Two Youngsters Are USC’s Last Line of Defense : Safeties Cleveland Colter and Mark Carrier Will Be Starting for First Time

Colter and Carrier. That could be an established advertising firm.

Only Cleveland Colter and Mark Carrier are hardly established. And they aren’t in advertising. They are USC’s young safeties, who will be starting for the first time this football season.

They’re talented, based on their high school credentials, and new Coach Larry Smith can only hope that they will mature into an accomplished safety tandem reminiscent of the Trojans’ Ronnie Lott and Dennis Smith from 1977 through 1980.

Lott and Smith were first-round draft choices of the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, respectively, and have since earned all-pro honors.

As for Colter and Carrier, they’re just eager to get on with their careers, especially Carrier.

Colter, now a sophomore, played last year as the nickel, or fifth defensive back, on anticipated passing downs. Carrier, a redshirt freshman, suffered a stress fracture in his left foot before the season opener against Illinois and missed the rest of the season.

“I’m just counting the days for the season to start,” Carrier said. “I hurt my foot in practice, but I don’t know how it happened. I went through a lot of adversity and frustration for the first month, or two and my grades suffered.

“But I learned that I had four more years ahead of me and to keep my head on straight and everything would work out.”

Colter is replacing All-American Tim McDonald at strong safety. Carrier, who has yet to play a down for USC, is the new free safety.

The secondary is the team’s most inexperienced unit, with three first-time starters, cornerback Dwayne Garner also being a newcomer. Greg Coauette, the other cornerback, is the only returning starter.

The safeties are the last line of defense and both Colter and Carrier are aware of the pressure of their positions.

“It is one of the toughest positions on the field,” Colter said. “If you get beat deep, all the responsibility is on you.”

Said Carrier: “We’re the last two guys. If a lineman misses a tackle, well, he’s got somebody behind him. We don’t have anybody .”

As the strong safety, Colter has more defined responsibilities. “I read the tight end and cover him a lot and I’m also a run support guy,” he said. “The free safety is more of a roamer. He just goes for the ball.”

Said Carrier: “I read the formations and call out the whole defense because I can see the whole field from my position.”

Colter and Carrier were recruited extensively while they were in high school, making the usual prep All-American teams.

Colter was a running back, wide receiver and defensive back at McClintock High in Tempe, Ariz.

Carrier was primarily a defensive back at Long Beach Poly High and earned a reputation for his jarring tackles.

There was considerable pressure on Colter from the Arizona schools, especially Arizona State, to remain in the state, but he said he wanted to get away.

“I just wanted to do something new,” Colter said. “I didn’t want to hang around with the same guys, and do the same things we did in high school. And, to be successful, I thought my best chance for the future (pro football) was at USC.”

Carrier said that the only two schools he seriously considered were USC and Notre Dame.

“Lou Holtz was being hired and I was fortunate to meet him after I took a recruiting trip to Notre Dame,” he said. “I thought he was a fine person. My family said that I had their blessings if I went to either USC, or Notre Dame.

“But the decision was mine. When I visited USC, I felt more at home. Besides, my father, Willie, is a USC fan and has been one for years.

“It would be easier for him to see me play. He’s in a wheel chair and has been paralyzed going on eight years after an automobile accident. When I decided on USC, it was like saying yes for me and my father.”

Colter’s father, also named Cleveland, was a star high school player in Arizona in the late ‘60s. He died when his son was 8.

USC Coach Larry Smith said that the 6-foot 1-inch, 180-pound Carrier won the starting job in spring practice.

“He’s an aggressive player, an excellent tackler, has great range, and is a smart leader,” Smith said. “He has quite a challenge this season, but I know he’ll respond.

“As for Colter (6-1 and 195), he’s an excellent all-around athlete, a physical player and a good tackler. He played a lot last year, not only in the secondary, but on special teams.”

Although Colter and Carrier had only one season to make a comparison with the previous coaching staff and the present one, they agreed on one aspect.

“This staff is much more for conditioning,” Carrier said. “They saw (in films) that we weren’t in the best shape we should be in the fourth quarter of games last year. So we’ve been doing a lot more running. We’re going to be as strong if not stronger than other teams in the fourth quarter this season.”

Injured players are not coddled by Smith. If they can’t practice, they’re doing something else on the sideline.

“If you can’t run, or ride a bike, you’ll do full sit-ups,” Colter said.

Carrier interrupted saying, “And, you’ll be in the same full gear as everyone else.”

Injured players are outcasts, wearing powder blue vests over their jerseys.

“Coach Smith puts you in blue, the color we hate: UCLA,” Colter said. “He says if you’re injured, you’re not playing for us, you’re playing for UCLA.”

Said Colter: “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people. I feel we have a great team.”

Only time will determine that. In any event, the young safety firm of Colter & Carrier is open for business.