WEIGHTY PROBLEM : USC Tackle John Guerrero Finds That Shedding Pounds Is Tougher Than Holding Off Defenders

It wasn’t that John Guerrero didn’t want to play Pop Warner football as a youngster, there just wasn’t room for him.

Guerrero, USC’s starting left offensive tackle, says he has been big as long as he can remember. Big as in being a 300-pound lineman as a high school senior at Oxnard.

The lineman is now trying to get down to the 300-pound range as he labors in two-a-day drills on the USC campus.

Guerrero reported at 335 pounds last week and he says he now weighs 329 pounds and counting. Last year, he played at a trim, for him, 310 pounds.

It just isn’t easy for the massive lineman to lose weight. For sure, he’s trying.

At lunch recently at the USC training table, Guerrero nibbled on a turkey sandwich without mayonnaise. On the side was a diet soda and some cottage cheese.

For breakfast he said that he had some fruit and a glass of orange juice. Dinner would be a piece of chicken and vegetables.

“I’m not in the shape I wanted to be in,” he said. “I had some academic problems, although that’s not an excuse.”

To regain his eligibility, Guerrero had to take courses in astronomy and the humanities at two different community colleges during the summer.

Sandra, his wife of four months, offered encouragement by enrolling in one night class with him even though she worked during the day.

These are dog days for the USC football players as they get ready for the Sept. 1 opening game against Boston College in Boston.

Guerrero is admittedly tired, but persevering. In addition to the two-a-day drills, when afternoon practice has concluded he has to cover 1,000 yards in which he alternates between flopping on the ground and running.

“I just don’t have enough points,” said Guerrero, referring to a system in which a USC football player must accumulate 17 points by weightlifting and reporting at a specified weight.

“I only have 8 points, and you get a point a day for the 1,000-yard run,” he said. “So I figure I’ll be running after practice for a while (he has company). I just do what the coach (Larry Smith) says and I respect that.

“He says the 1,000-yard drill is something from the Vince Lombardi days and I believe it.”

Guerrero had his first injury-free season in 1987, eliciting praise from Smith and offensive line coach John Matsko for his quick feet and aggressiveness.

If Guerrero can avoid his own teammates, it’s reasonable to assume he’ll be as effective this season as he was last year.

After a redshirt season in 1984, Guerrero injured a knee in the fourth game in 1985 when USC guard Mark Sager ran into him on a running play.

That injury only required arthroscopic surgery. Then, in 1986, a week before the season began, he was participating in a routine pass rushing drill when he was injured again.

“Jeff Bregel is very aggressive and he drove his man right into me,” Guerrero said. “This time I tore a ligament. It was a downer because I had reported in good shape and had a lot of confidence. But I had to take a positive attitude and keep my priorities straight. If you don’t, the injuries will haunt you.”

So Guerrero had surgery again on his left knee, more extensive this time, and was out for the year. He also ballooned to 365 pounds.

Guerrero is not the only heavyweight on the USC line. How’s this for a chorus line: Ten USC linemen reported weighing in excess of 280 pounds and five were more than 300 pounds--Guerrero, Michael Moody, Derrell Marshall, John Necas and Steve Mills.

As the Trojans go into the season, the offensive line is a concern for the coaching staff. Dave Cadigan, an All-American tackle, is gone and so is steady center John Katnik.

Moreover, Bill Schultz, a promising guard who was expected to be a starter, is academically ineligible. Brent Parkinson has just rejoined the team after encountering his own academic difficulties. Center Brad Leggett is hampered by an injured foot.

Guerrero said the line is shaky and must be molded into a unit soon. Matsko says that he’s searching for the right combination, adding that the players are working hard to form what he calls a typical Trojan offensive line.

As of now, Guerrero and Sager, both seniors, line up on the left side, Tom Dabasnikas, a sophomore, is at center, with Mark Tucker, a starter as a freshman last year, and Moody, a redshirt freshman, on the strong side at guard and tackle, respectively.

Matsko says that Guerrero is deceptively quick and gets into a defender with speed. He commiserates with Guerrero’s ongoing weight problem, but says the lineman would have better balance and control of his body if he could lose some more pounds.

Guerrero is proud that a sack wasn’t recorded over his position last year.

Then, the seemingly easygoing Guerrero added, smiling, “Defensive linemen have to take a long course to get around me.”

Guerrero is of Mexican-American-Indian descent and says that his grandfather on his mother’s side was a “full-blooded Cherokee.”

Guerrero had a picture of Anthony Munoz, also of Mexican descent, taped to his locker while in high school. Munoz, a former USC offensive lineman, is a star with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League.

Guerrero and his wife and mother, Myra, live in an apartment building at 49th and Western Avenue.

“It’s not that great of a neighborhood,” said Guerrero, adding that it is the home turf of the Crips, an L.A. gang. “However, if you mind your own business, people leave you alone.”

The football field is different. There, Guerrero presents a big obstacle, all by himself.

Trojan Notes

USC had its first major scrimmage Saturday and Coach Larry Smith said the session deteriorated offensively after quarterback Rodney Peete left the field with a minor strain of an Achilles’ tendon. . . . Peete completed 8 of 11 passes for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. On a 47-yard touchdown pass play, he avoided a rush, scrambled and teamed with wide receiver Gary Wellman. Later, on a designed sprint-out, Peete threw a pass that went about 50 yards in the air, finding flanker John Jackson for a 93-yard scoring play. Asked to compare Peete with his performance last year at this time, Smith said: “He is way ahead. It’s just a question of how good he will be.”

However, Smith was generally not pleased with the 115-play scrimmage, citing numerous penalties, many called against the offensive line, and the lack of cohesion in the secondary. The defensive backfield was expected to be one of USC’s strongest units, but minor injuries have prevented the regulars from working together. He also said the No. 2 quarterback job is still undecided. Neither Shane Foley nor Pat O’Hara have emerged as a solid backup, and freshman Todd Marinovich, who was expected to be redshirted, could be in the picture. “We have to make a decision on the No. 2 quarterback soon, at least a week before our game with Boston College,” Smith said.

Key players held out of the scrimmage because of injuries were tailback Steve Webster, tight end Paul Green, cornerback Dwayne Garner, defensive tackle Tim Ryan, offensive lineman Brent Parkinson and linebacker Junior Seau. Webster, Parkinson and Green haven’t been medically cleared for contact.

Smith is satisfied, though, with the performance of his running backs. Aaron Emanuel, primarily a fullback now, is quicker than he has been at any time in his USC career. He weighs about 215 pounds. Linebackers Fred Harris, a freshman, and James Wilson, a redshirt freshman, are out for the season with shoulder and knee injuries. Split end Travis Knox and tight end Dave Powroznik, who have yet to play at USC because of injuries, haven’t received medical clearance this year. Smith said offensive lineman Derrell Marshall is academically ineligible. . . . USC resumes practice next week at UC Irvine. . . . Other touchdowns in the scrimmage: fullback Jeff Brown, 20-yard run, and nose guard Don Gibson, a 38-yard interception on pass thrown by O’Hara.