COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : USC : Were Trojans Caught in a Letdown?

John Robinson said Tuesday an early emphasis on the rapid development of USC’s recruiting class and a major push to win the Washington opener might in part be to blame for the 38-14 loss to Penn State.

A more visible reason, of course, was injuries to two starting wide receivers, Keyshawn Johnson and Ed Hervey, who didn’t play.

“We needed to beat Washington in that opener, and a second priority was to get as many young players playing as quickly as possible,” Robinson said.

“We wanted to know by mid-October, by the Stanford game, which 10, 12 or 14 new kids were going to have an impact on our team. So we got those kids moving in practice in that direction . . . and maybe that in itself took some of the focus away from Penn State.

“If that contributed to our loss, then it’s my fault.”