Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 11, 1995

USC is on pace to smash the national record in the team statistic that its coach considers football’s most important. . . .

The Trojans have committed one turnover in five games. . . .

The NCAA Division I-A record low for a regular season is eight by Miami of Ohio in 1966. The Redskins played 10 games. The Trojans will play 11. . . .

John Robinson doesn’t want to analyze why an interception thrown by third-string quarterback Matt Koffler late in the 45-7 opening-day victory over San Jose State remains USC’s only turnover. . . .

“As soon as you start taking credit, you get about 12 turnovers,” said Robinson, whose fifth-ranked team plays Washington State Saturday at the Coliseum. . . .

However, he believes running back coach Charles White has something to do with the fact that the Trojans have fumbled only six times and recovered all of them. . . .

“He threatens to kill any back who fumbles,” Robinson said. “He also does a good job of teaching them how to hold the football properly.” . . .

“Turnovers are so important because if you don’t lose the ball, you at least get to punt,” he said. “If you have a good punter, the other guy has to start in his own territory and has to drive. There aren’t many drives in a game.” . . .

That Miami of Ohio team finished 9-1. . . .

*

It was no surprise that none of the five overtime games in the NFL during the sixth week ended in a tie. . . .

The last time there was no scoring during the sudden death, 15-minute overtime period was in 1989 when the Cleveland Browns played the Kansas City Chiefs. . . .

There have been 12 overtimes this season. The record is 19 in 1983. . . .

Overtime makes it easy on coaches whose teams have moved within a point after a touchdown late in the game. They always go for the one-point conversion to tie instead of the two-pointer to win. Without overtime, college coaches have a much tougher decision to make. . . .

Pity the San Diego Chargers, who have a short week to get ready for the Dallas Cowboys at Jack Murphy Stadium after that devastating loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. . . .

The Chargers went into a prevent-win defense in the last minute. . . .

It’s too early to tell whether Chicago Bear rookie running back Raashan Salaam will be another Heisman Trophy winner who disappoints in the NFL. In five games, he has rushed 85 times for 276 yards, a 3.2 average, and hasn’t caught a pass. . . .

Crummy NFL game of the year: New York Jets at Carolina on Sunday. . . .

It will be interesting to see how Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson--both nearly unbeatable in the regular season--perform in the league championship series as the lengthy postseason tournament continues. . . .

Sandy Koufax, who pitched when there were no first-round playoff games or league championship series, was 4-3 in eight World Series appearances, but his earned-run-average was 0.95.

NBA contracts have gotten to the point at which Chris Webber signs a $59-million, six-year deal with the Washington Bullets and nobody blinks. . . .

News item: Brian Williams suffers a knee injury, but an examination shows no serious damage. Reaction: Maybe the Clippers’ luck is changing. . . .

Kent Desormeaux, who has won more than 3,000 races, won his first for his older brother, 28-year-old trainer Keith Desormeaux, last week at Santa Anita. . . .

Billy Crystal will receive the outstanding creative achievement award at the Tommy Lasorda Jr. Memorial Foundation dinner Thursday at the Beverly Hills Hotel. . . .

Jerry Quarry, Michael Spinks, Johnny Saxton, Gaspar Ortega, Johnny Gonzalves and Melio Bettina will be inducted into the fighters’ wing of the World Boxing Hall of Fame Saturday at the 16th annual banquet at the L.A. Airport Marriott Hotel. . . .

Gabriel Ruelas will face a tough opponent who has beaten him, Azumah Nelson, Dec. 1 at the Cabazon Indian Reservation near Palm Springs in Ruelas’ first bout since the Jimmy Garcia tragedy. “Nelson used to be one of my idols,” Ruelas said. “To really get motivated, I need to fight somebody important like him.” . . .

The Great Western Bank Freeze-Out college hockey tournament will be split between the Forum and the Pond of Anaheim this weekend. Friday’s matchups at the Forum are Maine-Miami of Ohio at 4 p.m. and Boston College-Michigan State at 7. On Sunday at the Pond, the losers will play at noon and the winners at 3 p.m. . . .

An early happy birthday to John Wooden, who will be 85 Saturday.