Old-Fashioned Trojan Game Is Winner, 13-6

All but eliminated from the Rose Bowl race and playing without its suspended quarterback, Todd Marinovich, and its injured defensive leader, linebacker Scott Ross, USC had two objectives Saturday:

--Beat Arizona State.

--Beat on Arizona State.

The Trojans seemed to accomplish both in a workmanlike 13-6 victory before 64,715 in Sun Devil Stadium, running for 296 yards and maintaining a shutout until the closing minutes.

The attack wasn’t overly exciting, but it got the job done.

USC improved to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Pacific 10 Conference, and Arizona State fell to 2-5 and 0-4. The Sun Devils have lost five consecutive games for the first time since 1947.

And, if not for a Paul Justin-to-Bob Brasher touchdown pass with 3:56 left, they wouldn’t have scored in two consecutive games against USC.

Two years ago, the Trojans beat ASU at Tempe, 50-0.

While USC’s latest victory wasn’t nearly as impressive, “it was damn impressive to me,” USC Coach Larry Smith said. “This team needed that kind of game and needed to be successful with that kind of game. We cranked it up and played old-fashioned Trojan football.”

Quarterback Shane Foley, filling in for Marinovich, directed a conservative, grind-it-out offense, completing 12 of 19 passes for 125 yards as USC controlled the ball on several long drives.

Only a high snap on one field-goal attempt, a poor kick by Quin Rodriguez on another, a fumble deep in Arizona State territory, and, perhaps, Smith’s insistence on playing it close to the vest without Marinovich kept the Trojans from scoring more.

“I just didn’t want to do anything out there to get us beat,” Smith said. “I just wanted to keep doing things that were positive. We were hitting it, so why change?

“When we saw we could (control the clock), we just kept doing it. We used the clock. That’s the best defense you’ve got.”

USC’s real defense, burned for at least 313 yards in every game this season, limited the Sun Devils to 191 yards, including only 76 in 25 rushing attempts.

And the highly regarded Justin, returning to the lineup for the first time in four weeks after separating his left shoulder last month, completed only 11 of 31 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Pressured almost every time he threw, Justin twice had passes intercepted by cornerback Mike Salmon, a redshirt freshman from Phoenix.

“Everybody knew that Shane could do the job. I don’t know if that was much of a factor,” said defensive guard Don Gibson, leader of the Trojan defensive line. “But the defense really rallied because we knew Scott wasn’t going to play. We knew that, individually, everybody was going to have to pick up the slack.

“It was time for the defense to win a game.”

With Ross watching from the sideline, a metal plate having been inserted into his broken right hand this week, USC limited the sputtering Sun Devils to 14 first downs, only four before halftime.

USC had 30 first downs.

“I like to throw the ball, but I’m just going to do what the coaches ask me to do, and that was run an efficient offense,” Foley said.

Aided by two 15-yard penalties against the Sun Devils, the first a personal foul for a late hit and the second a personal foul for roughing punter Ron Dale, USC drove 90 yards to its only touchdown in its second possession.

Foley provided a glimpse of what was to come, keeping the drive alive with short passes, but mostly pitching out, handing off or keeping the ball himself on option plays when the tailbacks were covered.

Tailback Mazio Royster, who carried 26 times for 97 yards before suffering a concussion, capped the 17-play, 7-minute 48-second drive by diving into the end zone from one yard out with 1:45 left in the first quarter.

USC seemed to have scored on its next possession, too, after making the most of a broken fourth-down play at ASU’s 19-yard line.

Taking a high snap from center Mark Raab as Rodriguez lined up for a 37-yard field goal attempt, holder Pat O’Hara stood up and passed to Rodriguez, who had flared to his left. Rodriguez then passed into the end zone to tight end Brad Banta.

The second pass, while executed impressively by the left-handed Rodriguez, resulted in a penalty for an illegal pass and USC came away empty.

O’Hara, a backup quarterback, said the play was improvised. “When there’s a bad snap, I yell, ‘Fire, fire,’ ” he said. “But nobody heard me. The first guy I saw was Quin.”

While continuing to dominate the half, which ended with the Trojans having accumulated 203 yards to ASU’s 55, USC was unable to increase its lead.

Another long drive--this one of 84 yards--ended disappointingly for the Trojans when the usually reliable Rodriguez pushed a 30-yard field goal attempt wide to the left with two seconds to play before halftime.

In the second half, Smith stuck to his game plan and Rodriguez kicked field goals of 27 and 23 yards to increase USC’s lead to 13-0.

“We were ready to go out there and run the ball down their throat, and that’s exactly what we did,” flanker Gary Wellman said.

Five players shared the workload, including Deon Strother, a freshman tailback who hadn’t played this season before making a 14-yard run in the third quarter. His fumble ended a drive inside ASU’s 20-yard line, but mostly he was impressive, gaining 49 yards in seven carries.

Foley, superior to Marinovich in at least one aspect, his ability to run the option, carried 14 times for 60 yards and fullback Scott Lockwood carried 15 times for 58 yards before a concussion left him woozy in the second half.

Reserve fullback Raoul Spears ran for 32 yards.

Trojan Notes

If, as expected, Todd Marinovich is reinstated to the team Monday, he will be listed on the depth chart as USC’s No. 2 quarterback and will compete for the starting position with Shane Foley, Coach Larry Smith said. “Whoever grades out the highest--we’ll go from there,” Smith said. . . . USC’s starting lineup included six freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Of the 60 players the Trojans brought on the trip, 20 were freshmen or redshirt freshmen.