Tracing USC’s Lapses With Leads Goes Back a Year to Cal

It all started with the calamity against Cal.

By now, there’s a familiar sting to watching USC lose 21-point leads.

Last season at the Coliseum, it seemed a new and stunning way to lose when a 31-10 lead over the Bears became a humiliating 32-31 defeat.

“I remember, they ran on the field, taunting us,” cornerback Kris Richard said. “I definitely will take that with me into this game.”

Now is the time for the Trojans to exorcise whatever demons they have struggled with in consecutive 21-point collapses against Notre Dame and Stanford.

It all started with California.

Maybe it will end with Cal today when the Trojans and Golden Bears meet here this afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

“They’ve struggled and we’ve struggled,” said Cal Coach Tom Holmoe, whose team blew a 14-point lead in a last-minute loss to Washington last week.

“I know what they’re going through and I don’t underestimate them in any way.

“This is a USC team that’s going to come in ticked off and wanting to get back into the win column.”

It’s a USC team that has fallen to 3-4 overall and a dismal 1-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference and must win four of its final five games to have a winning record and qualify for a bowl game.

It’s a team trying to salvage what’s left of the season.

“We’ve had some tough losses,” cornerback Antuan Simmons said. “But I don’t think it’s really hurt our confidence--maybe our pride more than our confidence. We know we can get the job done. It’s just about doing it.”

Beyond the stupefying collapses themselves, the most stunning development of the last few weeks has been the collapse of the Trojan defense.

“We’ve given up a lot of points the last few games,” Simmons said. “We’ve made a lot of excuses. It’s time for the excuses to stop. Let’s go do it.”

The Bears (3-4, 2-2) have troubles of their own after losing three of their last four, the only victory a 17-0 shutout of UCLA.

Cal’s defense is statistically the best in the defense-deprived Pac-10, but the offense is young.

Kyle Boller, a freshman from Newhall Hart High, starts at quarterback and is completing only 41% of his passes while throwing for 124 yards a game.

“We’re going to face a situation where a guy’s feeling his way, much as Carson [Palmer] did last year,” USC Coach Paul Hackett said. “Older, veteran players weather the storm better than other guys. How we start is going to be very important against Cal.”

Joe Igber, the Bears’ standout freshman running back, injured his shoulder while rushing for 182 yards against Washington and won’t start today, but is likely to play. Marcus Fields, a former No. 1 tailback who had moved to receiver, will take Igber’s place in the lineup.

That might be a break for USC.

“The spirit of that team is No. 29, Joe Igber,” Hackett said. “When you turn on that tape, he is guy that jumps out at you.”

The Trojans have injury concerns too, with receiver R. Jay Soward recovering from a hamstring strain and expected to play, but not start.

Soward’s spectacular game against Cal last season was overshadowed by USC’s collapse. He finished with 229 all-purpose yards, had an 80-yard punt return for one touchdown and a 77-yard reception for another.

But his injury is likely to keep him from returning kicks today, and with the confidence of USC’s coaches seemingly eroded by his crucial dropped passes against Stanford, it’s not certain they will go to him often.

Holmoe is still concerned.

“R. Jay Soward is a guy that has always given me fits,” Holmoe said. “You can’t turn on the film without seeing him do something amazing.”

These days, the most amazing thing about USC is its ability to lose a lead.

“We’ve lost four games by a total of 15 points,” linebacker Markus Steele said. “We were so close. It hurts very bad when you see the clock run down and the game’s over. It doesn’t feel right, going into the locker room knowing you were an inch away. If we would play 60 minutes of football, we would be unstoppable.”

As it is, they’re inexplicable.

“You watch the film, and see the mistakes and why things happened,” Richard said. “But when you’re on the field, you’re in awe of the situation and you don’t understand what’s going on.”

Whatever it is, it has to stop, linebacker Zeke Moreno said.

“We’ve just got to hold them down when they’re down, and not help pick them up.”