The Rivalry : Veterans of the War : Role in <i> the Play</i> Eases Pain From Injuries for Trojans’ Mahone

Of USC’s 80 or so players suiting up for Saturday’s Rose Bowl game against UCLA, only one knows what it feels like to defeat the Bruins.

For senior Elic Mahone, a disappointing college football career is dwindling to a final few Saturdays. Once thought to be a tight end or defensive end of great promise, Mahone instead has been injured more often than he has been fit the past five seasons.

He’s the only current Trojan who played in the 45-42 victory over UCLA in 1990. USC has lost the last three in the 63-year-old series.

As a freshman tight end, Mahone played a key role in the game-winning 23-yard touchdown pass play with 16 seconds left.

“The play was to Johnnie Morton in the end zone corner, but we wanted one-on-one coverage on Johnnie,” Mahone recalled.

“My job was to run a seam route and take the safety in the other direction. I remember when (Todd) Marinovich called the play in the huddle, he told me: ‘It’s very important you clear that safety out of there.’

“I did, and Johnnie beat the corner. I’ll never forget that crowd (98,088 at the Rose Bowl) reaction. It was like the crowd was right on top of my shoulder pads.

“The crowd is really a factor in the SC-UCLA game. You’re conscious of the ooohs and ahhhs on every play, no matter what happens.

“I remember the locker room scene, right after. We had a lot of fun in there. I’ve had a tough time at SC with injuries. . . . I’d like to end my career with that feeling again.”

Mahone also remembers the pain.

“The game last year, that was the most painful game I’ve ever been involved in,” he said of the 27-21 loss after the Trojans had a first down on the UCLA three with 1:16 left.

“I’ll probably remember the pain of that loss last year more than the good feeling of the ’90 win, because it hurt so much.

“All I could do was just stand there and watch. To not be able to help or contribute in any way, it really hurt.”

Mahone, 6 feet 5 and 255 pounds, was highly recruited at Pasadena’s Muir High in 1990. He’d played tight end and defensive end, averaging 10 tackles a game.

But maybe he should have taken up the decathlon.

As a track athlete, he ran a 10.9 100, high jumped 6-5 and long jumped 20 feet. He was a scholastic All-American and received his public administration degree at USC last June.

He began his career as a tight end under then-coach Larry Smith, who switched him to defensive end in 1992. Then injuries stunted his career.

“My only injury-free (year) was my freshman year, the year we beat UCLA,” he said.

In 1992, he separated a shoulder and missed the middle of the season, returning for the last three games.

Then John Robinson took over the Trojans and Mahone eagerly awaited the start of training camp in 1993.

“On the first day of training camp, on my very first hit of the season, I severed a tendon in my shoulder,” he said.

“I couldn’t believe it. It was like, I just wasn’t supposed to play. I had surgery and missed the whole year.”

He recovered and managed to survive training camp this summer.

Then he injured his ankle at Penn State in September.

“Exactly the same injury Rob Johnson has now,” he said.

“It was high on the outside of the ankle, the kind that takes forever to heal. We had a bye week after Penn State, so I was able to rest it. Then in practice the following week, I tweaked it again and hurt it worse than ever.”

Mahone missed the next five games, returning to play against Washington State on passing downs. He also played against Arizona last week and was limping noticeably afterward.

“I tweaked it again,” he said.

“I’ve decided I’m just going to play hurt.”

With his fifth USC-UCLA game coming up, Mahone says he has learned one truth about the rivalry.

“You have to understand that won-loss records, rankings . . . none of that has anything to do with this game. I know half the UCLA players, guys I see in the off-season on weekends, and over the summer.

“There’s always a lot of talk, you know? And it’s always about who won the last USC-UCLA game.

“This game is about pride, character, self-respect, stuff like that.”

More USC-UCLA Football: If you follow either USC or UCLA football and want to review each team’s season to date, you can read features, game stories and notes that have appeared in The Times this season on TimesLink.

Details on Times electronic services, B4