COLLEGE FOOTBALL / WEEK 2 : USC Is Quick at Start : College football: Trojans score early, often in 62-7 rout of Hawaii.

The morning paper had Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano predicting that Hawaii--a team that hasn’t won a game since 1997--would upset heavy favorite USC by seven points.

The Trojans had it figured differently--much differently. Even the oddsmakers weren’t close.

Amid the local excitement of Hawaii Coach June Jones’ debut and the first sellout at Aloha Stadium since 1992, the No. 21 Trojans vetoed not only any thought of an upset, but any idea of a contest at all.

USC scored on its first six possessions on its way to a 62-7 victory over the Rainbows in the season opener. The Trojans led, 41-0, at halftime.

USC purged the memories of its Sun Bowl loss to Texas Christian--though, granted, it was against a team that may be the nation’s worst.

Even quarterback Carson Palmer had only hoped for 40 points or so against Hawaii, which saw the longest losing streak in the nation grow to 19 games.

He got more than that.

“I think we should score every time we touch the ball,” Palmer said during the week before the game. “I think that’s what we expect to do offensively, but to be realistic, I’d like to go in and put up 35-40 points on the board.”

Midway through the game, Palmer was being rested (he finished 14 of 16 for 167 yards) and the only question was whether Hawaii would put any points on the board at all.

The rebuilt USC defense that lost Chris Claiborne and Daylon McCutcheon was working on what would have been the Trojans’ first shutout in an opener since a 1973 victory over Arkansas.

But with 7:15 in the third quarter, backup quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst threw a pass that was picked off by cornerback Quincy LeJay--a Mt. San Antonio College product from Chino Hills--and LeJay ran it back 27 yards for a touchdown that made it 48-7.

The new defense made a case for itself with big plays. David Gibson had two fumble recoveries and cornerback Kris Richard, in his first game as a starter, had an interception and caused a fumble that he recovered.

New linebacker Markus Steele even scored a touchdown, returning a fumble 46 yards after Lonnie Ford sacked Hawaii quarterback Dan Robinson in the third quarter.

The offense put on its own show.

David Newbury, USC’s unproven new kicker, made the first field-goal attempt of his Trojan career with a 48-yarder less than five minutes into the game.

That in itself was a comfort to the Trojans, who had watched as Newbury, a sophomore, and junior David Bell had a close but unimpressive preseason battle for the job.

By halftime, Newbury had earned his spurs, perfect on two field goals and five extra-points.

Windrell Hayes, the “other” receiver after R.Jay Soward whose sure hands and precise routes are going to be noticed now, caught six passes for 80 yards in the first two quarters.

And freshman Kareem Kelly grabbed several passes, including a 24-yard reception.

USC’s offense wasn’t perfect and was marred by some penalties, but it was effective.

Palmer and Hayes connected on a 32-yard scoring pass for the first touchdown and a 10-0 lead with 6:40 left in the first quarter.

Palmer scored USC’s second touchdown himself, on a nine-yard keeper for a 17-0 lead with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

Malaefou MacKenzie, taking on the role of No. 2 tailback after the season-ending training-camp injury to Petros Papadakis, scored three touchdowns on a three-yard run and two one-yard runs.

And starting tailback Chad Morton scored one too, scampering in from 17 yards out.

It seemed like it was everyone’s day but Hawaii’s.

Jones, the former San Diego Charger and Atlanta Falcon coach, made his debut as coach wearing an understated Hawaiian print shirt, and decked his team out in white uniforms with new black helmets that arrived only days ago.

The sellout crowd of more than 50,000 was Hawaii’s first since Sept. 26, 1992, against Brigham Young, and Cayetano, Hawaii’s governor, led the charge for the Rainbows, making his bold prediction in a front-page story in The Honolulu Advertiser.

Jones pulled out all the stops too, trying to fire up his team by bringing in such speakers as Tony Melendez, a man with a club foot and no arms who can play a guitar with his toes, and a blind lawyer who is a champion wrestler.

* UNLIKELY STARTER

Cornerback Kevin Arbet, a walk-on headed for a career as a special teams player a few weeks ago, started as a fifth defensive back against Hawaii. Page 13