Hackett Defends Call for Field Goal

It’s getting close to time to bury the hatchet, but there was still some Bury the Hackett sentiment around Tuesday.

Coach Paul Hackett kept answering questions about his field-goal call on fourth-and-goal from the eight, trailing by seven, with a little more than four minutes left against Oregon.

USC never got the ball back and lost, 17-13.

“Everyone has an opinion about the field goal,” he said. “Whether they agree with it or believe in it, I’m the coach and they’re not. It didn’t work and it’s easy to say when something doesn’t work that I should have done it differently. That’s hindsight.”

His rule-of-thumb: With three minutes left, go for it; With five, try to get the ball back. There was 4:18 left when he made the call, and he went with the five-minute rule even though USC needed a touchdown to tie.

“With five minutes to go, the way we were playing defense, the thing I did not want to do was come away empty after an 80-yard drive. I felt that would deflate us,” he said. “Fourth-and-eight was a tough assignment. I have great confidence in our defense. Now people go back and say, ‘what if’ and ‘how come,’ but that’s all ancient history.”

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Linebacker Chris Claiborne dropped some hints he’s considering staying for his senior year instead of making himself eligible for the NFL draft.

“I can’t wait to play Oregon next year,” Claiborne said, adding that he’s “having fun,” and could protect himself with an insurance policy.

No commitments, though. He’ll consider his situation after the season.

“R. Jay [Soward] and I, we came in together,” Claiborne said teasingly. “I’d like to leave with him. I’m going to put the pressure on R. Jay.”

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Defensive tackle Aaron Williams suffered a “stinger” during practice, expected to keep him out a day or two.

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Next Up for USC

Who: Washington

Where: at Colisem

When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

TV: Channel 7

Radio: XTRA (690)