HIGH EXPECTATIONS

In the end, there’s only one question for USC.

Have the past two years been merely a stumble, or are they part of a long tumble from the top of the staircase?

There have been two seasons without a bowl game and those stunning days last year when Tailback U. ranked last in the nation in rushing.

And there were the bumbling days of December, when John Robinson was dispatched in one of the more clumsily handled departures in memory.

But USC still has enough eye-popping talent--such players as receiver R. Jay Soward, linebacker Chris Claiborne and cornerback Daylon McCutcheon--that voters in the Associated Press poll flirted with putting the Trojans in the Top 25 despite two consecutive six-win seasons.

Is that belief in the future--or the past?

Can new Coach Paul Hackett make USC a contender again--or after a few years become the fourth coach in a row to be fired?

The push to put USC back on the charts starts Sunday against Purdue in the Pigskin Classic in the Coliseum.

Many Trojan players, new coach or not, are driven by a need to atone for what some of them have called an embarrassment--another season that made it hard to look men like Ronnie Lott and Anthony Davis in the eye.

“You saw on their faces how disappointed they were,” said McCutcheon, back for his senior year after his NFL stock fell.

“We were not out there performing like the Trojans of the past. There’s a history to live up to, and if you can’t live up to it, there’s no need to put on the uniform. That’s the way the guys before me felt, and that’s the way I’m going to feel about the freshmen who come in after me.”

With a schedule that includes No. 2 Florida State, No. 7 UCLA, No. 9 Arizona State and No. 17 Washington, an 8-4 season would be a great success.

A 7-5 or a 6-6 season?

Hackett is trying to take a long-range approach, lessening expectations.

“We’re after the Rose Bowl,” he said. “[But] we have to be sure we’re building each day and each year.

“I have a responsibility to build, not at the expense of this team. But I’m not going to throw out everything to win one game. We’re going to be judged on the next few years, on how we build a winning football team back to national prominence.”

That’s the philosophy of a man with a five-year contract.

“Will we do it overnight?” he said. “Will we do it fast enough for some people? I don’t know.”

A closer look at the Trojans:

QUARTERBACKS

This is Hackett’s expertise, and he’s putting his money on sophomore Mike Van Raaphorst, who has started two games in his career, and freshman backup Carson Palmer. They’re both prototype drop-back passers and smart enough to absorb Hackett’s version of the West Coast offense--and they’d better avoid injuries.

Hackett’s decision to go with the youngsters led John Fox, last year’s starter in nine of 11 games, to switch to tight end. Quincy Woods, last year’s backup, became a receiver. Jason Thomas, a prized recruit from Compton Dominguez High, struggled early because of conditioning and last year’s ankle surgery, and is a candidate to redshirt.

RUNNING BACKS

Chad Morton, the small, darting runner who injected life into the Trojan attack when he moved over from defense last season, is the starting tailback. Malaefou MacKenzie, who started two games as a freshman, is a much more physical runner, and Hackett might put both on the field at the same time--not in an I-formation, but with one as a flanker. The surprise is freshman Frank Strong, who is ahead of the more renowned Sultan McCullough, a sprinter from Pasadena Muir.

At fullback, sophomore Brennan Ochs will start. But sophomore Ted Iacenda will play and could overtake Ochs as his shoulders strengthen after surgeries last year.

RECEIVERS

Soward has more star power than anyone on the team--”an absolutely phenomenal talent,” Hackett said--and with his afterburner speed, it sometimes seems almost impossible to overthrow him. In two seasons, Soward already has scored nine touchdowns on plays of 60 yards or longer.

Along with his irrepressible ability and personality, there is another catch--Soward’s attention span. Hackett came down hard regarding academics, suspending him last spring for the opener against Purdue. He also chides Soward for dropped passes, saying a drop could mean the game.

Senior Billy Miller is the Trojans’ bigger, more physical receiver and appears ready for his best season. Mike Bastianelli is dependable, and the emerging stars could be junior transfer Windrell Hayes and senior Larry Parker, back after career-threatening foot surgery.

In Hackett’s offense, look for more passes to tight end Antoine Harris, who started as a freshman last season.

OFFENSIVE LINE

If this rebuilt unit doesn’t perform, it could ruin everything. Right guard Travis Claridge, a junior, is the only returning starter, and even he has yet to live up to the promise of his early days at USC.

The weight of the season probably rests on the shoulders of Claridge, left tackle Brent McCaffrey, left guard Jason Grain, center Eric Denmon and right tackle Matt Welch. Tackles Rome Douglas and Ken Bowen--two experienced seniors who got bounced from starting positions--are among the backups, along with center Matt McShane.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Depth is a question, making the defensive line the second biggest worry after the offensive line.

But sophomore end Sultan Abdul-Malik--the son of former USC linebacker Ed Powell, now Wali Abdul-Malik--is a big-play player and might make more noise in USC’s attacking scheme.

Tackle Marc Matock, a senior, is the veteran, with sophomore Ennis Davis at the other tackle and senior Lawrence Larry at the other end.

LINEBACKERS

This is the heart of a defense that will need to make up for the offense’s inexperience, especially early on.

Junior Chris Claiborne is the man in the middle of the Trojans’ new 4-3 defense, with senior Mark Cusano--the guy who keeps making the big plays against Notre Dame--at strongside linebacker. Hard-hitting junior David Gibson, a converted strong safety, is at weakside. Darryl Knight, a redshirt freshman and the brother of former Trojans Sammy and Ryan Knight, is expected to play too.

SECONDARY

McCutcheon is back to prove the promise of his first two seasons isn’t gone, a year after being outplayed by teammate Brian Kelly while USC gave up a stunning 267 yards passing a game. With his attention zeroed in on his final season and the distraction of whether he is going to play offense gone--for the moment--McCutcheon should be better. Ken Haslip and Antuan Simmons are the other corners.

Free safety Rashard Cook was quietly USC’s leading tackler last season, with 79, and senior Grant Pearsall is back at strong safety after sitting out last season because of knee surgery.

SPECIAL TEAMS

USC has terrific return men in Soward, McCutcheon and Morton, but there are questions in the kicking game.

Adam Abrams recovered from a shaky start last year, when he missed two extra-point kicks and his first field-goal attempt. But he made his final 10 in a row--one of them to beat Notre Dame.

Punter Jim Wren is gone, and USC hopes Mike MacGillivray’s 43.3-yard average at Loyola High is more indicative than a 32.6-yard average in a USC scrimmage.