O’Neil Impressive--to USC, Anyway : Pacific 10: Oregon quarterback plays well for three quarters in losing cause, but draws praise from Trojans.

His statistics weren’t all that great. He fumbled twice and threw two interceptions, but Danny O’Neil convinced Coach John Robinson and his USC Trojans he is quite a football player.

For three quarters Saturday, the junior quarterback from Newport Beach and Santa Ana Mater Dei High, kept Oregon within a point of the Trojans.

He faltered only after the Trojans put tremendous pressure on him and the situation got desperate for the Ducks. The Trojans scored 10 points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter.

Then, when they knew O’Neil had to throw the ball, the Trojans overwhelmed him. He made his four errors in the fourth quarter in an effort to pull out the victory.

Although he wound up completing 24 of 36 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown, his coach, Rich Brooks, said it was his worst game, only because the team collapsed in the final 15 minutes.

“I really like that quarterback (O’Neil),” Robinson said. “He threw the ball well and caused all sorts of problems. He also made a play I never saw a quarterback make. After (Jason) Sehorn made that interception and runback, it was O’Neil who came over, tackled him and just ripped the ball out of his hands. You just don’t see quarterbacks do that.”

O’Neil also made an impression on Willie McGinest, who chased the elusive O’Neil all over Autzen Stadium before finally running him down on probably the key play of the game. USC was holding a 17-13 lead when O’Neil, trapped deep in his own territory, was sacked by linebacker Jeff Kopp, fumbled and McGinest pounced on it at the Oregon five. The ensuing touchdown was the end of Oregon’s hopes.

“He (O’Neil) had four great games,” Brooks said. “He had a big first half, but when SC stopped our running game in the third quarter, everyone knew we had to throw.

“Danny made some errors in judgment, but maybe we were all a bit drained by the game last week at Cal.”

In the first four games, O’Neil completed 75 of 123 passes for 1,212 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Obviously he ranks with the best in the Pacific 10 Conference, which is loaded with outstanding passers.

How did a top prospect from Southern California escape from USC? Well, he almost didn’t.

“I guess three years ago I was the No. 3 quarterback on their list,” O’Neil said. “They pursued me for a while, then I didn’t hear from them. When Oregon beckoned, I knew I would get a chance. Then, I heard from USC. Apparently, the two they thought they would get didn’t sign. By that time, it was too late.”

O’Neil, whose parents come up for every game, felt he didn’t play as well as he did in the first four games.

“But one of the reasons may have been the Trojans,” O’Neil said. “They put more pressure on me than any team has all year.”

But Brooks said he thought that when his team scored in the second quarter to narrow the lead to 14-13, he would surprise the Trojans with a two-point conversion. He fooled everybody but USC.

“They didn’t fall for it,” Brooks said. “I knew neither of us could afford a tie, so we went for the surprise play.”