Robinson Plays Patience Game

Coach John Robinson talked at length Tuesday about the 24-7 loss to Penn State in the Aug. 25 USC opener, and urged Trojan partisans to be patient with his young team.

“We did not play well, we played hesitantly, maybe with some stage fright, and our young players really played like inexperienced kids,” he said at his weekly media luncheon.

“We were blocking and tackling the right guys, but we weren’t doing it aggressively. This team will develop into a good team, but it might take a month. Right now, we’re consumed with the idea of doing things right and doing it aggressively.”

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Illinois Coach Lou Tepper, said on a conference call that USC “really struggled against Penn State because of pass protection.”

Of USC quarterback Brad Otton, he said, “You take their quarterback, who threw over 200 passes without an interception, and he looked mortal against Penn State because he was dodging bullets.”