Only One Question Is Left Unanswered

The questions to be answered were as follows: “Is USC’s football team any better than last year’s?” “Is San Diego State a match for any college team in the country?” “Has USC found itself a quarterback?” “Does San Diego State really have a running back as good as anybody in the country?”

The answers were yes.

Nobody won the season opener Saturday, as entertaining a season opener as you will ever care to see. The Trojans went away disappointed because in their hearts they cannot believe that the day has come when a 31-31 tie with San Diego State could be considered a success. The Aztecs went away disappointed because in their hearts they believe that USC totally lucked out.

And among the crowd of 52,168--decreased to 52,166 when two knuckleheads ran onto the field at halftime and tackled USC band director Dr. Art Bartner and 6-foot-6, 330-pound drum major Bijon Watson--there must have been arguments all the way to the parking lot over who outplayed whom and how disappointed anybody ought to be.

A day or two from now, both sides should be able to derive some satisfaction from the many good things that came out of their season opener, including the 220 yards rushing of San Diego State’s yes-he’s-for-real Marshall Faulk and the 443 total yards accumulated by the Trojans through no Faulk of their own.

Yet that doesn’t mean USC alumni aren’t gnashing their teeth today, wondering how 100 years of Trojan football could have come to this. Time was, they had teams like San Diego State for brunch. Not any more.

The Aztecs had no fear. They came out there in their all-black Ninja uniforms and showed the visitors some Marshall arts.

The nation’s leading rusher is a joy to behold. Looking for an opening, Faulk stutter-steps like a child playing hopscotch. Then, when he breaks into the open, his stride becomes as smooth as someone on rollerblades. Olympic 400-meter champion Quincy Watts watched the game from USC’s sidelines, and the Trojans could have used him to chase Faulk a few times.

Afterward, Faulk was even faster leaving the stadium, too despondent to stick around. Senior kicker Andy Trakas, having had two chances to give his school one of its greatest memories ever, was understandably tearful, but his teammates took pride in re-expressing their trust and faith in him.

As for the Aztec coach, Al Luginbill, well, he made confetti of his visor after one of Trakas’ kicks and was testy and less mature than his students after the game, for which he later apologized. How he felt about his players, though, could not have been much more sincere: “They’ve got the hearts of lions.”

The tie, though, stuck in their paws like a thorn. This was the third consecutive stalemate in a college football game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, including the Aztecs’ 52-52 tie with Brigham Young--their next opponent--and a 13-all game between BYU and Iowa at the Holiday Bowl. Welcome to Tie-land.

This one angered the Aztecs.

Such as defensive end Tyrone Morrison, who said: “I feel, and everyone on the defense feels, like we were cheated. Luck was with them (USC). They got lucky.”

And linebacker Mark Roberts: “They should feel real happy right now. They must feel like they won.”

And split end Darnay Scott: “A tie is a loss for us.”

Even a tie with USC? Well, that’s the way it goes these days. Funny thing is, the Trojans did so many things right. They scored two touchdowns during the first quarter, something they didn’t do once last season. Rob Johnson was wonderful, hurling more touchdown passes in one game than USC’s quarterback did all last season. Johnnie Morton caught most of them, acrobatically.

But the competition has become such that, well, to quote Coach Larry Smith: “It doesn’t much matter if it’s San Diego State or Notre Dame.” And you know how SC has been doing lately against Notre Dame.

A 340-pound Aztec offensive lineman with a ponytail and goatee, Carlson Leomiti, wanted to make it clear what USC was up against.

“People don’t think all that highly of San Diego State, but we come out blasting,” Leomiti said. “The people at USC and everyplace else had better wake up and smell our coffee.”

Because the Trojans like to think of themselves as as lion-hearted as the next guy, they did not act overly impressed. Linebacker Brian Williams said his most vivid memory of Faulk was the running back yelling, “Get up off me!” And teammate Jason Oliver said: “He had a pretty good game, but I don’t think he did anything that I would call incredible.”

So the talk turned out to be as even as the score. Luginbill left the premises saying he couldn’t wait for San Diego State’s next game. And Smith went home wondering where he could find that guy who tackled his 330-pound drum major.