FINISHING BEFORE HE STARTS : McLean’s Career Is Almost Over and He’s Still Backup Quarterback for USC

USC’s Kevin McLean qualifies for this year’s dubious distinction award in Pacific 10 football.

He is generally regarded as the best non-playing quarterback in the league.

“Kevin could start at any Pac-10 school and 95% of the schools in the country,” Coach Larry Smith said.

Even if Smith is exaggerating, there is more than a grain of truth to what he says.

No one has questioned the strength of McLean’s arm, his intelligence or his poise.

That’s all well and good, but what does it do for the USC senior with time running out on his college career?

It’s his misfortune to be playing behind Rodney Peete, who is regarded as one of the best starting quarterbacks in the Pac-10.

“It’s a bummer not playing,” McLean said. “I wanted to play a lot this year. I worked real hard in the spring and in two-a-day practices and I was throwing and running during the summer.

“I felt I was throwing well enough in practice to start. It was just a decision to start Rodney, based on his experience.”

It would be understandable if McLean isn’t motivated, knowing that he’ll only play when USC is routing an opponent, or in a lost cause.

“I’ve matured to the stage where I can’t get down,” the 6-foot 2 1/2-inch, 200-pound quarterback said. “I can’t worry about who the coaches are going to start. I just take it in stride and try to do better in practice every chance I get and work harder and harder.”

McLean and Peete are roommates on the road and their rivalry apparently is a friendly one. “There’s nothing negative in our relationship,” McLean said. “It’s a positive thing. I hope I’ve made him a better player by competing because I know he’s made me a better player.”

McLean has played in only three games this season. He came off the bench and threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of a 27-13 loss to Michigan State in the opening game and just missed John Jackson on what would have been another scoring pass.

He drove the team 99 yards to a touchdown in the late stages of a 48-14 blowout of Oregon State. He also played for a couple of minutes when USC beat California, 31-14.

“And the coach told me to get warmed up late in the Notre Dame game,” McLean said. “So I took off my jacket and got loose, but I didn’t get in.”

Where did it all go wrong for McLean? What twist of fate has relegated him to the role of super backup?

You have to go back to 1984, when McLean was an inexperienced redshirt freshman. Sean Salisbury, the starting quarterback, went down with a season- ending knee injury in the second quarter of a game against Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.

“I came in and I was 6 for 6 before I threw an incompletion,” McLean recalled. “In the second half, Coach Ted Tollner didn’t want me to throw. Perhaps he didn’t feel confident about us throwing.

“We won, 6-3, but I felt if we had mixed the pass with the run we could have made it tougher on their defense.”

With Salisbury out, McLean was named the starting quarterback for the next game against strong LSU at the Coliseum.

By his own admission, he had a bad game. He completed only 9 of 20 passes for 64 yards and threw 2 interceptions in a 23-3 loss. Tim Green, a senior who was considering red-shirting, finished the game.

“Tim didn’t do that much better than me and I thought I should have a shot to start the next week against Washington State,” McLean said. “I know I beat out Tim fairly in spring practice.

“I felt I won a game in Arizona then I lost one, so I was 1-1. And LSU was a much higher caliber team than Washington State that year.”

But Green started against Washington State and the rest of the season as the Trojans went to the Rose Bowl and beat Ohio State, 20-17.

“I don’t think I had a true opportunity to be a starter,” McLean said. “I was in and then I was out and I’ve been out the rest of my time here. That was my opportunity.”

McLean had another disappointment the next season. USC was losing to Arizona State in Tempe and Salisbury was benched.

“I was told I was the No. 2 quarterback, but the coaches put Rodney in the game instead,” McLean said. “That’s how I found out I was third-string quarterback and it was a blow to me.”

Peete replaced Salisbury as starter later in the season and McLean languished on the bench until the Aloha Bowl game against Alabama in Honolulu.

When Peete suffered a torn Achilles tendon late in the game, McLean got to play. He performed competently, completing 6 of 9 passes for 71 yards, but Alabama was already on its way to a 24-3 victory.

Peete missed spring practice in 1985 while recovering from his injury and McLean excelled in his absence.

Tollner said at the time: “Kevin showed us he has the ability to make us a winning team.” But McLean knew that being the MVP of spring practice didn’t carry much weight in the fall.

“I was just competing against Rodney to make him a better player,” McLean said. “I knew they would start him in the fall because he was more experienced. It didn’t matter how well I played and I’m not taking anything away from Rodney because he’s a great player. Yes, I’ve done pretty well every spring.”

If it’s any consolation to McLean, he has earned the respect of his teammates, especially the wide receivers. Here what some of them have to say about him:

Randy Tanner--”He’s a good quarterback. He’d be a starter anywhere else. He’s got a good arm, he’s smart, reads defenses very well and he’s aggressive.”

“He’s built like a quarterback and he’s fast enough. He’s a good guy to talk to and he’s honest with you.”

Ken Henry--”He’s got a strong arm and he’s agile in the pocket. I think he has a chance to play in the pros. He’s smart, competitive and works hard.”

Erik Affholter--”Rodney may be a little better suited to our style, but Kevin has the talent to play in the pros. It won’t be easy for him because he hasn’t played much in college. But he definitely has the talent.”

McLean is a classic drop-back quarterback. He could fit into a pro scheme if any NFL team is aware of his potential.

“It’s tough for a guy to be drafted if he didn’t play much in college,” McLean said. “But maybe I’ll get a trial with a team. I’ve been to Rams and Raiders’ practices and I think I can make the Rams’ team.

“Jim Everett is the main guy, but from what I’ve seen, I know I’m as good as the backup (Steve Dils). I know I have quicker feet. I just hope I can get a tryout. I think I can surprise a lot of people.”

Perhaps McLean will have a renewed life as a quarterback in pro football--even as a longshot. But he isn’t counting on it. He said he’ll graduate next semester and is already preparing to seek work as a communications major.

For now, though, he’ll prepare for Saturday’s game with Washington State at the Coliseum with the knowledge that he’ll probably play--but only as a holder for points after touchdowns and field goals.

That’s the sideline that keeps from being rooted on the sideline.

Trojan Notes Some letters to The Times expressed dismay over Larry Smith’s remarks on television shortly before the start of the second half of Saturday’s game with Notre Dame. Smith said something to the effect of hitting something, or someone in the mouth. Smith said it was football jargon for stopping Notre Dame’s trapping defense at the mouth of the attack. “I certainly didn’t mean to convey the notion that we intended to hit a person,” said Smith, who added that he used the same expression to his team at halftime while speaking strategically.