Johnson Helps USC Escape With 31-31 Tie : College football: He throws four touchdown passes--three to Morton--to offset the rushing of San Diego State’s Faulk.

On the positive side for USC, the Trojans ended a school-record six-game losing streak in their season opener on Saturday.

But the Trojans didn’t win, squandering a 14-point halftime lead and salvaging a 31-31 tie with San Diego State only after Aztec kicker Andy Trakas missed two field-goal attempts in the last minute, the first from only 30 yards, before 52,168 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

“If he had made that, I think I would have been (sick),” said Chris Allen, USC’s defensive coordinator, of the 30-yard attempt that Trakas pulled to the left with 54 seconds remaining.

San Diego State hasn’t defeated a team from outside the Western Athletic or Big West conferences since Oct. 5, 1985, when it upset Stanford, 41-22, but the Aztecs put themselves into position to end their 18-game drought by scoring 24 points during the third quarter.

USC took a 21-7 halftime lead on three touchdown passes by sophomore quarterback Rob Johnson, who completed 20 of 33 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns with only one interception.

Reggie Perry, whom Johnson replaced, threw only three touchdown passes last season.

In their first three possessions of the second half, however, Johnson and the Trojans failed to generate a first down.

San Diego State took advantage, pulling within 21-16 on a 37-yard field goal by Trakas and an 11-yard touchdown by running back Marshall Faulk, who rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns in 27 carries.

Then Johnson, whose first-quarter fumble set up the Aztecs’ only first-half touchdown, lost control of the ball again, dropping it after he bumped into a teammate as he prepared to pitch out.

Aztec quarterback David Lowery wasted no time in taking advantage, hooking up with wide receiver Darnay Scott on a 31-yard touchdown pass play that might have been an interception if the 6-foot-3 Scott were a little shorter, or if Jason Oliver, the 5-11 cornerback assigned to him, were a little taller.

Scott jumped over Oliver in the end zone to take the ball away and give the Aztecs a 24-21 lead only 9:36 into the second half.

“We played an extremely poor third quarter,” said USC Coach Larry Smith, who hoped that a convincing victory would help erase the memories of USC’s 3-8 season of a year ago. “Offensively, we didn’t do anything and that put our defense into a hole.”

It didn’t respond well.

“It’s kind of hard to put it all on the defense,” said safety Stephon Pace, one of nine starters who returned from a USC defense that was seventh in the Pac-10 last season, giving up more rushing yards than any USC team in the last 21 years. “The offense turned the ball over . . .

“But we have to make the plays. When we’re in that situation, it’s got to be three points or less.”

San Diego’s State’s defense was worse than USC’s last season--the Aztecs ranked 103rd among the nation’s 107 Division I-AA colleges--and Johnson brought the Trojans back, connecting with Johnnie Morton on a 19-yard scoring pass with 2:07 left in the third quarter to put USC ahead, 28-24.

It was the third touchdown catch of the day for Morton, who led the Trojans with 49 receptions last season but hadn’t score a touchdown since Nov. 17, 1990, when the scored the winner in a 45-42 victory over UCLA.

The three touchdown catches gave him a share of a school record.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome Faulk and the Aztecs.

Faulk gave San Diego State the lead again before the end of the third quarter, going 59 yards for a touchdown.

“His speed is better than what you (see) on film,” Smith said of Faulk. “He just outruns people.”

After USC’s Cole Ford ended the scoring by kicking a 32-yard field goal with 5:36 to play, Faulk put the Aztecs into position to win, gaining 30 yards down the right sideline to set up Trakas.

Trakas, however, missed badly on a 30-yard field-goal try.

“It’s just kind of a blur,” he said.

Asked if the snap and the hold had been OK, Trakas said: “I’ll tell you what, I’m not going to blame my snapper or holder for anything. I would never point the finger at anyone.

“The worst part is, these guys have busted their butts,” he said of his teammates, “and to blow it for them . . .”

His voice trailed off.

“There’s no excuse for not making it,” Aztec Coach Al Luginbill said. “A field-goal kicker is either a hero or he’s not.

“In this instance, obviously, Andy is not.”

Trakas also missed a 55-yard attempt on the game’s final play.

“I want you to know these ties are getting damn boring,” said Luginbill, whose team played Brigham Young to a tie last season and has played UCLA, Miami and now USC close in recent seasons. “Any time we don’t win, it’s an extreme disappointment.

“We work hard here, and somewhere along the line, this thing needs to turn. We’ve been close, but that doesn’t count.”

Smith knew how he felt.

“As I told our team in the locker room, there’s only that much difference between anybody we play and ourselves,” said Smith, holding his right thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart.

“It doesn’t make any difference if it’s San Diego State or Notre Dame, you have to find a way to win.”

For the Trojans lately, it has been a futile pursuit.

MIKE DOWNEY: Both teams can point to good things. C3

MAKING THE GRADE: USC’s Johnson is modest in his self-assessment. C6