He Paces Off Distance of Every USC Defeat : Trojans: Although Pace has played reasonably well, he dreads the walk up the Coliseum tunnel after each loss.

The uphill walk from the field to the Coliseum tunnel after a defeat is a march that USC safety Stephon Pace has grudgingly endured often recently.

It may be only a 30-yard trudge, but it has become a marathon for Pace.

Wearing headphones to block out the jibes of the waiting crowd at the top of the hill last Saturday after Washington’s 14-3 victory over the Trojans, he had to think way back to recall what it felt like to win.

USC has won only one of its last eight home games. The Trojans, it would seem, have a distinct home-field disadvantage.

And with a 3-6 record and a four-game losing streak, this will be USC’s first non-bowl season, in a season it has been eligible for bowl play, since 1971.

“It’s been very frustrating from the standpoint that there have been games where we have played very well and didn’t win and then there are games that we played badly and had no chance,” Pace said.

“I haven’t been able to get over the losses that we’ve had, like our loss to Memphis State, and that’s been eight or nine weeks ago. When you’re a player and you lose games that you should have won, it’s tough to get rid of.”

USC will play at Arizona Saturday before the finale against UCLA the next week at the Coliseum. But two victories would give the Trojans only a 5-6 record, which would be their second losing season in 30 years.

Trying to figure out which USC team will show up for those final two games will be difficult. The Trojans played well in their victory over Penn State and in losses to Notre Dame and Washington, but were flat against California, Arizona State and Memphis State.

“We have had problems staying focused for some games,” Pace said. “We have a young team that needs to understand that on Saturdays, whether home or away, we should be ready to play football.

“The attitude of the team is that we have two games left and we are not going to play a third. . . . We’ll play a good team in Arizona this week and then we’ll play UCLA, which will probably be like our bowl game.”

After giving up 52 points and 601 yards in its loss to California two weeks ago, USC’s defense held Washington to its fewest points in 18 games, 14, and its lowest yardage total in 12 games, 356.

Pace, a junior, played a key role in USC’s defensive success against the Huskies with seven tackles and an interception. He has been a leader of the Trojan secondary all season, but against Washington, he stood out.

“Defensively, we played one of our better games of the year against a pretty good offense,” USC Coach Larry Smith said. “It was probably Stephon Pace’s best game of the year.”

Even though he has played on a losing team this season, Pace has gained notice as one of the top defensive backs in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Last season, he was third on the team with 76 tackles and had a team-high 20 deflections and four interceptions. This year, he is second with 59 tackles and has one interception and a sack.

In the NFL, the Pro Bowl safeties in recent years have been former USC players--Ronnie Lott, Dennis Smith, Joey Browner, Tim McDonald and Mark Carrier. Pace hopes that, eventually, he will get an opportunity to join them.

“It’s tough to get recognition that you may or may not deserve when play on a team that is not winning,” he said. “I would like to be in that situation where I am considered with them, because they are great players.

“But joining them is not what I’ll be shooting for next year. My main concern is to get the defense playing better. The recognition will come when we win more games and stop other people from scoring points.”