Early Showdown Loses Luster

It once seemed USC and Arizona might be undefeated going into Saturday’s showdown in Tucson--at least in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Instead, the once-upon-a-time Pac-10 favorites will meet with Arizona, 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-10, and USC (3-1, 1-1).

“This is obviously a pivotal game for us,” USC Coach Paul Hackett said. “When you have one loss in the conference as we do already, you can’t afford to sink to two losses.

“Arizona is still the favorite in my mind. They’ve had their problems like everybody else. But they are a very, very good football team. They have experience on defense and tremendous skill players on offense--a great receiver, a great runner and two excellent quarterbacks. This is going to be without a doubt our toughest test to date.”

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Whatever happened to the fourth-quarter fist?

Last year, USC talked about finishing strong and the players made a tradition of raising their fists at the end of the third quarter to symbolize their commitment.

But after surrendering 22 fourth-quarter points against Oregon State, the Trojans have given up 35 points the past two weeks in the fourth quarter and overtime. (Oregon beat USC in triple-overtime with three points in the fourth quarter and 10 in overtime.) USC’s 30-point lead against Oregon State nearly disappeared, partly because reserves were in the game.

“It was 37-7, and we weren’t mature enough to understand the game’s not over until it’s over,” defensive coordinator Bill Young said.

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Kickoff for the Arizona game at Tucson has been set for 12:30 p.m. to accommodate an ABC telecast.