Trojans Avoid Another Disaster

The feeling something was going to go wrong for USC wouldn’t quite go away Saturday against Washington State at Martin Stadium.

Right down to the final seconds.

It has, after all, happened before.

A lead that was once 17 points shrank to three with 2:14 remaining after a five-yard touchdown pass from Washington State quarterback Steve Birnbaum to Nian Taylor.

When USC’s drive stalled, Washington State got the ball back with 13 seconds left--and a chance to win or tie.

“I was just waiting for that clock to tick off those final seconds,” USC’s R. Jay Soward said.

Washington State had three final futile attempts--including a Hail Mary with no time left on the clock after USC freshman Darrell Rideaux was called for pass interference on another long pass with two seconds left.

Then finally, a USC team that has been waiting to exhale since its last victory Oct. 2 against Oregon State could let out a whoop.

USC finally triumphed, 31-28, despite a penalty-marred performance in front of a paltry crowd of 23,065 on an unseasonably warm evening.

The victory for USC (4-6, 2-5) halted a five-game losing streak--only the third time in school history the team has lost five in a row during a season.

“We knew at some point it would finally happen, and five weeks is just too long,” Coach Paul Hackett said.

For once, the Trojans didn’t have to trudge off the field.

“Oh, we’re celebrating. There’s going to be more celebrating,” said linebacker Zeke Moreno, one of the leaders of a defense that carved out the victory with a rock-solid goal-line stand--one that made the difference in the end.

“It’s not a pretty win, but it’s a W,” Moreno said.

It sends the Trojans into Saturday’s game against UCLA with the slightest of momentum as they try to break the Bruins’ eight-year series winning streak.

“It’s good to win, but this is just one,” offensive lineman Travis Claridge said. “We need to get ready for UCLA. The only way we can salvage our season is to break that streak.”

Tailback Chad Morton scored three touchdowns and rushed for 117 yards in 29 carries as the Trojans ran for 201 yards.

“We run the ball like that, it makes our jobs much easier. We set our minds to it today,” said quarterback John Fox, another catalyst.

Fox--the Trojans’ third starting quarterback this season--played the entire game for the first time since he was the starter in 1997, and at one point broke USC’s longest run of the scrimmage by any player, 37 yards.

“No turnovers. No sacks. You’ve got to attribute that to John Fox,” Hackett said.

In the end, the win belonged to the defense that made that stand.

“I take my hat off to the whole defense. The way they played at the goal line. My goodness,” Hackett said.

USC led, 31-14, in the third quarter after opening the second half with a 92-yard drive and scoring another touchdown when Kris Richard picked off Birnbaum’s pass from his own end zone, returning it six yards for a touchdown.

But Washington State took advantage of some of the Trojans’ 15 penalties for 140 yards and drove for a touchdown that cut the lead to 31-21.

A successful onside kick went for naught, but then Washington State drove to USC’s six-yard line after a pass from Birnbaum to Marcus Williams gained 43 yards.

Then USC toughened up, holding off the Cougars for an astounding seven consecutive plays.

A couple of runs by Deon Burnett got Washington State to the three.

But then USC gave Washington State new life when Ifeanyi Ohalete was called for pass interference in the end zone on third down, giving the Cougars a first down at the two and four more chances.

But Washington State (2-8, 1-6) couldn’t gain more than a yard, and it came down to fourth and one from the one on the first play of the fourth quarter after the teams walked to the other end of the field.

This time, Jeremy Thielbahr took the handoff, but the Trojans stopped him short of the goal line to avoid what could have been a crushing momentum change.

“We’ve been playing strong goal-line defense the past couple of games,” Moreno said. “Third and one, fourth and one, fourth and goal, and we shut them down. If they would have gotten into the end zone, it would have turned things around.

“He was stopped. We hit helmet to helmet. After he stopped, he tried to reach the ball over, but the play was already dead.”

Washington State Coach Mike Price was being second-guessed for not kicking a field goal on fourth down when the game ended in a three-point loss.

“We should have gotten it in,” he said. “We shouldn’t have left it up to the officials. It should have been in there easily. We’re better than that. We’re very disappointed about that.”

Hackett was one person who didn’t second-guess Price.

“I would have done the same thing,” he said, expressing confidence in his own goal-line offense.

Hackett was in no mood to question how USC won. He was just glad to have done it.

“At halftime, the guys said, ‘We played the first half the way we’ve played a lot of first halves. This second half is going to be different,’ ” Hackett said. “The way we played that third quarter indicated our resolve to me on both sides of the ball.”