Carroll Legacy Will Be Far Too Much to Bear

If it seemed like forever for Penn State Coach Joe Paterno to catch Bear Bryant as the winningest coach in college football, how long do you think we’ll have to wait for USC’s Pete Carroll to pass them?

I’ve seen the glint in the kid’s eye when he looks at my daughter, but even if he gets lucky and some day Mr. and Mrs. Grocery Store Bagger have my grandchild, at the 2-5 rate Carroll is going, the next T.J. is going to be an old man holding his own brat and still waiting for Carroll to impress.

The NCAA record book doesn’t name the all-time loser in college football, and no, it’s not Paul Hackett, Larry Smith or Ted Tollner--but all good guesses. Based on longevity and the obvious opportunity to lose more games in 57 years on the job, it would appear Amos Alonzo Stagg’s mark of 199 defeats is the most by anyone, and certainly within Carroll’s reach.

Maybe it’s a University of Pacific thing, Stagg finishing his coaching career at Pacific and having the stadium named after him, and Carroll starting his there as an assistant, and the way things are going, maybe ending it there too.

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WHEN IT comes to making history, Carroll has already established himself in USC-Notre Dame lore as the fastest coach in the 73-year rivalry to pass the buck, making sure the public knew a botched fake punt was not his call.

While sitting on my couch I couldn’t see how the halftime interview developed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Carroll was running across the field and yelling, “Jim Gray, Jim Gray, over here, I want to rat out Mike MacGillivray.”

The NBC interviewer, of course, is the best in the business at getting to the bottom of things, but he didn’t even have to bully Carroll into playing the role of stool pigeon, Carroll spilling his guts and putting the finger on a 22-year-old punter.

The kid apparently had the option to kick or run. This option, of course, makes no sense unless the punter is an athlete capable of outrunning Craig Fertig, as Fertig appears today. MacGillivray was tackled for no gain, and Notre Dame scored four plays later.

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PUT A baseball cap on Carroll’s head, pull it tight over his eyes, and USC fans would be screaming this guy can’t hack it in crunch time. (Get it?)

USC was the better team on the field, but Carroll allowed another close game--20-16 with less than two minutes to play--to get away.

Given the chance to be bold, he played it safe at a key point in the third quarter--this after declaring last week he intended to show the Irish what to expect in the next few years from the Carroll-coached Trojans. Well, he did.

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AFTER THE opening coin flip, the referee referred to the Trojans as Southern Cal, and nothing makes the Southern Cal administration more upset than being called Southern Cal.

Wonder if Southern Cal Prez Steven Sample will be mad enough to call him.

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WITH 1:52 remaining, and the Irish leading, 20-16, NBC’s Pat Haden said, “This is when a quarterback gets the chance to make a reputation for himself.”

USC’s Carson Palmer fumbled, Notre Dame scored, Palmer had a pass intercepted and Notre Dame killed the clock to secure a 27-16 win.

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USC MUST win all of its remaining games to be bowl-eligible, which means the Trojans must get past the Cal Bears, and I don’t know ...

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THE NEXT three weeks should be exciting--so you know I’m not talking about USC football. In addition to UCLA games against Stanford, Washington State and Oregon, the Heisman Trophy race appears to have narrowed to three finalists: Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch, Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey and UCLA running back DeShaun Foster.

Miami has the best chance to finish undefeated, aiding Dorsey’s cause.

Clemson’s Woodrow Dantzler took himself out of running Saturday in a stunning loss, and Fresno State’s David Carr couldn’t beat Boise State, which probably won’t impress the voters. Oregon’s Joey Harrington had the chance to secure front-runner status with a comeback win over Stanford, but failed and finished with a pair of interceptions. Florida’s Rex Grossman didn’t play this week, but he’s coming off four interceptions in a defeat, leaving Crouch, Dorsey and Foster--all playing for undefeated teams--in the spotlight.

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MARK LEFT a message to say USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett telephoned to apologize to his father, Sam, and the two talked for more than 30 minutes about USC’s push to get an additional $2,000 for his basketball seats. No telling how long that call would have been had Garrett apologized for all the things he’s done wrong at USC.

Senior Associate AD Don Winston mentioned Garrett’s call in his apology/defense letter in The Times Saturday morning, while also calling my suggestion “reprehensible” that everyone in the athletic department ought to be hauled off in handcuffs. If I could count on them going quietly, I guess there would be no need for the handcuffs.

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A WEEK ago our college football writer Chris Dufresne ranked Texas, who had suffered a loss, No. 12 in his Times’ poll, and undefeated UCLA No. 4.

Then after Texas beat Oklahoma State (2-3 at the time) and UCLA pounded Washington (4-0), Dufresne ranked Texas No. 4 and UCLA No. 5.

The BCS pays no attention to The Times’ rankings.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in an e-mail from James L.

“Your description of USC fund-raising efforts as ‘blackmail’ went way over the top. Forget about becoming a well-respected journalist--it’s too late.”

It’s never too late if I can come up with the appropriate donation--USC will nominate me for a Pulitzer.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com