USC Gives Rose Bowl Hopes Plenty of Water in a 42-7 Win

It hasn’t rained in Pullman, Wash., since July 17 as the state has had an unusual drought.

So, for a change of pace, the Cougars of Washington State were treated to a rainstorm in Los Angeles, of all places.

They couldn’t handle the wet weather, nor USC. The Trojans easily disposed of the Cougars, 42-7, Saturday at the Coliseum before a crowd--if it could be called that--of 24,834.

It was the smallest gathering for a USC home game since 1950, when 23,442 attended a game against Washington.

Those who sat huddled under umbrellas Saturday watched USC tailback Steven Webster squirm and sprint for 157 yards in 23 carries, a 6.83 average.

Webster scored two touchdowns on runs of 6 and 1 yards. The junior tailback also caught 3 passes for 51 yards and figured prominently in every Trojan scoring drive.

Except for the first quarter, when Washington State matched USC’s opening touchdown, the pass-oriented Cougars weren’t in the game.

USC led at halftime, 21-7, and was completely in control in the second half.

So USC, 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the Pacific 10, still has the Rose Bowl in its sights.

The Trojans got an assist from UCLA, though. The Bruins beat Arizona State, 31-23, at Tempe, Ariz., the second conference loss for the Sun Devils.

USC couldn’t afford a season-ending tie for the conference title with Arizona State. Since the teams don’t meet this season, ASU would have edged USC out of the Rose Bowl on the tiebreaking formula of points for conference and nonconference wins.

Now, USC is in control of its own destiny. If the Trojans win their three remaining conference games at home against Stanford, Arizona and UCLA, they would be the Rose Bowl representative.

It’s a possibility, but that’s all.

USC Coach Larry Smith was aware of the situation with Arizona State, but he didn’t want to look any farther ahead than to next Saturday’s game with Stanford.

When apprised of UCLA’s win over Arizona State, Smith said: “Good. We had no control over that (game). It keeps us alive. But we can’t think that far ahead. Stanford is rolling now, and they’re a heckuva team.”

Smith didn’t know at the time that Stanford had lost to Arizona, 23-13, Saturday. No matter.

The Trojans are saying that they’ll have blinders on the rest of the season.

“If we continue to win, it just magnifies our chances of going to the Rose Bowl,” offensive tackle Dave Cadigan said, “but we have to take one step at a time.”

Washington State upset USC, 34-14, last year at Pullman, when the Trojans were rolling with a 4-0 record.

That game was on some of the players’ minds Saturday.

“You always feel bad when you know you have a better team and lose,” said USC flanker Randy Tanner, alluding to the 1986 game with WSU. “So revenge was a factor.”

Said USC quarterback Rodney Peete: “Last year’s game with Washington State was on everyone’s minds. It was ugly. We didn’t talk about it much, but we remembered it and weren’t going to let it happen again.”

Peete, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown Saturday while throwing 2 interceptions, set three school records.

The junior quarterback has 4,497 passing yards, surpassing the career record of 4,481 established by Sean Salisbury from 1981-85. He also has the record for most passes attempted at 606. The mark of 604 was set by Jimmy Jones from 1969-71.

Peete got another record that he’d rather downplay. He has thrown 26 career interceptions, breaking the record of 25 held by Jones and Pat Haden.

USC had 538 yards in total offense, 374 by rushing, compared to 272 for Washington State. The Trojans scored on drives covering 84, 73, 52, 36, 88 and 69 yards.

Tanner scored twice, matching Webster. Scott Lockwood and Ricky Ervins, USC’s freshmen tailbacks, accounted for the other touchdowns on runs of 3 and 2 yards, respectively.

“That was the way to do it,” Smith said. “Our plan was simple, just run and hit offensively and defensively. We just wanted more cardinal shirts than white ones around the ball and we weren’t going to worry about making mistakes.

“Our defense was excellent. It was their best game of the year. Also, our offense executed and we got something out of our kicking game. Our coverage was excellent and (punter) Chris Sperle had his best game of the year.”

The Cougars, though, are soft on defense. They had previously allowed an average of 31 points a game and USC extended that negative statistic.

Washington State is known as Air Erickson, an acknowledgement of Coach Dennis Erickson’s offense.

WSU quarterback Timm Rosenbach managed to complete 14 of 29 passes for 168 yards and bothered the Trojans for a while with delay routes over the middle. But he wasn’t consistent, throwing two interceptions and was victimized by some drops.

“The thing that killed us was that we had some opportunities and then we turned the ball over,” said Erickson, whose Cougars are now 3-5 overall, 1-3 in the league. “But USC is really a good football team. USC is the best football team we’ve played all year.”

Washington State previously lost to Michigan, Colorado, Stanford and Arizona State.

USC scored at the outset of the game, driving 84 yards in 11 plays. Webster got the touchdown, breaking two tackles on a six-yard run.

The Cougars countered in the first quarter on a 72-yard advance. On third and 9 from the USC 19-yard line, the Cougars crossed up the Trojans by sending fullback Richard Calvin through the middle on a draw play instead of passing. Calvin found a lot of running room and scored easily.

USC went ahead again, 14-7, before the quarter ended on Lockwood’s short run.

The Cougars were still in the game at the time. However, when tailback Steven Broussard, formerly of Manual Arts High School, fumbled to USC at the Trojan 13-yard line, Washington State didn’t seriously threaten again.

It became 21-7 in the second quarter when Peete pitched to Webster, who slipped the ball to Tanner on a reverse. Tanner had a convoy of offensive linemen as he went down the sideline. Peete was even there, if needed, as the flanker scored on a a 33-yard run.

“It was a run all the way,” said Tanner, who had thrown two touchdown passes off the reverse in previous seasons. “All I saw was four of our linemen in front of me. I couldn’t even see the (defensive back) behind them.”

Washington State got into a hole at the start of the third quarter when Phil Garabedian fumbled the kickoff, retrieved the ball and was then nailed by cornerback Greg Coauette at the WSU four-yard line.

USC got favorable field position on an ensuing punt that Tanner returned 13 yards to the WSU 36-yard line.

Six plays later Webster got the touchdown from the one-yard line and the rout was on.

The Trojans scored again in the third quarter when Ervins went in from the two-yard line wrapping up an 88-yard drive.

Then, Tanner got his second touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 21-yard pass from Peete.

“It was a post cut,” Tanner said. “They were flooding to the outside and that left the middle open.”

Kevin McLean entered at quarterback with 3:59 to play and he was trying to get a touchdown until he fumbled at the WSU 11-yard line in the closing seconds.

Some of the Washington State assistant coaches were grumbling after the game that USC was pouring it on, and they didn’t mean the fine mist that that soaked players and spectators alike.