USC’s Erik Affholter Does Double Duty--With Hands and Foot

Erik Affholter had to kick his way into USC but he is finally being recognized for his other talents.

That’s the way he always wanted it, but he concedes that if he hadn’t kicked a 64-yard field goal, a national high school record at the time, he probably wouldn’t be playing for the Trojans now.

“USC wanted me to come in as a kicker, but I just wanted a chance to play wide receiver,” Affholter said. “I was given No. 47, which meant that (the coaches) didn’t know where I was going to end up--receiver, defensive back, running back. They just said, ‘We’ll see what happens.’

“I really feel like I’m a receiver when it gets right down to it.”

Affholter wears No. 42 on his back now, but there isn’t any doubt as to his role on the team.

The junior from Oak Park High School--Oak Park is the Ventura County part of Agoura--has established himself as an accomplished wide receiver, even though he doesn’t start. He also is USC’s long-range kicker, but that’s a sideline now.

As a split end, Affholter backed up Ken Henry before Henry suffered a minor shoulder separation in the third game against California.

Affholter’s status didn’t change drastically then, since flanker John Jackson became the starter at split end, but Affholter did get more playing time.

“With Henry out, Jackson and I were alternating running in the plays,” Affholter said. “When Ken was in there, Jackson and (flanker) Randy Tanner brought in the plays.

“I only averaged about 12 plays a game when Ken was playing and I had one catch in each of the first three games. However, in the last two games, I’ve averaged 35 plays.”

Affholter, who stands 6 feet 1 inch and weighs 190 pounds, became more productive with expanded playing time.

He caught 4 passes for 48 yards in a 48-14 victory over Oregon State Oct. 3 and then really showcased his talent in USC’s 34-27 loss to Oregon last Saturday at Eugene, Ore.

With USC trailing, 27-7, late in the third quarter, Affholter teamed with quarterback Rodney Peete on a 43-yard pass play. He finished the drive by scoring on a 17-yard pass play.

On USC’s next possession in the fourth quarter, Affholter scored again on a 16-yard pass play from Peete.

Then, late in the game, with Jackson sidelined by a groin injury, Affholter sustained a 98-yard touchdown drive with catches that gained 22, 13 and 19 yards, the last on fourth and 10 from the Oregon 27-yard line.

He wound up as the leading receiver in the game with 8 catches for 147 yards. And it was Affholter who tried an onside kick that Oregon recovered in the final seconds.

Affholter, who can pluck a ball off his shoetops or stretch high in the air to make a catch while being hammered by a defensive back, gained prominence last season when he scored the only touchdown in a 10-0 win over Stanford. In a remarkable effort in the end zone, he held the ball despite a jarring hit from a Stanford defensive back.

“I figure that if I touch a ball, I have to catch it,” Affholter said. “First, though, you have to beat your man, or there is no chance you’re going to make a catch. Then, after you beat him, you’re oblivious to everything around you.

“The way I look at it is that I’m going to get hit whether I catch the ball or not. So I might as well catch it.”

Affholter is the Trojan kicker when the range is 45 yards or farther. Freshman Quin Rodriguez kicks the shorter ones and he’s 5 for 5 this season.

Affholter doesn’t get many kicking opportunities. He made a 48-yard field goal and just missed from 45 yards against Oregon.

“The ball went over the top of the right upright,” Affholter said. “It could have been called either way. However, when you’re playing away (from home), you’ve got to make sure the ball is right down the middle, so there’s no question.”

Besides his record-setting 64-yard kick while in high school, he also made field goals from 58, 52 and 50 yards.

“I played soccer a lot as a kid and that helped me a lot with my leg strength,” Affholter said. “To me, kicking has always come easy. It’s just like a golf swing. Once you get the motion down, you don’t ever forget it.”

This has been a soul-searching week for the Trojans after the upset loss to the Ducks.

“Larry Smith was very upset after the game,” Affholter said. “All the coaches were. That’s the way it should be. We played a terrible game, especially after we saw the film.”

USC, 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Pacific 10, will play Washington (4-2, 2-1) in a critical conference game for both schools Saturday at Seattle.

“The Washington game is it,” Affholter said. “We have to have our minds totally focused on the game. Two losses won’t get you to the Rose Bowl, so we can’t lose the rest of the way if we want to play in Pasadena.”

Trojan Notes Some heads were turning on the USC campus Thursday as football players were seen bouncing tennis balls on their way to class, symbolic of bouncing back from a 34-27 loss to Oregon last Saturday. It’s a psychological ploy by Coach Larry Smith to give his players a positive attitude. Smith gathered the players around him after Wednesday’s practice and said: “A ball hits the ground at its lowest point, but it always comes back up. So the bouncing ball theory is simply this: When you’re down, you can’t do anything but come up, and when you’re up, you can’t do anything but come down. The harder you hit the ground the farther you’ll come up, but you have to work at it.” . . . Split end Ken Henry won’t make the Washington trip. “We could use him in an emergency, but I don’t want to take a chance,” Smith said. “I don’t want him to play until he’s 100% physically, or close to it.” . . . Smith also said that strong safety Cleveland Colter, who has a shoulder injury, will play against Washington but may not start. He will be replaced by either Tracy Butts or Jeff Maree.