USC Has Its Own Kind of Swarm : Trojans: Wachholtz throws three touchdown passes in 31-10 victory, but defense is what impresses Robinson.

TUCSON — USC displayed some prodigious offensive weapons in its 31-10 conquest of Arizona on Saturday night--quarterback Kyle Wachholtz, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and a trio of tailbacks.

And yet it was to no one’s surprise that Coach John Robinson spoke first of his defense in the aftermath, specifically a line that pressured an old nemesis, Arizona quarterback Dan White.

The first big test was over. Long gone were the easy victories over San Jose State and Houston. And for Trojan faithful, long gone is the pain of 1993, when White burned up the Trojans for a 38-7 defeat.

This is a team on a roll, and no one is rolling faster than Johnson, the All-American wide receiver. He had his 11th consecutive 100-yard game, and in three games has accounted for 25 catches and 412 yards.

Arizona (2-2) was big game. This was a team with the best Pacific 10 Conference record since 1992, 26-11-1.

And the Trojans (3-0) won as they pleased, working on a 24-0 shutout before the Wildcats could score. It was a night when Wachholtz, the No. 2 quarterback in USC’s rotation, stepped into the spotlight with easily his best effort.

Yet Robinson wanted to talk defense.

This was a sight he had longed to see: A quality team crossing the 50 only once in the first half against his defense, and only twice until eight minutes remained.

“I think defensively, that’s as good as we’ve played,” Robinson said. “We made big plays, solid plays. We kept the ball from coming downfield on us because we put good pressure on their quarterback.”

When USC’s coaching staff assembles in Heritage Hall this afternoon to review video of this one, they’ll see a career game by linebacker Izzy Ifeanyi, who had six tackles and two six-yard sacks of White. His running mate at linebacker, Errick Herrin, had nine tackles.

It was a jubilant Trojan locker room, one in which players were already saying they had crossed a season’s threshold.

“We knew this game would be the turning point of the season,” running back Terry Barnum said. “We felt good all week, but feeling it and doing it are two different things.”

Desert Swarm? The 6-foot-4 Johnson all but sneered.

“I thought they would be better,” he said.

“I give their secondary no respect. So much for the Swarm. At times, they didn’t know who they were covering. I played a lot of these guys in elementary school, middle school, high school.

“I had to beat them.”

The Trojans, who go for 4-0 against Arizona State at the Coliseum next Saturday, dominated. Otton and Wachholtz rolled up 405 total yards, but this time it was the senior Wachholtz who was the bigger gunner.

And at 6-5 and 240, the key word is big .

Arizona defensive end Tedy Bruschi crashed into Wachholtz as he threw in the second quarter, and in possibly a first, Wachholtz didn’t go down.

He completed eight of nine passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Otton was 12 for 17 for 95 yards.

Robinson’s starting tailback picture remains clouded. Shawn Walters, who had a big game against Houston a week ago, had a 66-yard evening Saturday, playing behind starter Leonard Green.

Green left in the second quarter with a foot injury and didn’t return. It was to be X-rayed today.

Delon Washington seemed to gain four or five yards any time he wanted it and wound up with 63 in 12 carries, including an 18-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Wachholtz and Johnson were a good match Saturday.

They teamed for a 28-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, but so conscious of Johnson was Arizona’ secondary that his mere presence attracted attention, and opening reception opportunities for eight other Trojans who caught passes.

Wachholtz struck suddenly again in the second quarter, on a 38-yard touchdown pass/run to tight end Johnny McWilliams. His third score was an eight-yard pass to Rodney Sermons in the final minutes.

Before a fourth-quarter Wildcat field goal and a touchdown with 19 seconds left, USC’s defense was closing in on Arizona’s first shutout loss since 1991. As it was, it was the worst loss for Arizona (2-2) in four seasons.

So unproductive was Arizona’s offense that when the Wildcats got a 50-yard punt return and actually came close to scoring in the third quarter, the sellout crowd was on its feet as Arizona reached USC’s 20.

Richard Dice’s 50-yard punt return put Arizona at the Trojans’ 24. Ifeanyi made White fumble when he sacked him at that point, but Arizona recovered.

Arizona, trailing 21-0, had a fourth-and-five at USC’s 20 and the crowd wanted Coach Dick Tomey to go for it, and he did. White threw to Dice in the flat but Trojan sophomore safety Sammy Knight batted the ball away and USC took over.

Two Arizona series later, in a drive when the Wildcats converted a fourth-and-one play at their 25, they ran out of downs at their 46. When Ifeanyi pressured White on a fourth-and-two at the Arizona 49 into a poor throw, USC took over . . . and a mass exodus by the crowd of 58,503 was under way.

It was a far cry from USC’s 1993 visit here, when Arizona had a 38-0 lead in the fourth quarter and a cheering, celebrating mob stayed to the last minute.

USC hiked it to 24-0 with a 41-yard Adam Abrams field goal with 8:04 left in the game. Wachholtz put USC in range with a 22-yard run to Arizona’s 25.