USC Fears History Will Repeat

Written into the grass at Arizona Stadium--in block letters that stretch between the 35-yard lines--is the motivational reminder: “Bear Down.”

Unfortunately for Arizona, a similar message isn’t painted onto the artificial turf at Oregon State’s Parker Stadium, where last week the Wildcats were upset by the previously winless Beavers.

The 35-21 loss all but eliminated Arizona from the Rose Bowl race and tried the patience of Coach Dick Tomey.

“We’re not pleased with where we are, but we’ve just got to accept that and go on,” said Tomey, whose team is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Pacific 10 Conference going into today’s game against USC (5-1, 2-1) at the Coliseum.

USC Coach Larry Smith called last week’s game a disaster for Arizona and warned his team this week that such a humbling loss could serve to motivate the Wildcats, as last month’s 31-0 loss to Washington seemed to revive the Trojans.

Of course, losing to the worst team in the conference is different than losing to the best.

But to Smith, apparently, a train wreck is a train wreck.

“We can expect a completely different Arizona team in here,” he said. “I think we can expect them to play the best game of their lives, or of the season.

“What makes Arizona so dangerous is that they’re where we were (after) Washington. They had a disaster. We came back the next week against Ohio State and played one of our best games. They’re very capable of doing (the same thing).”

Arizona, ranked as high as 16th this season and 21st after a dramatic 28-21 victory over UCLA two weeks ago at the Rose Bowl, fell out of the top 25 after squandering a 21-14 third-quarter lead against Oregon State.

The Wildcats rank ninth in the Pac-10 in total offense and rank last in the conference in passing--which should be good news to the Trojans, who have been outpassed in every game since their opener.

George Malauulu, a sophomore from Carson High, started at quarterback last week, completing nine of 21 passes for 155 yards, but Tomey said Malauulu and Ronald Veal, a starter in 28 games for the Wildcats, will both play today.

Malauulu collapsed after practice Tuesday and spent several hours in the University of Arizona hospital, where his condition was diagnosed as dehydration. He returned to practice Wednesday.

“George has been a little more successful throwing the ball down the field, but Ronnie has thrown for a higher percentage,” Tomey said of his quarterbacks, neither of whom is considered a threat to win a game with his passing alone.

Veal has thrown 31 passes, completing 61.3% for 207 yards, and Malauulu has thrown 51, completing 43.1% for 408 yards.

Arizona’s strength is its running game, which ranks second in the Pac-10, and its defense, which ranks third in the conference and is led by cornerback Darryl Lewis, a senior from Nogales High in La Puente whom many, including Tomey, consider the premier defensive back in college football.

“He’s just doing everything you could ask of a cornerback,” Tomey said of Lewis, a converted running back who rushed for 1,423 yards as a senior at Nogales.

Lewis made a game-saving tackle on Oregon quarterback Bill Musgrave at Arizona’s one-yard line with nine seconds to play in a 22-17 victory over the Ducks last month and returned an interception 70 yards for the game-winning touchdown against UCLA.

“They’ve got great speed on defense,” Smith said of the Wildcats. “They’ve got by far the best secondary we’ve played--in terms of both hitting and pass defense. It’s like throwing into a tiger’s teeth back there.”

Arizona knows about tigers. It ran into one last Saturday.

Trojan Notes

A crowd of about 70,000 is expected for the homecoming game. . . . USC is 15-1 against Arizona, the loss occurring in 1981, when the Trojans were 4-0 and ranked No. 1. They lost at the Coliseum, 13-10, against a team coached by Larry Smith. . . . USC has won its last six games against Arizona.