COLLEGE FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : USC : Smith: Rushing Is ‘Unacceptable’

USC is last in the Pacific 10 Conference in rushing, averaging only 112.4 yards, and has scored only nine touchdowns by rushing in nine games. “That’s just unacceptable,” Coach Larry Smith said.

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Smith thought that the game-winning touchdown pass from tailback Deon Strother to quarterback Rob Johnson during last Saturday’s 14-7 victory over Arizona was not going to be successful.

“I saw the safety come over the top (toward Johnson) and I thought, ‘Don’t throw it,’ ” Smith said. “The last thing I told Deon before he left the (sideline) was, ‘If it’s not there, throw it over his head and out of bounds because we at least can kick a field goal.’ You saw what happened. They listen to us real well, don’t they?”