Can He Make the Aztecs Say Uncle?

Former USC fullback Kennedy Pola won’t only be going against his old school Saturday, he’ll be going against his nephew.

Pola, a San Diego State assistant coach, is the uncle of Troy Polamalu, a freshman linebacker and defensive back for the Trojans who will get plenty of playing time.

“It will be the first time I’ve actually played against a relative,” Polamalu said. “But I’m really happy he’s my uncle. He helped me get here. I wasn’t really getting recruited by USC until he got in touch with Paul Hackett.”

Pola is one of Polamalu’s 10 aunts and uncles, and the pair are so close Polamalu stayed with Pola in San Diego some last summer--and even worked out with some of the Aztec players he’ll be trying to tackle Saturday, including running backs Larry Ned and Jonas Lewis.

Polamalu was considering going to Colorado, where his uncle was an assistant under Rick Neuheisel, until Neuheisel left for Washington.

Polamalu ended up picking USC, the team his uncle played for from 1982-85, when Polamalu was a tyke.

“Since I was young, I always wanted to come to USC,” he said.

He is following in his uncle’s footsteps, but they haven’t talked about it yet this week.

“He’s tried to get hold of me, but I don’t have a phone I can use,” Polamalu said. “I’ll have to walk about a block and call him collect.”

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Reserve tailback Frank Strong’s bruised knee is bothering him again, and his availability for Saturday is a question, leaving Chad Morton and Sultan McCullough as the only healthy tailbacks with Malaefou MacKenzie already expected to sit out the game because of a hamstring injury. . . . Freshman receiver Steve Stevenson quit practice early because of a sore foot. . . . About 1,800 disadvantaged youngsters are expected to attend Saturday’s game with former USC quarterback Vince Evans as part of the Touchdown for Youth program conducted by USC and the Los Angeles Sports Council Foundation.