Twin Towers Make USC Double Good at Quarterback : College football: Robinson and offensive coordinator Riley simply couldn’t choose between Otton and Wachholtz.

It all began, Coach John Robinson says, with an office conversation last February, when he and his offensive coordinator, Mike Riley, were musing about the 1995 USC quarterback picture.

They couldn’t seem to get it in focus. Double image.

As both recalled it this week, they talked first about letting junior Brad Otton and senior Kyle Wachholtz battle it out in the 15 spring practices.

Then Robinson said, “You know, I don’t know that it’s necessary we come out of the spring with a quarterback starter. In fact, I don’t even think it’s a good idea. Why not let them have a sense of competition for it throughout the summer?”

After spring practice, the coaches sat down again.

“What do you think?” Robinson asked.

“I don’t know,” Riley answered. “It’s real close.”

Robinson said he thought so too, adding, “What if it’s this close through preseason camp?”

They looked at each other. It didn’t have to be said.

Play ‘em both.

Questions:

--Are these two guys frozen with indecision?

--Or is this creative coaching?

Six months after it first occurred to Robinson and Riley that playing two quarterbacks was an option, the Trojans are 5-0, ranked fifth, and on their way, barring a collapse, to their best season in years.

So purists agitating for an established quarterback don’t have much of an argument. What has really happened here is that USC had de-emphasized the quarterback position.

Robinson believes too much of the burden to win was put on graduated quarterback Rob Johnson.

“Part of this is a feeling I had that it would be good to spread around the responsibility for winning,” he said. “And not just at quarterback. I think it’s good for the team as a whole, to see the quarterback position so competitive. It helps make other positions more competitive too.”

The two-headed quarterback, as Washington State Coach Mike Price calls it, is playing better than anyone could have imagined.

Remarkably, both the 6-foot-6 Otton, who plays the first and third quarters, and the 6-5 Wachholtz have shots at Johnson’s USC single-season completion record, 68.6%. The Pac-10 record is 70.7%, by Cal’s Rich Campbell, in 1980.

Otton, a junior, has completed 65.7% of his passes and Wachholtz is at 67.2%. Neither has thrown an interception. In fact, Otton has yet to throw an interception in 197 passes at USC, a Pac-10 record.

Otton has completed 69 of 105 passes for 852 yards and seven touchdowns.

Wachholtz is 41 for 61 for 528 yards and six touchdowns.

Otton is throwing more partly because the Trojans have routed four of five opponents and Robinson has ordered Wachholtz to run out the clock with fourth-quarter running plays.

“I’ve thought about asking Coach to give me a shot at the first quarter, but things are going so good I decided not to,” Wachholtz said.

Wachholtz, who weighs 240 pounds, is the stronger thrower. Otton, 220, throws with more finesse. Wednesday, an NFL scout said that Wachholtz, who has never started a USC game, could go as high as the third round in the next NFL draft.

Both have little to say about the situation, preferring to let 5-0 speak for itself.

“It’s just the way it’s worked out,” Otton said. “Kyle and I wound up at the same school at the same time.”

Wachholtz was asked how the two are similar as quarterbacks.

“Well, we’re both tall--that’s about it,” he said.”

Otton says if you want to see him throw an interception, show up at practice.

“I throw plenty in practice,” he said. “I test my limits in practice, trying to learn as much as I can.”

Robinson and Riley agree that most college coaches today would not do what they’re doing with Otton and Wachholtz.

“Most coaches hold the quarterback position in a special kind of category,” Robinson said. “Most coaches wouldn’t use a rotation system, I don’t think.”

Said Riley: “Most coaches would pick one guy and stay with him. A lot of them might even say we’re crazy, but I feel good about what we’re doing. And I also don’t doubt for one minute that both of these guys would rather take every snap. And I think that competitive part of it is good for the team.”

Robinson shook his head when asked if Wachholtz might get a crack at starting a game, reversing the rotation.

“The thing that Kyle has going for him is that we have some big games coming up over these last six weeks, and Kyle is going to be our guy in the fourth quarter,” he said.

One coach who tried alternating quarterbacks, and lived to regret it, is Brigham Young’s LaVell Edwards.

“I did it in 1978 with Marc Wilson and Jim McMahon and swore I’d never do it again,” he said.

“I know other coaches have done it with success, but I didn’t. With us, it got into a personality thing on the team. The players were picking favorites. If you want to go with two guys, your team needs to buy into it--that’s three-fourths of the battle.

“But Robinson is right about one thing--there is too much pressure on quarterbacks. I’ve said this before, we could bring Steve Young back here under an assumed name and he would not be as good as he was before.”