COLLEGE FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : USC : Deese to Test Knee Against Penn State

Offensive guard Derrick Deese, who missed about three weeks of practice and the Trojans’ opening 24-10 loss to Memphis State because of a knee injury, is expected to play Saturday night against Penn State at the Coliseum, but if his left knee does not hold up, he could petition for medical-redshirt status and play his senior season in 1992.

“I’m going to play, and if I can play on it 100%, I’ll play the rest of the season,” Deese said. “If not, that possibility (of redshirting) is always there.”

Deese, named to several preseason All-American teams, has been bothered by the injury since last year’s opener, when he hyper-extended his left knee against Syracuse. He started in all 13 games last season but missed most of spring practice because of the injury and was bothered by inflammation in the knee this summer.

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno asked the school’s students not to celebrate too wildly if the Nittany Lions defeat USC. The last two times Penn State has won road games--against then-No. 1 Notre Dame last year and against Georgia Tech last month--students at University Park, Pa., have stormed Beaver Stadium and dismantled goal posts.

After the Georgia Tech game, eight police officers were injured trying to protect the stadium. And with Saturday night’s game expected to end after midnight on the East Coast, Paterno urged students to control themselves.

“That’s not fan support,” he said of the recent incidents. “That’s nothing but vandalism.”