Tie Wouldn’t Have Helped USC : Trojans: If they had scored again against Huskies, they probably needed to go for two.

If USC had been able to score a touchdown in the waning minutes of its 17-10 loss to No. 1-ranked Washington on Saturday, Coach Larry Smith would have had to decide whether to go for two points.

Smith won’t say what he would have done in that situation.

“That’s only for me and my wife to know,” he said.

But, considering the Pacific 10 Conference’s Rose Bowl selection procedure, the situation probably would have dictated that the Trojans go for two.

That’s because, in the event that USC and Washington tie for the conference title, Washington probably will still have a better overall record than the Trojans.

In nonconference games, the Huskies have defeated Wisconsin and Nebraska, with a game against Pacific (1-4) still to play.

USC defeated Oklahoma but tied San Diego State, and still has to play Notre Dame, which hasn’t lost to the Trojans since 1982.

If two teams tie for the Pac-10 title, the first tiebreaker to determine the Rose Bowl representative is head-to-head competition.

If the teams tied or did not play, a point formula is applied, with nonconference victories counting for more than nonconference ties.

Because of its tie against San Diego State, USC probably would come up short if it had to match points against Washington.

On the other hand, Smith could have gone for a tie, hoping that Washington would lose later.

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Tailback U., no more?

Among Pac-10 teams, only Washington State has accounted for a higher percentage of its yardage through the air than USC, which is last in the Pac-10 in rushing offense and has scored only one touchdown by rushing.

The Trojans are averaging less than three yards per carry.

Neither of USC’s tailbacks has scored. The Trojans’ only rushing touchdown--no other team in the Pac-10 has fewer than six--was scored by backup quarterback Reggie Perry.

Smith, though, called USC’s rushing statistics “misleading” because the Trojans have been sacked 15 times for 126 yards.

Unlike in the NFL, which counts sacks against passing yardage, they are counted as rushing yardage in college football.

Factoring out the sacks, USC’s rushing average would increase by 42 yards to 173.7, but that would still place the Trojans ninth among Pac-10 teams, if all teams had sack yardage factored out.

“We’re running the ball better than the statistics appear, but I don’t like that statistic, either,” Smith said. “We should be running for about 220 yards a game, but to do that, you’ve got to knock out your minus yardage, and we haven’t done that. If we eliminate the minus yardage, we’re going to be up there where we belong.”

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After starting quarterback Rob Johnson left Saturday’s game because of a concussion, Perry had a chance to erase memories of last year, when he was the starter in all but one game during a 3-8 season.

Perry, though, was ineffective during the second half and was lifted in favor of second-year freshman Kyle Wachholtz, who led a late drive before throwing a rally-ending interception.

“It was a (decision) the position coach made,” Perry said after the game. “As you can see, when Kyle went in there, it did work. The main objective is to move the ball and score, and if I’m not executing well, I don’t want to be in there.”

Perry produced only three first downs during five second-half possessions, USC never advancing past Washington’s 48-yard line, and completed one of seven passes for 18 yards.

“When you get your chance, you want to be ready, so it’s very tough to handle,” said Perry, who completed five of six passes for 118 yards during the first half.

Smith said that Perry will remain as Johnson’s backup, but that Wachholtz is pushing him.