Loss to UCLA Simply Won’t Go Away

The question was put to senior tight end John Allred: How can USC possibly generate any fire to play Notre Dame on Saturday after the 48-41 overtime loss to UCLA last Saturday?

“It’s just time to stand up and be men,” he said. “It’s tough, but it’s another huge game for us. There’s a lot riding on it, especially the seniors.

“The UCLA loss, with me . . . it’s still sinking in. Some of the guys have the feeling that there’s some kind of curse on us in that game. To dominate them the way we did offensively . . . and to let it get away like that left me with a feeling of disbelief.”

*

Punter Jim Wren finished the Pac-10 season against UCLA by averaging 47.3 yards on three punts, and wound up finishing atop the conference with a season average of 45.5.

But his statistics didn’t carry any weight Monday when the Pac-10 coaches voted for the all-conference teams. Cal’s Ryan Longwell, who averaged 45.2 yards, was named first-team punter. Arizona’s Matt Peyton, with a 43.7 average, was named to the second team.

Three Trojan defensive players made the first team: tackle Darrell Russell, linebacker Sammy Knight and cornerback Daylon McCutcheon.