Good Start, but Trojans Take It in Stride

USC rose to No. 12 in the Associated Press rankings after Sunday’s victory in the Kickoff Classic at East Rutherford, N.J. But are the Trojans as good as the 29-5 score suggests? Or is Penn State, which fell out of the top 25 for the first time since the end of the 1992 season, that bad?

With most of his team playing solidly, but his offense unable to establish a passing attack, Coach Paul Hackett wasn’t ready to render a judgment.

He believes his players have the talent to contend for the Rose Bowl if they jell as the season progresses. As for Sunday’s victory, he said, “Our football team allowed itself to get off to this kind of start and get the momentum we need to go into a very tough season.”

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno talked about his offensive line committing too many penalties and his receivers dropping too many passes. Even so, he subscribes to the adage, “You’re never as good as you think you are when you win and you’re never as bad as you think you are when you lose.”

“We’ll just go back and try to get better,” Paterno said.

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Another unsettled issue is the debate over the relative merits of the drop-back quarterback versus the new breed of scrambling passer.

In the Kickoff Classic, neither fared well.

USC’s Carson Palmer, who prefers to remain in the pocket, looked tentative after missing last season with a broken collarbone.

Penn State’s Rashard Casey, who plays in the electric style of Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick, was equally ineffective. Unable to throw or run with consistency, Casey was pulled from the game early in the fourth quarter.

“I’m glad to have this one out of the way,” he said. “But I’m not glad the way it turned out.”

Paterno said he wants Casey to play relaxed and enjoy the game. The quarterback agreed.

“Last year, when things started to go bad, I would go to the sideline and laugh it off and then go back out on the field and have some fun,” Casey said.

On Sunday, he said, “I think I might have put too much pressure on myself.”