Carroll Left Accentuating the Positives in Aftermath

In the quiet of the USC locker room, with players somberly dressing after a 10-6 loss to Kansas State, Coach Pete Carroll tried to inject some optimism.

The Trojans played head-to-head with the 12th-ranked team in the nation, he noted. They drove inside the 30-yard line with three minutes remaining, only to fumble the ball away.

“This is one of those games you’ve just got to keep fighting and scratching and we did all that,” Carroll said. “We can take a lot from that.”

Of course, there was plenty for the Trojans to rue.

They squandered a golden opportunity to upset a powerhouse, to steal a victory in a rugged early schedule that includes road games against nationally ranked Oregon, Washington and Notre Dame.

Penalties continued to be a problem. A holding call nullified a long pass and the Trojans were flagged for delay of game when only ten players ran out for a punt. Another delay and a false start hurt a third-quarter drive.

Even worse, the supposedly high-octane offense struggled. A week after an uneven performance against San Jose State, the Trojans could not even get started on a game plan that called for passing to set up the run.

“We had thoughts of what we wanted to do,” offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. “We just didn’t get it done.”

But Carroll--while saying he was sick about the loss--saw a hint of a silver lining.

This perspective dates back to his arrival at USC when he studied other Pacific 10 Conference teams and decided the Trojans needed a spread attack. Having earned his reputation as a defensive guru in the NFL, he hired Chow from North Carolina State. Then, while offense garnered most of the attention, Carroll focused on rebuilding the Trojans on the other side of the ball.

Through two games, the results have been promising.

The secondary, a weakness last season, looks improved. The squad is anchored by strong safety Troy Polamalu, who found himself backpedaling Saturday, apologizing for a play in which he leveled Kansas State punt returner Aaron Lockett before the ball arrived. Lockett, also his team’s leading receiver, missed much of the second half.

Carroll preferred to talk about Polamalu’s 10 tackles and the aggressiveness of his defense. Though Kansas State quarterback Ell Roberson looked shaky when he threw, the coverage rarely gave him open targets. Moreover, the defensive line applied pressure, sacking Roberson twice and forcing a fumble.

“Defense went out there and played,” said defensive end Lonnie Ford, who stripped the ball on a blind-side hit. “We had to make a big play to set our offense up. That was our whole thing.”

The young linebackers, minus an injured Frank Strong, committed some mistakes against Kansas State’s option. But, amid the blown assignments, the Trojan defense recovered by way of big plays and for the most part kept the Wildcats out of the end zone.

That’s what pleased Carroll.

His squad has surrendered only 10 points a game and has intercepted three passes, nearly half the total for all of last season. They have a bye week to work out some kinks.

After that comes a test at Oregon. The Ducks, ranked No. 7, have a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Joey Harrington and the best offense USC has faced to date.