Johnson Will Start in Wet, Windy Pullman Against Cougars

For USC’s possible Rose Bowl-decider against Washington State on Saturday at Pullman, Wash., Cougar Coach Mike Price had some good news Tuesday.

Good news for his team, that is.

“I got up this morning and found snow on my windshield,” he said, unsuccessfully trying to suppress a giggle.

“We’re very happy this game is in Pullman. Our stadium is sold out and the weather will be perfect--cold and wet.”

After Price had hung up on a speaker-phone news conference, USC Coach John Robinson talked about weather conditions for the Trojans, who are 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, same as Washington State.

“The players can play in the cold, it’s the wind I’m more worried about,” he said at his weekly media luncheon.

The National Weather Service is predicting cloudy, windy weather for this weekend in eastern Washington, with a good chance of rain. Temperature forecast: Highs in the upper 40s.

“We’ve got guys on our team who’ve never seen snow,” Robinson said.

Then Robinson wondered why reporters worry about football players getting cold.

“The players aren’t cold, they’re playing in a football game,” he said.

“And you people aren’t cold, you’re in a press box with heaters. The coaches are cold--we’re the ones you should be worrying about.”

Then Robinson, responding in kind, had some bad news for Price.

Rob Johnson, the senior USC quarterback who tore up Washington State’s vaunted defense a year ago, will return Saturday from the injured list.

“Rob practiced last week and he’ll practice all this week,” Robinson said.

“He’ll be our starting quarterback. We need him Saturday, because against a team that blitzes as much as Washington State does, you need an accurate passer.”

Johnson suffered a sprained right ankle twice this season, the first time Oct. 1 in a 22-7 loss to Oregon. He rested it two weeks, tried to play against Stanford . . . and aggravated the sprain.

His backup, Brad Otton, directed Trojan victories over Oregon State, Stanford and, most recently, to a 61-0 blowout of California.

For Johnson, it has been a disappointing season. He passed for 3,630 yards as a junior and started this season as a Heisman Trophy candidate and with a shot at supplanting Rodney Peete as USC’s all-time passing yardage leader.

He stands at 1,080 yards this season after playing in only three full games.

But to his coach, he’s still the man.

“To me, Rob is really a good quarterback,” he said. “He’s been on a roll ever since I got here. That day at Stanford, he might have thrown for 400 yards if he hadn’t hurt his ankle again.

“I like Brad Otton too, but Rob Johnson is a difference-maker.”

A year ago, Johnson had a remarkable game against Washington State, in a 34-3 Trojan victory at the Coliseum. He completed 21 of 26 passes for 392 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions.

“Rob Johnson ripped us apart last year,” Price said.

“He embarrassed us. There’s no question he’ll be the best quarterback we’ve faced this year.”

Robinson characterized Johnson’s ankle sprain as a “high” one, on the outside of the leg. He said it’s the kind that cost Ricky Bell several games in 1976 . . . and a probable Heisman Trophy.

“It could still be bothering him next spring,” Robinson said. “He’ll just have to play with it.”

Robinson said his team’s challenge in practice this week will be to “pick up the rhythm” it showed in the Cal rout.

“Our last three games, we didn’t play great teams but we didn’t lose a fumble or an interception in any of them.”

USC leads the nation in turnover margin, +1.9, and has not turned the ball over for 15 quarters.

A repeat of the 1993 game would be fine, Robinson said. Washington State brought another stellar defensive team to the Coliseum last season and gave up 517 yards against the Trojans.

How many losses are tolerable, in the home stretch of the Pac-10 schedule?

Zero.

USC, Washington State, Arizona and Oregon are all 4-1. USC plays Washington State on Saturday, a Coliseum game with Arizona Nov. 12 and UCLA at Pasadena Nov. 19.

“The rest of our opponents, we’re all alike,” Robinson said.

“We’re not much stronger or weaker than any of them. Washington State hasn’t played a really good quarterback this year, and that’s in our favor this weekend.

“Oregon State will be a tough game for Oregon (Nov. 19) at Corvallis, and UCLA is getting a lot of injured people back . . . and if I was Oregon, I’d be scared about going to Stanford (Nov. 12).

“Like Bill (Walsh) says, he’s got the best offense in football.”