Gibson Stands Tall as Trojan Survivor : College football: Senior center continues to provide steady play despite injuries to several of his teammates on the offensive line.

When USC began its football season, its offensive line, everyone agreed, was its strongest unit.

Now, five games later, the offensive line looks like the Gettysburg battlefield.

Only center Craig Gibson and right tackle Norberto Garrido remain standing, forcing the coaching staff to stitch together a unit it hopes can somehow survive the middle of USC’s schedule, or until injured veterans Tony Boselli, Joel Crisman, Kris Pollack and Len Gorecki return.

And it figures that Gibson, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior, would be one of the survivors. Since becoming a starter as a freshman, he hasn’t missed a game.

Toughness, consistency and a technical mastery of his position are the Gibson hallmarks. After USC beat Houston last month, the Cougars’ defensive line coach, Tony Fitzpatrick, said of Gibson: “The USC center is a big-time technician--he was doing things to our nose guard that shouldn’t happen to any nose guard.”

Mike Barry, USC’s offensive line coach, likens Gibson to a quarterback on the offensive line.

“His biggest plus is his experience, at doing things like recognizing blocking assignments before the play starts,” Barry said.

“He’s not a real big guy, but he’s smart, crafty and very durable.”

So how does Gibson counsel Jason Keiderling, Robert Loya and Jeremy Hogue, his new fellow starters?

“We can’t waste time worrying about the guys who can’t play,” he said of the injured regulars.

“The world can pass us by. This is the same opportunity for these new guys that I had as a freshman. It’s their opportunity to take advantage of the situation. It’s like we’re walking through a battlefield together, and no matter how many of your buddies get shot, you’ve still got a battle to win.”

The simile is in character for this third son of a military man.

Frank Gibson, a Santa Ana developer, played end at West Point in the late 1950s. His sons Boomer, 28, Don, 25, and Craig, 22, have all traveled the world and lived on military bases.

Gibson played on Coach Earl (Red) Blaik’s last Army team, in 1958, and retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in 1981, largely because of the obvious athleticism of his young sons.

“Craig was born in Ft. Levenworth, Kan., and after that I was transferred to West Point and Seoul,” said Gibson, who was a battalion commander in the Vietnam War. “When I realized the Army had me programmed for three more moves, it was at a time when I knew my sons were going to be good athletes. So I looked for another career, somewhere where the boys could get into good high school sports programs.”

All three played at El Modena High in Orange and all three played college football, Don and Craig at USC, Boomer at Arizona.

When you look at the nose guards Craig Gibson has had to block the past four seasons, you wonder why anyone would want to play center.

As Barry, his position coach, said: “The only guy who takes more punishment than the center is the quarterback, when the center and the rest of the offensive line don’t block for him.”

For the center, every play begins at a disadvantage.

“The center’s the only guy who starts every play with his hand between his legs,” Gibson said.

This season, Gibson has taken on Penn State’s Lou Benfatti and Arizona’s Rob Waldrop, two of the college game’s best.

“Both those guys are great players, but the best I’ve played was Chris Zorich of Notre Dame, when I was a freshman,” Gibson said.

“Another great one was Esera Tuaolo of Oregon State, two years ago. And another great one was my brother, Don. In my redshirt year, he was a nose guard and I had to block him every day.

“Benfatti has so many counter moves, spin or swim moves where he tries to get by you. First he tries to get his right arm over the top of you, then swim by you.

“Waldrop last Saturday seemed even stronger than last year, and I didn’t think that was possible. He’s a guy who tries to knock you to one side or the other, so I had to keep my head up, keep a very low center of gravity and just stay in his way.”

Arizona’s 38-7 victory was a stunner, Gibson said.

“We can’t seem to put two good games together,” he said. “Saturday, it seemed we were doing OK until Tony (Boselli) went down. Then things got away from us. Coach (John) Robinson was really upset after the game, and I can’t blame him. He told us we had to snap out of this pattern of going in the tank every time something bad happens.”

Gibson, after this semester, will be one class away from a degree in public administration and planning. He says he’s considering law school and might start a business with his brothers.

The younger Gibson has a reputation with the USC coaches and trainers for playing hurt. Right now, he’s playing with a sore knee. But he’s proud of the fact he’s never missed a USC game because of an injury.

Don and Boomer Gibson had short stints with NFL teams.

“I definitely want a chance, but some people say I’m undersized for a center,” Craig said. “But the NFL centers I see aren’t significantly bigger than I am.”

His father may advise his son: Enough is enough.

“Craig was the little brother, always getting abuse from his brothers, and he grew up with a burning desire to be at least equal to his brothers,” Frank Gibson said.

“He was always undersized in football. But he grew up with the kind of attitude where if you have a problem in an alley, Craig is the one you want with you. That attitude is the reason why he’s always played hurt. And when he’s my age (54), he may pay for that.”