Trojan Offense Meets Challenge by the Defense : USC: Crayton scores the second of his two late touchdowns after Webb keeps his vow about forcing a Cal turnover.

David Webb, a defensive tackle for USC, challenged the offensive unit during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game with California at the Coliseum.

“I just said, ‘We’ll get a turnover, and you guys score.’ The offensive line then started putting people on their butts.”

Webb, an undersized lineman at 225 pounds, held up his end of the bargain.

With Cal leading, 24-21, late in the fourth quarter, Webb charged into Dave Barr as the quarterback retreated to pass on third and eight from the Bear 22-yard line.

“I clamped his arm down and spun him around trying to get the ball out,” Webb said.

The ball came out--into the arms of linebacker Donn Cunnigan. “I was coming around the corner and I had beaten the tight end,” Cunnigan said. “I thought I was going to get a sack, but Dave got there and popped the ball loose.”

Cunnigan picked the fumble out of the air and carried it three yards to the Cal 14.

Five plays later, USC scored on tailback Estrus Crayton’s one-yard run.

The Trojans won, 27-24, and now have scored 43 points in the fourth quarter through five games while holding the opposition scoreless.

There were still 2 1/2 minutes to play when Crayton scored, so Cal had time to come back.

However, Sean Dawkins, who had scored three touchdowns, muffed a pass from Barr.

The ball went off his hands into the grasp of USC linebacker Brian Williams. “I just saw it pop loose and I went for it,” Williams said.

It was an uphill struggle for USC, which Coach Larry Smith described as “just good, old gutsy Trojans football.”

In contrast to last year’s game, when Cal won, 52-30, with some of the Bears taunting the Trojans after the game, Saturday’s was all business.

“It was all class on both sides of the ball,” Webb said.

Cal tailback Russell White, who rushed for 229 yards--the most ever by a USC opponent--last year, didn’t play Saturday because of a groin injury. He made some disparaging remarks about USC after last year’s game.

USC had to concentrate on tailback Lindsey Chapman instead.

“We knew he (Chapman) was a good back and we had to focus in on him,” Webb said.

Even though the Trojans had a revenge motive, Smith thought his team was “flat” at the outset.

“If you ask me to explain it, I can’t,” he said.

Once again, Smith had to turn to his third-string quarterback, Kyle Wachholtz, after starter Rob Johnson suffered a pinched nerve in his neck during the third quarter and his replacement, Reggie Perry, was generally ineffective.

Wachholtz, a redshirt freshman, said he wasn’t nervous. He made his first appearance at quarterback during the fourth quarter of a 17-10 loss to Washington two weeks ago in Seattle.

“Going in against Washington helped (me),” Wachholtz said. “You just have to go out and stay relaxed and put everything out of your mind.”

Despite his inexperience, the 6-foot-5 Wachholtz was effective. He completed three of four passes for 23 yards and led the Trojans to two touchdowns after turnovers by Cal during the fourth quarter.

USC came into the game averaging only 124 yards rushing, last in the Pacific 10. The Trojans were able to rush for only 79 yards against Cal, but at least they got two rushing touchdowns--both by Crayton. Previously, only a quarterback, Perry, had scored on the ground.

“It was about time,” Crayton said. “It has been frustrating for the team and frustrating for me.”

At the end, only Cal was frustrated.