He Doesn’t Have It Made Yet

Offensive guard Lenny Vandermade gets the second start of his career today. Only a few weeks ago, the redshirt freshman figured to begin the season as a reserve but was pressed into action when senior Trevor Roberts suffered a foot injury.

Vandermade got his first taste of college football action in a sold-out Giants Stadium on national television. Playing against Penn State, he experienced the tempo and hitting of a real game.

So he should be a battle-tested veteran by now, right?

“Not really,” he said. “The butterflies are still there.”

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Colorado Coach Gary Barnett has several vivid memories of the last time he coached against USC, when he was at Northwestern and his Wildcats lost to the Trojans, 41-32, in the 1996 Rose Bowl.

The night before the game, Barnett did a television show from the press box and remembers being startled at the sight of the field freshly painted in purple and cardinal. “That was almost mystical,” he said.

His other recollections are not nearly as pleasant.

“We couldn’t stop Keyshawn Johnson, and Brad Otton had the day of his life,” he said. “He hit everything. Passes with guys hanging on his leg. He was incredible.”

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Four U.S. Navy F-18 jets from the Naval Air Station in Lemoore, Calif., will fly over the Coliseum in a “missing-man formation” before the game.

The aerial display is a tribute to the late Lt. Mathew Moneymaker, a former USC swimmer and Navy aviator who died when his plane crashed into the north Arabian Sea in November 1999.

A swimming scholarship has also been established in his memory.

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USC is 80-17-7 in home openers.

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* Time: 5 p.m.

* Site: Coliseum.

* TV: Channel 7.

* Radio: XTRA (690).

* When USC has the ball: If the Trojans hope to run the ball the way they did against Penn State, tailback Sultan McCullough will probably have to carry the load. His primary backup, Malaefou MacKenzie, has been slowed because of a sore ankle and hamstring and is listed as probable. Petros Papadakis, recovering from last season’s broken foot, has been relegated to short-yardage situations. Quarterback Carson Palmer would just as soon throw, especially against a Colorado secondary that got torched for 327 yards and four touchdowns against Colorado State last week. Junior cornerback Nate Wright took most of the heat, but Coach Gary Barnett says three of those scoring passes came on blown assignments. “We have a lot of new guys working together, and that’s an issue,” he said. The Buffaloes are more confident about their defensive front seven, which held Colorado State to 65 yards rushing.

* When Colorado has the ball: Starting tailback Cortlen Johnson has a case of turf toe, which could put the onus on highly recruited freshman Marcus Houston. “He looks like a guy they can rally around and he’s dangerous,” USC Coach Paul Hackett said. Quarterback Zac Colvin bruised his right elbow in the opener but is expected to play. If he cannot, junior college transfer Bobby Pesavento, who threw for 250 yards and a touchdown last week, can step in. On defense, USC has a veteran group that held Penn State to six yards rushing and no touchdowns. The secondary could be tested by 6-foot-2 receiver Javon Green and a Colorado offense that, Hackett said, “utilizes their tight ends probably as well as anyone in college football.”

* Key to the game: USC comes in rested and healthy but still something of a question mark, its victory against a Penn State team that then lost to Toledo. Another question: Can the Trojans avoid a recent history of playing flat after a bye? “This team is a little different,” Hackett said. “It’s a little more mature, it has got senior leadership and I don’t think this team will allow itself to sink.”

* Fast fact: When these teams last met in 1964, Mike Garrett--now USC’s athletic director--rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Colorado’s quarterback was current pro golfer Hale Irwin. USC won, 21-0.

* Line: USC by 7.

HOW THEY COMPARE

USC

29 Points scored

5 Points allowed

87 Passing

164 Rushing

251 Total offense

136 Passing defense

6 Rushing defense

142 Total defense

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Colorado

24 Points scored

28 Points allowed

309 Passing

223 Rushing

532 Total offense

327 Passing defense

65 Rushing defense

392 Total defense