Fox Resurfaces at Quarterback for the Trojans

USC quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst’s left arm was encased in ice, no doubt to numb the pain of the bumps and bruises he suffered while being sacked seven times Saturday in the Trojans’ 17-7 loss to Cal at Memorial Stadium.

But nothing could ease the sting of losing his job to John Fox in the third quarter and, possibly, for the rest of the season.

“Any time you’re not playing you’re disappointed,” Van Raaphorst said of being replaced by Fox during USC’s second possession of the third quarter. “Yeah, it’s safe to say I’m angry. But I’m not going to take away from this team. John did a good job.”

USC Coach Paul Hackett turned to Fox in desperation, after seeing Van Raaphorst get sacked for losses of 56 yards and throw an interception that Cal turned into a 67-yard touchdown return and a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.

Hackett said he wasn’t writing off Van Raaphorst, who threw for a school-record 415 yards last week in the Trojans’ 35-31 loss to Stanford. He explained the move as an attempt to create a rallying point, something that might ignite an ember in a season that is rapidly flaming out. Fox was his only option while Carson Palmer recovers from a broken right collarbone.

Fox, a senior, was the Trojans’ starting quarterback two seasons ago but lost the job to Van Raaphorst, who in turn lost it to Palmer. Fox practiced at tailback and with the special teams and in the Trojans’ season opener against Hawaii was a linebacker and the third-string quarterback on consecutive plays. Before he connected with Kareem Kelly on a 72-yard touchdown play with 6:08 left in the third quarter, he hadn’t thrown a touchdown pass since the USC-UCLA game two years ago.

“We thought about it at halftime,” Hackett said of the switch. “I think it’s John’s turn. Not that Mike hasn’t played well, but we haven’t been able to win with Mike. John deserved a chance to see what he can do. . . . It’s a situation where we’re trying to get a spark.”

Fox acquitted himself well, engineering the Trojans’ only touchdown drive. Faster and more agile than Van Raaphorst, who couldn’t elude the Golden Bears’ rush, Fox completed 12 of 25 passes for 226 yards. He was sacked twice, no shame against a team that has sacked opposing quarterbacks a Pacific 10 Conference-high 43 times this season.

“They were awesome,” Fox said of the Golden Bears’ defense. “Their defensive linemen played great. They put on a lot of pressure and they stuck with it. They did a great job.”

Hackett made no promises about which quarterback would start next week, but he and his assistants will consider starting Fox against Arizona State. “I think it was the right thing to do in this game, at this time,” he said, “and it might indeed be the right thing again next week.”

Although Hackett wouldn’t make a commitment, he didn’t hide his pleasure over the way his players reacted to Fox and how well Fox performed, remarking on the electricity he sensed when Fox entered the game.

“What we couldn’t do was capture the magical excitement we had in the third quarter. We just couldn’t sustain that,” Hackett said. “It’s a team game and for the fourth week in a row, we can’t put it together from a team standpoint. . . . Fox makes a difference because he can move around. Once he gets in a jam, he can glide one way or another. But he made a couple of mistakes too.”

Hackett cited instances when Fox missed open receivers but said technical flaws were understandable because Fox hadn’t played the position in a year and a half. Fox agreed with Hackett and second-guessed some of his choices, but said he didn’t feel rusty; nor will he let himself feel comfortable and think he has taken Van Raaphorst’s job. “It’s one game. We lost as a team,” Fox said. “We needed a win any way we could.

“If we were sparked, it wasn’t because of me. I was just trying to stay ready. As a team, we missed a lot of small opportunities. I don’t think there was anything special or magical.”

Should he get another chance next week, Fox intends to make the most of it.

“I’d prepare like I have been preparing and Mike prepares,” he said. “I’m old enough to know you have to put the work in and prepare yourself to play. The only thing that might change is you get more reps in practice. I’m just going to keep looking at the tapes and see where I can improve.”