Huskies Make Pass at USC, Misfire Again : Two-Point Conversion Fails as Trojans Score 24-16 Win

It was Don James who called it.

It was Tim Ryan who called it deja vu .

There were a lot of people who called it a mistake after USC pulled out a 24-16 victory over Washington Saturday at the Coliseum, following the Huskies’ failed two-point conversion attempt.

“With one loss already in the conference you have to go for the win,” USC Coach Larry Smith said of the position the Huskies found themselves in. “You can’t settle for the tie. They went for it. We stopped them. If you have any more questions, go ask Don James.”

Trailing, 17-16, with 8:44 left in the game, James passed up the safe shot at a game-tying kick and went to the pass, but quarterback Cary Conklin’s throw was just beyond the grasp of receiver Mario Bailey, who dived with defender Ernest Spears right behind him in the right flat but came up with nothing but a handful of grass.

“I knew they wouldn’t run on the play,” said Ryan, a Trojan defensive tackle, “but what did surprise me was that they ran almost the same play they did in that situation last year. It was a deja vu kind of thing.”

A year ago, Washington also lost to USC, also at the Coliseum, also when a two-point conversion pass attempt by Conklin fell untouched.

The final score then was 28-27. This time, the Trojans were able to run out the clock with a game-ending drive, Ricky Ervins putting any faint hope of victory out of the Huskies’ reach by scoring from a yard out with six seconds to play.

This drive doesn’t rank with the miraculous march engineered by quarterback Todd Marinovich against Washington State a week ago, but in some ways, the redshirt freshman was even more impressive Saturday, his precision and confidence seeming to grow with every new challenge.

Marinovich was nearly unstoppable in the first half, completing 16 of 17 passes for 170 yards. He finished with 23 completions in 35 attempts for 284 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions.

One of those completions came on a memorable 29-yard play to John Jackson in the third quarter.

It was memorable in that it gained key yardage in a drive that led to Marinovich’s one-yard run off tackle for the touchdown that boosted USC into a 14-10 lead.

It was even more memorable in Trojan lore because it made Jackson the leading receiver in USC history. His 124th career catch broke Erik Affholter’s school record, set last season.

“It was the only one I counted all year,” said Jackson, who entered the game needing five catches to set the mark. “It weighed heavily on my mind all week when I wasn’t studying for a midterm. They told me right before on the sidelines that I needed just one more.”

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior caught seven passes for 95 yards, none more spectacular than the record-breaker. Racing down the sidelines encumbered by a double-team, he grabbed a perfect throw from Marinovich over defenders Eugene Burkhalter and Charles Mincy before being shoved out of bounds and into the record book.

“Todd threw a strike,” Jackson said. “He put it on the money and gave me a chance. It was a good one to get the record on. I wouldn’t have wanted to get it on just a (simple) route.”

Jackson’s No. 1 fan has become Marinovich.

“The best thing he does is get open,” the quarterback said. “He knows how to be at the right spot. He’s easy to find.”

From reading about all these Trojan heroics, you might get the idea this was an easy victory.

Forget it.

The 58,410 who were in attendance know better. Statistics aside, for most of the first half, it was Washington’s game.

Their running attack stifled, USC found itself in a scoreless struggle through the first quarter and the first four minutes of the second.

Then the Trojans’ special teams, which have been anything but special of late, let them down again.

Last week, it was misjudged punts. This week, it was a blocked punt.

Kicking from his own 32-yard line, USC’s Ron Dale had his punt blocked by Tommie Smith of Antelope Valley, who slipped a block from the fullback, got his body on the ball and recovered it at the four-yard line. Dale got back in time to trip Smith up there, but the Washington freshman’s momentum carried him into the end zone.

John McCallum kicked the extra point and added a 41-yard field goal later in the period to boost Washington into a 10-0 lead.

Marinovich got his club on the scoreboard before halftime by going to Jackson with a 15-yard scoring pass play.

Jackson streaked into the end zone, tailed closely by Burkhalter and Mincy behind, spun around and came back out to the one-yard line, where the ball was waiting for Jackson, courtesy of another perfect throw from Marinovich. Jackson took one step backward into the end zone, and USC had its first touchdown.

“He got the cornerback looking in the air,” Marinovich said. “He stopped on a dime. It was a great fake.”

That’s what some of the Huskies were calling a controversial play by Marinovich earlier in the period. Faced with a third-and-one at the Washington 46-yard line, Marinovich, under heavy pressure, brought his arm forward, then appeared to pull it back just before being tackled with the ball squirting loose. It was ruled an incomplete pass. Based on Marinovich’s postgame statement, it probably should have been ruled a fumble.

“I was looking for someone to pass to,” he said. “But the only one open was (offensive lineman Pat) Harlow. I couldn’t throw to him, so I just tucked it back in.”

Quin Rodriguez’s 23-yard, third-quarter field goal boosted USC into a 17-10 advantage.

But with Trojan defensive back Mark Carrier out with bruised ribs, Washington got back into the game.

Conklin, who finished with 20 completions in 42 attempts for 236 yards with two interceptions, connected with Andre Riley on a 31-yard touchdown pass.

Conklin hit Riley, who finished with eight catches for 143 yards, on a slant-in. The Washington receiver made it all the way to the end zone when defenders Cleveland Colter and Stephon Pace collided.

That made the score 17-16, and made James the scapegoat for the ensuing decision that backfired.

Trojan Notes

Trojan defensive back Marvin Pollard suffered torn knee ligaments and will undergo surgery today. . . . Running back Aaron Emanuel left the game with a shoulder sprain. . . . This was the 600th win in USC history. . . . This was the first time that Don James, whose team started 2-0, has lost three straight since 1976. . . . Washington was held to 19 yards rushing. . . . USC outgained the Huskies in total yards, 447-255.

Ricky Ervins rushed for 87 yards, ending a streak of three straight games above the 100-yard mark. . . . USC (4-1 after losing its opener) has won 15 straight Pac-10 games, its longest such streak since winning 17 in a row between 1972 and ’74. Nine wins in the current string have come at home. . . . USC leads the series against Washington, 39-20-3. The Trojans have beaten the Huskies four straight and five of the past six times. . . . USC quarterback coach Ray Dorr held the same position with James for 14 years, five at Kent State when James was coach there, and for nine seasons at Washington.