COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORT : WEEKDAY UPDATE : USC : Smog: There Is No Answer, So Don’t Ask

As it was last Sunday, when the Denver Broncos’ John Elway left a game against the Raiders because of heat prostration, the weather is expected to be hot and smoggy Saturday when USC plays Penn State at the Coliseum.

Nittany Lion Coach Joe Paterno doesn’t want to hear about it. “If you could tell me how to get rid of the smog, I’d try to do something,” he said. “I’m not going to worry. If it’s hot, it’s hot. We’ll try to adjust. If the smog is (so) bad that some of our kids get tired, then we’ll play some other kids. But I spend very little time worrying about something I can’t do anything about.”

Penn State’s Matt McCartin, a starting offensive tackle and a transfer from Southern Methodist, is a son of Tom McCartin, former publisher of the Dallas Times Herald, which was instrumental in uncovering the rules violations at SMU that led to the NCAA shutting down the Mustang program for two seasons.

USC Coach Larry Smith turned 51 Wednesday.