BATTLE FOR THE ROSE BOWL : UCLA vs. USC : Pasadena Is on the Line in Battle of L.A. : For First Time Since ‘78, UCLA, USC Both Play for Rose Bowl Bid

When Larry Smith was coaching at Arizona, his teams upset Arizona State twice in late November, putting UCLA into the 1983 and ’86 Rose Bowl games.

Smith was thanked by UCLA Coach Terry Donahue, who sent roses to Smith’s wife, Cheryl, and treated Smith to a couple of dinners at Pacific 10 meetings.

Now Smith, as USC’s coach, will try to keep UCLA out of the Rose Bowl.

It won’t be easy since the Bruins, 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the Pacific 10, are 8 1/2-point favorites over the Trojans (7-3, 6-1) at the Coliseum today.

It’s the widest spread favoring the Bruins since one of Red Sanders’ teams was an 8 1/2-point choice over USC in 1955. UCLA won that game, 17-7.

The margin is an indication of just how far Donahue’s program has advanced at UCLA.

The Bruins are accustomed to representing the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl under Donahue. They’ve been there three times in the last five seasons.

Today’s game, which will be nationally televised by ABC, is expected to attract a sellout crowd of 92,516.

It’s the first time since 1978 that a Rose Bowl bid has been on the line for both teams. The Bruins have a comfort zone, though, knowing they can get to the Rose Bowl with a tie.

The winner will play the Big Ten champion, Michigan State, on New Year’s Day in Pasadena.

In any event, there is a consolation bowl game for each team. If the Trojans lose, they will play in the Sun Bowl against Oklahoma State on Christmas Day. If the Bruins lose, they will be in the Aloha Bowl against Florida Dec. 25.

In analyzing the teams, UCLA and USC both have productive offenses, but the Bruins are apparently stronger defensively.

Smith says that UCLA has more overall speed than any team USC has met this season.

“We’ll have to play our best game by far to win,” Smith said. “This is the best UCLA team I’ve seen in the eight years I’ve been in the conference.”

Stanford Coach Jack Elway, whose team was routed by UCLA, 49-0, and lost to USC, 39-24, observed recently:

“USC has a potent offense because it can throw and run,” he said. “UCLA can do the same things. Overall, I think UCLA is the better team because it has more team speed and is extremely quick on defense.”

Donahue says that USC will have a psychological advantage because of last year’s game, in which the Bruins easily beat the Trojans, 45-25, after leading at halftime, 31-0.

“I’m sure they’ll remember last year’s game with a lot of anger and will be anxious to make sure it doesn’t repeat itself,” Donahue said “I’m not saying that we can’t beat them, just that we have a hurdle ahead of us.”

Smith discounted such an idea, saying: “It worked the other way when I was at Arizona. Arizona State seemed more psyched out that it couldn’t beat Arizona.”

Arizona State is Arizona’s traditional rival, and Smith beat the Sun Devils five straight years before he became USC’s coach this year.

Smith, in fact, has a knack of upsetting favored teams. He beat second-ranked UCLA in 1980, No. 1 USC in 1981, No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 6 Arizona State in 1982, No. 3 Southern Methodist in 1985 and No. 4 Arizona State in 1986.

UCLA is ranked fifth in both wire service polls, and USC is rated 18th by United Press International.

The USC coach has been outwardly relaxed this week, saying such things as it will be a fun game, that this is what college football is all about and that he wants his team to be loose but not loosey goosey.

“Sometimes we take football too seriously like it’s the end of the world,” he said. “It isn’t. It’s a great opportunity. We’re playing for the championship.”

Smith admitted that he was relieved of a psychological burden when USC beat Arizona last Saturday, 12-10, to qualify for the Rose Bowl showdown game.

It was an emotional game for the Wildcats, who were trying to prove to Smith that he had left a good team behind in Tucson.

Donahue also seemed relaxed, perhaps with good reason. There is cause to believe that this is Donahue’s best team since he became UCLA’s coach in 1976.

“I’ve spent 12 years trying to get UCLA to be USC’s big game,” he said Friday. “And I think we finally did it.”

With the exception of a 42-33 loss to Nebraska, now top ranked, early in the season, the Bruins have been in command in their other games, especially in the second half, outscoring the opposition, 181-46.

Balance is the key for the Bruins. On offense, they have a poised, accurate quarterback in Troy Aikman, a transfer from Oklahoma.

Aikman leads the nation in passing efficiency. He has completed 68.2% of his passes for 2,183 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has thrown only 3 interceptions and 2 of those were deflections.

He is only the second player in the school’s history to throw 16 or more touchdown passes in a season. Tom Ramsey threw 21 in 1982 and 16 in 1981.

Aikman has capable receivers, primarily Willie Anderson with 40 catches for 763 yards and Paco Craig with 26 for 470.

Aikman is complemented by a running attack that includes three effective tailbacks--Gaston Green, Eric Ball and Brian Brown.

Green has been bothered by a pinched nerve in his neck. He missed most of the Arizona State game Oct. 31, didn’t play the next week against Oregon State, but did play against Washington last Saturday.

He is expected to start against USC, which is bad news for the Trojans. Last year, he had touchdown runs of 46 and 27 yards in the first quarter and gained 224 yards, setting a USC opponent’s record for one game.

In his career, he has rushed for 503 yards against USC, averaging 167.7 yards a game.

Considering that USC’s defense has been vulnerable to good running teams, it wouldn’t be surprising if Green continued to torment the Trojans.

UCLA’s defense is as proficient as its offense, leading the Pac-10 in every major category. Moreover, the Bruins’ rushing defense ranks fourth nationally, allowing an average of only 83.6 yards a game.

Ken Norton Jr. and Carnell Lake are regarded as two of the country’s best linebackers.

USC’s offense ranks second to UCLA in the conference with an average of 433 yards to the Bruins’ 457.

Quarterback Rodney Peete is more of a threat this year, since he is supported by a solid running game. Tailback Steven Webster is the Pac-10’s leading ground-gainer, averaging 119.4 yards a game.

Peete, a junior, as is Aikman, holds seven school passing records and is on the verge of breaking others.

The two differ, though, in that Peete is more of a running threat and an agile scrambler. Peete, however, has an occasional poor game. Aikman hasn’t had one.

USC’s wide receivers are comparable to UCLA’s in ability, notably Erik Affholter, who has 33 catches for 481 yards; John Jackson, 32 for 500, and Randy Tanner, 23 for 364.

But the Trojans don’t compare with the Bruins on defense, mainly because of inexperience. Six starting players are either freshmen or sophomores.

Still, Marcus Cotton is a proven linebacker in the mold of Norton and Lake, and cornerback Greg Coauette is one of the most effective players in the conference at his position.

Bruin-Trojan Notes UCLA has beaten USC in five of the last seven years. . . . USC is 5-0 at home this season. USC Coach Larry Smith had a 2-3-1 record against UCLA while coaching at Arizona. . . . Injury Dept.: USC is apparently physically fit for the game. UCLA defensive tackle Jim Wahler is doubtful with a sprained arch. Cornerback Dennis Price and wide receiver Paco Craig are listed as questionable. Price has a sprained knee, and Craig has bruised ribs and a hip pointer. . . . Since pranks are legion in the cross-town series, Tommy Trojan on the USC campus has been wrapped in canvas and taped this week. In previous years, the statue has been subjected to a paint shower and pelted with manure.

UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman can set a National Collegiate Athletic Assn. passing efficiency record for a season. Jim McMahon holds the record with a rating of 176.9 when he was at Brigham Young in 1980. Aikman is rated at 174.3. . . . USC Coach Larry Smith, commenting on his team’s lack of overall speed compared with UCLA’s: “I’m just hoping the intensity, excitement and hype of a big game will make our guys a little quicker.”

UCLA (9-1) has its best record since 1976, when it was 9-0-1 before losing to USC, 24-14. . . . If UCLA wins today, it will become the first school in conference history to record eight league wins, and the first to go unbeaten and untied in the Pac-10 since USC was 7-0 in 1976. . . . UCLA punter Harold Barkate is averaging 41.2 yards, compared with 35.3 for USC’s Chris Sperle. . . . UCLA’s Darryl Henley ranks third in punt returns in the league with an 11.2-yard average.