Trojans Subdue Cougars : USC: Royster fills in nicely for Ervins with 203 yards and three touchdowns in 30-17 victory over Washington State.

Reserve tailback Mazio Royster led the way Saturday night as USC beat Washington State, 30-17, before 59,357 at the Coliseum.

Filling in for injured starter Ricky Ervins, who sprained his left ankle last week while running for 199 yards against Ohio State, Royster ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns in his debut as a starter.

Before Saturday, Royster had carried only 15 times for 118 yards in 1 1/2 seasons at USC, but against the Cougars, the sophomore from Bishop Amat High in La Puente carried 34 times as USC dominated from the start in winning for the 42nd time in 51 games against Washington State, which hasn’t beaten the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1957.

“That’s a pretty good start,” Coach Larry Smith said.

Fullback Scott Lockwood added 102 rushing yards, a touchdown and a 59-yard punt return for USC, which is 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Quarterback Todd Marinovich completed 14 of 18 passes for 159 yards, but mostly the Trojans stayed on the ground.

They ran for 307 of their 466 total yards, building a 30-3 lead before Washington State (2-4, 1-2) scored twice in the last 10 minutes.

Royster said that Ervins, who did not practice last week, helped him relax in anticipation of his first start.

“We have the same mental attitude,” said Royster, who was named after a member of James Brown’s band. “He told me that when he steps on the field, it’s like, ‘I’m running the show.’

“He said I needed to think the same way. I felt a little nervous since this was a dream come true. He told me to relax and play with confidence.”

In the third quarter, Royster said, USC’s offensive linemen gathered around him and told him that would help him reach 200 yards.

By then, the Trojans were in control despite a rash of penalties. If not for 114 yards in penalties, they might have won even more easily.

USC scored first, but not until after nose guard Gene Fruge blocked a 42-yard field-goal attempt by Washington State’s All-American kicker, Jason Hanson, to end the Cougars’ first possession.

The Trojans took over at their 29-yard line and drove down the field against a defense that came into the game ranked seventh in the Pac-10 against the run and last against the pass.

With Ervins watching from the sideline with a plastic support wrapped around his injured ankle, Royster ran for 10, nine and seven yards in his first three carries.

A 71-yard drive by the Trojans ended with Royster blowing through a big hole in the left side on a two-yard touchdown run.

How well was it going for USC? The Trojans fumbled twice in the drive, recovering both.

Then, after Washington State’s second possession went three plays and out, Lockwood returned Hanson’s punt 59 yards to the Cougars’ 19 before Hanson wrestled him to the ground. The punt return was USC’s longest since 1979, when Ray Butler returned one 64 yards against Minnesota.

The Trojans’ subsequent 19-yard drive to their second touchdown consisted of four carries by Royster, who scored on a one-yard run.

Less than 10 minutes into the game, USC led, 14-0.

Obviously not pleased with what he saw, WSU Coach Mike Price lifted his starting quarterback, Brad Gossen, in favor of Aaron Garcia.

Garcia, a sophomore who passed for 287 yards in an 18-17 loss to USC last season at Pullman, when Gossen was sidelined with a thumb injury, completed his first two passes for 25 yards, but as his third attempt fell incomplete, he was belted by linebackers Kurt Barber and Willie McGinest.

His right knee injured, Garcia left the field and back came Gossen, who was sacked by tackle Terry McDaniels, ending another WSU possession.

USC then drove through the Cougars again, but this time the Trojans hurt themselves as they were penalized four times for 40 yards.

A 41-yard touchdown pass from Marinovich to flanker Gary Wellman was nullified by a holding penalty and the Trojans, despite generating 121 yards in an 81-yard drive, had to settle for Quin Rodriguez’s 21-yard field goal after Marinovich was driven out of bounds on a third-down play.

Garcia returned for Washington State, driving the Cougars to USC’s 31, where Hanson again lined up for a field goal attempt. This time, the snap was high, the kick was low and Hanson’s 48-yard attempt fell short.

Washington State’s main problem, though, was still its defense, which was unable to slow the Trojans’ offense.

The half ended with USC ahead, 17-0, after Rodriguez pulled a 27-yard field goal attempt wide to the right with 2:39 left, the first miss inside the 30 in four seasons and 25 attempts for the Trojans’ senior kicker.

With Garcia unable to continue after halftime because of a bruised knee, the Cougars started the second half with a third quarterback, freshman Drew Bledsoe, but after Bledsoe’s first pass was deflected by nose guard Don Gibson and his next two fell incomplete, Price brought back Gossen.

Gossen, a senior from Westlake Village, drove the Cougars to the USC 16, but the drive stalled after Gossen was sacked by Gibson on first down and then misfired on second- and third-down pass attempts.

Hanson kicked a 40-yard field goal with 4:12 left in the third quarter, cutting Washington State’s deficit to 17-3.