COLLEGE FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : USC : ‘Superfan’ Down, but Not Necessarily Out

Giles Pellerin, USC’s “Superfan,” had a message Tuesday for his friends from a Harrisburg, Pa., hospital: “Don’t count me out.”

In other words, the 86-year-old Pellerin’s streak of having attended 729 consecutive USC football games--that’s every game since the 1926 opener--isn’t necessarily over.

Pellerin collapsed after suffering a ruptured abdominal aneurysm Sunday, as he was preparing to check out of a Harrisburg hotel.

“When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics told me he had no pulse,” said Oliver Pellerin, Giles’ brother.

“After surgery, the doctors told me he’d lost two liters of blood. We almost lost him.”

Pellerin, listed in critical condition Monday, was upgraded to satisfactory Tuesday.

Pellerin is intent on keeping his streak alive by making the Washington State game Sept. 25 at the Coliseum, his brother said Wednesday.

If Pellerin’s streak ends at 729, Oliver, 84, will carry on. He has been to 532 in a row, or every game since 1945.

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The toe injury that sidelined starting left guard Joel Crisman for the Penn State game last Saturday could keep him out of the Washington State game as well.

Crisman injured the ligament between his left big and second toe two weeks ago and can’t put weight on his foot without pain.

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Robinson says Johnnie Morton, the USC wide receiver who has caught 25 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns in three games, will have to improve his route cuts before he becomes an NFL receiver.

“Johnnie catches the ball equally well with any receiver I’ve ever been around, including Henry Ellard,” Robinson said. “But he’ll have to break quicker in the NFL. When he gets to an NFL camp, it’ll be an eye-opener for him.”