THE LOCALS

USC (5-6) vs. vs. No. 25 Louisiana Tech (8-2)

* Time: 3:30 p.m.

* Site: Coliseum.

* TV: Fox Sports Net.

* Radio: XTRA (690).

* The offenses: Louisiana Tech ranks No. 1 in the nation in passing and No. 112 in rushing, so you get the idea. Quarterback Tim Rattay, with 12,341 yards, needs only 201 today to move into second place on the all-time NCAA passing list behind former Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer. Rattay leads the nation in total offense at 378.6 yards a game, and three Bulldog players--James Jordan, Delwyn Daigre and John Simon--have at least 70 receptions. A fourth, Sean Cangelosi, has 57--or four more than USC’s leading receiver, Kareem Kelly. The challenge for a USC offense led by quarterback John Fox, 1,000-yard rusher Chad Morton and Kelly is to mount some sustained drives to keep Rattay and Co. off the field as much as possible.

* The defenses: With a secondary that is missing starting cornerback Antuan Simmons after back surgery, USC will try to put pressure on Rattay. It might be easier said than done with his quick release and a short passing game that sometimes amounts to long handoffs. Starting cornerback Kris Richard and veteran safeties David Gibson and Ifeanyi Ohalete have their hands full trying to hold together a secondary that will include two freshmen in new starting corner Darrell Rideaux and nickel back Kevin Arbet. Louisiana Tech gave up 41 points against Florida State and 37 against Texas A&M; in two losses to start the season, but has won eight in a row even while giving up an average of 26 points a game.

* Key to the game: Keep an eye on USC’s freshman defensive backs--No. 2 Darrell Rideaux, No. 30 Kevin Arbet and No. 43 Troy Polamalu. They face a serious challenge.

* Fast fact: Louisiana Tech upset Alabama, 29-28, on Sept. 18.

* Line: USC by 1.

HOW THEY COMPARE

USC/LOUISIANA TECH

27.5 Scoring 37.0

23.5 Points Allowed 26.1

268.6 Passing Offense 402.9

130.1 Rushing Offense 71.2

398.7 Total Offense 474.1

242.2 Passing Defense 217.6

124.7 Rushing Defense 150.8

366.9 Total Defense 368.4