Trojans Trying Like the ‘Devils

Bruce Snyder did not use the word “quit.” But when the Arizona State coach studied film of USC this week, he expected to see a team beaten down by a five-game losing streak.

“I was prepared to see a team . . . maybe a team not trying very hard,” Snyder said. “But they are playing hard.”

Such is the contradiction of the Trojans. This week, as in previous weeks, they have followed a loss with a string of fast, noisy practices.

Defensive backs have smacked receivers during non-contact drills. Coaches have alternately screamed at and joked with players. Linemen have loudly celebrated touchdowns when practicing the goal-line offense.

“You don’t expect anything different from this team,” Coach Paul Hackett said. “They have had a great attitude in a very tough situation.”

But will that emotional resiliency translate into a victory over Arizona State when the teams play at Sun Devil Stadium tonight?

At 3-5, the Trojans must win all four remaining games to finish above .500 and qualify for a bowl invitation. Even the players, with their persistent optimism, realize how unrealistic that might seem.

“We can’t talk about a bowl game,” receiver Kareem Kelly said. “We’re just thinking about this game.”

It is a matchup of teams that have learned something about facing adversity this season.

Besides its slump, USC has suffered crucial injuries on defense, where the secondary is threadbare and the linebacking corps just lost Markus Steele to an ankle sprain. Hackett said he plans to use a combination of inexperienced reserves--Aaron Graham, Darryl Knight, Henry Wallace--in Steele’s place.

This patchwork squad will face an Arizona State team that has gone through three quarterbacks and four tailbacks, the backfield hit by everything from knee injuries to mononucleosis.

But the offensive line might be one of the best USC will face all season and the Sun Devils have eked out a 5-3 record with the top-ranked passing attack in the conference.

“We haven’t changed much [with all the injuries],” Snyder said. “We are pretty much where we like to be, in terms of style of play.”

It helps that the current quarterback, redshirt freshman Jeff Krohn, can choose between speedy receiver Richard Williams and one of the nation’s best tight ends,6-foot-5 Todd Heap.

“He has a really great pair of hands,” USC safety DeShaun Hill said of Heap. “When we played them last year, he caught a couple of balls that should not have been caught.”

The Trojan offense is less concerned with injuries than with being shut out in the second half against California last week.

Tailback Sultan McCullough has been the steadiest performer with three consecutive 100-yard games. But tonight he will face Arizona State’s “Bermuda Triangle,” a defensive trio of tackle Kurt Wallin, end Terrell Suggs and linebacker Adam Archuleta, who leads the conference in tackles.

So the Trojans might be tempted to attack the secondary, which is every bit as banged up as their own.

Hackett has challenged his receivers to help jump-start the offense. He wants quarterback Carson Palmer to throw high and deep, which puts the responsibility on Kelly and the others to go up and fight for the ball.

“It’s those key plays,” the coach said. “We haven’t made enough of them.”

The same can be said for special teams, where USC has been outplayed by almost every opponent. Tonight’s game could be different, if only because Sun Devil kicker Mike Barth is questionable after hurting his back while kicking a Nerf ball in practice last week.

And if the Trojans are looking for another edge, Arizona State might still be smarting from last week’s double-overtime loss to Oregon.

But Snyder doesn’t figure his players will mope. They have been through injuries and illness. Their plane was hit by lightning, not once but twice, on a trip last month.

It turns out USC won’t be the only resilient team on the field.

“This team and staff have been through an unbelievable, emotional two months,” Snyder said. “I have to bank that we will bounce back.”

at ARIZONA ST.

Tempe, Ariz.

Tonight, 6

TV: Fox Sp. Net

Radio: XTRA (690)

ALSO

Sultan McCullough, told he’d have to wait to play at Arizona State, came instead to USC--and still he had to wait. D8