Trojans Make Themselves at Home Against Oregon

USC, which ended a six-game losing streak and a seven-game winless streak in successive games last month, can end two more ignominious dry spells when it plays Oregon in its home opener today at the Coliseum.

The Trojans are 0-6 against Pacific 10 Conference opponents since last Oct. 12, when they defeated Washington State, 34-27, at Pullman.

And they are 0-5 at the Coliseum since Sept. 14, 1991, when they defeated Penn State, 21-10.

Their losing streak at the Coliseum is the more puzzling.

The Trojans, who are the last of the NCAA’s 107 Division I-A teams to play a home game, are 1-7-1 at the Coliseum since Oct. 6, 1990.

Coach Larry Smith, hoping to get his players more used to their home field, took the Trojans through a workout at the Coliseum on Friday.

He said that, for the first time since he took over as coach before the 1987 season, USC will practice there on the day before all of its home games.

“It’s time we perform our best right here, in front of our people,” said Smith, whose team is 1-1-1 after opening the season with games at San Diego State, Oklahoma and Washington. “This is our home turf. Let’s protect it like you would your mother’s home.”

USC’s defensive leader, safety Stephon Pace, said the Trojans have been too comfortable at the Coliseum.

“We got a little too relaxed,” he said. “When we go on the road, we’re more focused. We’re on a mission because everybody’s against us.”

But this year’s team, Pace said, is more mature and less prone to letdowns.

And, in most games, it will have revenge as a motivator.

Oregon is one of only three Pac-10 teams that did not win its most recent game against the Trojans.

USC defeated the Ducks, 30-14, last season at Eugene, scoring 24 consecutive points at the start of the second half to break a 6-6 tie.

Both teams finished with 3-8 records, Oregon suffering through an injury-riddled season in which it used five quarterbacks.

The Ducks, who finished with a six-game losing streak, lost to Hawaii and Stanford to start this season. But they have rebounded and beaten Texas Tech, Nevada Las Vegas and Arizona State.

“We’ve made a lot of progress,” said Coach Rich Brooks, whose team has not defeated USC at the Coliseum since 1971. “The offense has started to come together, playing better as a unit. Our defense is playing like I expected it to play at the start of the season.”

Quarterback Danny O’Neil, a sophomore from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, has completed 56.8% of his 132 passes for 926 yards and four touchdowns, with five interceptions.

“He has made steady progress,” Brooks said of O’Neil, whose freshman season was cut short because of a dislocated thumb after he had led the Ducks to a 3-2 start.

Tailback Sean Burwell, a junior from Cleveland High in Reseda, has rushed for 496 yards, averaging 5.4 yards. Burwell, sidelined four games because of an ankle injury last season, has run for more than 100 yards in each of the Ducks’ last three games.

Oregon is ninth in the Pac-10 in total defense, but the Ducks’ last three opponents averaged only 278.7 yards.

The defensive leader is inside linebacker Joe Farwell, a senior who is trying to become the first player in school history to lead Oregon in tackles in three consecutive seasons.

Trojan Notes

USC is 13-1-1 against Oregon since 1971, having lost only in 1987 at Eugene. . . . USC tailback Deon Strother, who has yet to play this season because of an ankle injury, was expected to return today before he was injured again this week in practice. He is listed as questionable. . . . Split end Johnnie Morton and offensive guard Kris Pollack, both of whom sat out against Washington last week because of ankle injuries, are expected to play.