COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : USC : Cougars Still Haven’t Figured Out Johnson

When USC quarterback Rob Johnson cashes that big NFL bonus check next summer, he should send a contribution to the Washington State football scholarship fund.

The Cougars have been known as an outstanding defensive team but they could not prove it by their performances against Johnson the last three seasons. Johnson completed 60 of 85 passes for 915 yards against the Cougars. His three touchdown passes to Keyshawn Johnson on Saturday gave him seven against the Cougars.

And by completing 20 of 31 for 327 yards, Johnson raised his 1994 completion percentage to .675.

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Washington State’s athletic director, Rick Dickson, will receive a letter this week from the Pacific 10 Conference office, reminding him that the conference has a guideline about impartiality on the part of public address announcers.

Glenn Johnson, the Cougars’ PA man at Martin Stadium for the last 10 years, encouraged “First Down!” chants by the crowd Saturday on Cougar first downs, and was impartial only in announcing USC plays--until Trojan Ed Hervey made a remarkable catch late in the game, a play Johnson described as “fantastic.”

“We’ll send Washington State a letter, a gentle reminder, that we encourage impartiality,” said conference spokesman Jim Muldoon.

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USC faces another noted defensive team Saturday against Arizona, and Coach John Robinson said it’s a better unit than Washington State’s. “It’s a more balanced defense, and it doesn’t play as close to the edge as Washington State’s,” he said. “They play a better overall defense against a variety of offenses.”