Peete’s many skills.

Peete, a sophomore who became a starter late last season, was initially regarded as a scrambling, agile quarterback who threw more effectively on the run. Now he has shown that he can drop back and throw just as well.

Since the fourth quarter of the second game against Baylor, Peete has completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,445 yards and 7 touchdowns. For the season, he is at 56.1% with 1,655 yards, 8 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions.

With three games remaining, beginning with UCLA Saturday at the Rose Bowl and including the Florida Citrus Bowl appearance, he has a chance of breaking McDonald’s single-season school records for completions, 164, and yards, 2,223.

The more remarkable aspect about Peete, though, is the manner in which he has rebounded from the torn Achilles’ tendon he suffered last December in the Aloha Bowl game against Alabama.

There have been no apparent signs that his mobility has been impaired, nor has he given a second thought to the injury that has ended some other athletes’ careers.

“It doesn’t bother me one bit,” said Peete, tapping his left leg. “I’ve never tried to baby it, nor have I thought about it.”

Then, Peete laughed and said: “That’s all anyone asked me at the start of the season and through the first two games. Now I kind of miss that.”

Asked to assess his own performance this season, Peete said: “I got off slowly and I was just getting my feet wet because I hadn’t started many games before. But I feel I’m getting better every time I play. I’m definitely feeling more comfortable and confident. I’m more aware of things and what’s happening on the field.”

Peete has some shortcomings, though, such as trying to force a pass into dense coverage.

“That’s the biggest thing I have to work on,” he said. “When I get in trouble the most is when it’s third and 10, or something like that. The play doesn’t have a chance, and I have a tendency to force the ball in there. I want to get a first down, and it’s my last chance.

“An example would be against California last Saturday night in the third quarter. It was third and goal at the five-yard line. I forced a ball into Ken Henry and I got intercepted. I’ve got to realize a play is not going to work and give us a chance to kick a field goal.”

It was said last year that Peete had only an average passing arm. But he is throwing harder this season as a drop-back passer.

“The fact that I got hurt gave me a big opportunity to get stronger, especially in the upper body,” he said. “I didn’t know how much weight training could really help me. However, with a cast on my leg, I couldn’t do anything but go to the weight room. I worked hard there, and once fall camp began, my arm felt a lot stronger.”

Peete doesn’t disagree with those who labeled him a rollout passer last year.

“If you had asked me last year what I preferred to do, I would have said that I was a lot more comfortable throwing from rollouts or bootlegs,” Peete said. “But since I got stronger and have more confidence in my arm, I feel very comfortable with the straight dropback, and I feel I can do that just as well as throwing on the run. It doesn’t matter which one we do. I feel we can be successful with either one.”

There is another element to Peete’s game that sets him apart from some other quarterbacks: Flush him from the pocket and he might turn a loss into a surprise gain. There are also designed quarterback draws for Peete and sweeps that weren’t emphasized in USC’s offensive schemes in the past.

Peete’s 11-yard run on a third-down quarterback draw against UCLA last year sustained USC’s game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. He also got a first down with a three-yard sweep on fourth down and finished off the drive by sneaking a yard for a touchdown as the Trojans upset the Bruins, 17-13.

UCLA will be warier of Peete this time around, just as USC will be focusing on the big-play ability of tailback Gaston Green.

Peete had some success with the quarterback draw earlier in the season. But defenses are now closing in on him.

“A lot of teams now have a spy on the defensive line, usually a nose guard,” Peete said. “When I take a drop back, this guy will just stay put and not rush. His main objective is to stop the quarterback draw. That’s what a lot of teams have been doing, and it has been successful.

“I’ll go up to the line of scrimmage, and teams are saying, ‘Watch for the quarterback draw.’ ”

Tollner said that he and his staff are in the process of selecting the coaches’ All-Pacific 10 team.

“We talked about quarterbacks and we feel Rodney is every bit as good as anyone and he’s only a sophomore,” Tollner said. “He makes the play when we have to have it and he makes very few mistakes. He has leadership and poise and tremendous potential for a sophomore. He’s a mature young man and delight to have on the team.”

Peete replaced Sean Salisbury as a starter in the ninth game against Washington last year at Seattle. USC has a 9-4 record with Peete as the starting quarterback.

The Trojans are 7-2 this season after a surprising 4-0 start that included upset wins over Baylor and Washington. Then they lost to Washington State and Arizona State.

“No one expected us to be 4-0 except us,” Peete said. “Then, we lost two games and people got down on us. We’re now getting back on track with three wins in a row, and we’re excited because we have the opportunity to finish with a really good record. We can’t go to the Rose Bowl, but we have other goals now.

“We haven’t played our best game as a whole team, especially as an offensive unit. We still have a lot of room for improvement, and that’s good to say when you’re 7-2.”

USC’s offense has been erratic this season, the passing game having virtually carried the Trojans.

“We’re just not going to dominate teams like USC has in the past . . . and get seven yards a pop on the ground,” Peete said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever do it again. There are so many good teams now. So we have to do more things. We were predictable last year. Teams could get on our run because our passing game wasn’t that good.”

It’s a new scheme for USC, and Peete, not a tailback, is the catalyst.

Trojan Notes Coach Ted Tollner said he’s still concerned about his tailback situation. Ryan Knight was the only tailback available for the California game, although he made the most of it, running for 204 yards and 4 touchdowns. He will start against UCLA. Aaron Emanuel has a sprained toe, and Steve Webster is still bothered by an ankle injury. “Aaron did run for the first time yesterday, and his chances of being ready to play went up 100%,” Tollner said. “But I don’t think we’ll get Webster back until the bowl game. Everywhere else, we’re all right.” . . . There are 3,000 tickets available for Saturday’s game. Kickoff is 3:10 p.m. Tickets can be bought at either the UCLA or USC ticket office. . . . Two former Beirut hostages, Father Lawrence Jenco and David Jacobsen, will attend the game. Father Jenco, a longtime USC fan, will be on the sideline with the Trojan team. Jacobsen, a Bruin supporter, will be on the UCLA sideline.