New Trouble in Air for Trojan Defense : College football: Houston, with Jimmy Klingler, will be throwing out of the run-and-shoot.

John Robinson expects his battered USC defense to be tested again Saturday, but in a manner entirely different than the option running plays that North Carolina employed Sunday to beat the Trojans, 31-9.

The opponent Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum is Houston, a team Robinson said uses “a fast-break offense and a full-court-press defense.”

It was a logical question for Robinson: How can you stop Houston--quarterback Jimmy Klingler was the 1992 NCAA total offense leader--if you couldn’t stop basic option plays by North Carolina?

“We were just unable to play against their option,” Robinson said at his regular Tuesday media luncheon.

“We tried to put an option defense package together in the preseason, but we obviously didn’t practice it very well. North Carolina kind of started off like, ‘Hey, let’s run that option again and see if they can stop it this time.’

“Then it became, ‘Hey, let’s just keep running the damn thing until they stop it.’ And we never did.

“There’s something about the option--when it’s working against you, and you’re seeing great execution by the opposing quarterback (Jason Stanicek), it’s hard on you. You become unraveled, and I don’t know why.”

Klingler, a junior and younger brother of another productive Houston quarterback, David Klingler, averaged 342.6 yards per game last year. Against Rice, he threw for seven touchdowns and 613 yards.

In a snowstorm at Texas Tech, he passed for 412 yards. For the season, he completed 60.1% of his passes.

Said Houston Coach Kim Helton: “Klingler reminds me of Jim Kelly, and he has about the same mobility. I think I run faster than he does. But he’s got a great arm and some fast receivers. We’ve got 19 wideouts and no tight ends.”

Said Robinson: “North Carolina showed us a soft pass zone defense, but we expect a hard man-to-man from Houston. They defend the pass like the University of Washington--everyone’s coming at you.

“If you’re up against a hot quarterback in the run-and-shoot, he can be awesome. You need a lot of poise, even when you’re getting embarrassed. But run-and-shoot offenses also make big errors.”

Starting Trojan tailback Dwight McFadden suffered a broken left ankle in the first half against North Carolina, had surgery Monday morning and is sidelined for the season.

That leaves sophomore Scott Fields and freshman David Dotson, both of whom played Sunday. Dotson was the more impressive, gaining 48 yards in nine carries late in the game.

“I was conducting practice then,” Robinson said. “We knew McFadden was gone for the year and we needed to see both Fields and Dotson in there. I don’t know who will start Saturday, I want to see them practice this week.

“They’ll both play, and so will Shawn Walters.

“McFadden was impressive (seven carries, 44 yards) until he was hurt. He was going to be a good tailback. He was running with authority. The injury on film was like looking at (Joe) Theismann breaking his leg on TV that time, except this wasn’t a compound fracture.

“He was caught upright in an awkward position, and a swinging body came in and got his leg.”

Walters, another freshman tailback, has been injured much of the preseason, but Robinson wants him to play against Houston.

Of the second-quarter Rob Johnson-to-Johnnie Morton pass for a touchdown that was called back, Robinson said Morton lined up improperly and made the tight end on the play an ineligible receiver. USC, instead of tying the score, 7-7, wound up kicking a field goal.

Robinson indicated the one bright area of the defeat was offensive line play. Johnson had excellent protection for the most part and completed 21 of 28 passes.

“Johnson did a good job, he managed the game well,” Robinson said. “He missed some things, but they’re correctable. And I liked the look in his eye.”