Walsh and Robinson Renew Their Rivalry : College football: Coaches will be matched for 15th time when USC plays Stanford. Quarterbacks Stenstrom and Johnson will be featured.

Bill Walsh, no doubt a bit embarrassed these days by his old NFL nickname, “the Genius,” reviewed Stanford’s recent four-game losing streak the other day.

Stanford, in Los Angeles to play USC today at the Coliseum, ended the skid with a 31-27 victory over Oregon State last weekend. But Stanford has not stopped playing bad football, Walsh said.

“We continue to find new ways to make mistakes no one has made in the history of football,” Walsh said.

“The sky punt, for example. Straight up and straight down. We had a sky punt (against Oregon State last Saturday) that was almost returned for a touchdown for minus yardage, from behind the line of scrimmage.

“This is most difficult for me personally--we don’t look like a well-coached team at times.”

Walsh was exaggerating a bit. Aaron Mills’ third-quarter punt last Saturday actually traveled 15 yards, but was returned 23.

Stanford, which is 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Pac-10, and USC (5-4, 4-1) figure to serve up some prodigious passing statistics today, with two of the nation’s most productive quarterbacks facing off.

It will be the second collegiate matchup of Stanford’s Steve Stenstrom and USC’s Rob Johnson, who played together on the 1989 El Toro High team--Stenstrom at quarterback, Johnson at wide receiver.

Stenstrom has passed for more than 300 yards in every game this season except a season-opening loss at Washington. Stanford’s 2,688 yards passing lead the Pac-10 and rank fourth nationally. Stenstrom ranks at least fourth on every Stanford passing list.

Johnson, brilliant last week in completing 32 of 39 passes--two were dropped--and two touchdown passes in a 42-14 victory at California, is on a near-record pace.

The Pac-10 single-season completion percentage record is 70.7%, set by Rich Campbell in 1980. Johnson is at 70.4%. The NCAA record is 71.4%, by Steve Young at Brigham Young in 1983.

The other noteworthy matchup today is Walsh vs. USC Coach John Robinson. Robinson was 2-0 against Walsh in their pre-pro careers at USC and Stanford in 1977 and ’78. But Walsh had an NFL edge of 8-4 when he coached San Francisco and Robinson the Rams.

As for the USC-Stanford rivalry these days, Walsh reviewed that, too. Stanford has won the last two, but had lost the previous 11.

“We like to think of it as a rivalry, but maybe sometimes we kid ourselves,” Walsh said. “There’s been a lot of tailgating, a lot of cocktailing and a lot of day-before seminars, and that was it.”

Robinson and Walsh are friends, both say, but there have been testy moments in their matchups.

When USC beat Stanford, 13-7, in 1978, Walsh said afterward: “Well, gentlemen--you can’t put grade-point averages on the scoreboard.”

Retorted Robinson: “All we did was change our blitzes and stunts and those Phi Beta Kappas couldn’t figure it out.”

Today, Robinson hopes his defense, which was at its best last Saturday, can throttle Stenstrom.

“Stanford is one of the top scoring teams in the country,” he said. “They’ve been able to score 25-27 points a game against everybody.

“Their offense has kept them in every game except Notre Dame (a 48-20 loss.)”

There was hope early in the week that USC junior All-American offensive tackle Tony Boselli, sidelined for a month because of a dislocated kneecap, would return today. But Boselli apparently will not suit up. Linebacker Joe Barry, sidelined last week because of a knee injury, will start today.

Stanford’s two leading receivers, Justin Armour and Brian Manning, sat out the last two games because of injuries but might return today. Armour leads Stanford with 42 catches and 581 yards.

USC’s Johnnie Morton has caught 67 passes for 1,106 yards.

USC defensive coordinator Don Lindsey hopes his players can play a second half in the first half today. The Trojan defense has not given up a second-half touchdown in seven games this year. Four games have been second-half shutouts.

USC has outscored opponents in the second half, 106-36, but has been outscored in the first, 131-126.

Why is that?

“If I could answer that, I’d be so rich I wouldn’t have to coach,” Lindsey said.

“I’d just travel around the country, explaining it to other coaching staffs who have the same problem and charging big fees.”