Sound Barrier

As football stadiums go, it’s not much to look at. Small and low-slung with rows of benches for seats. No fancy architecture. But fill it with 40,000 screaming fans and Autzen Stadium becomes the most daunting locale in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Almost four years have passed since Oregon has lost a game on its home field. That’s 22 consecutive victories, a record 16 in conference play.

And that’s the challenge facing a USC team that hopes to upset the No. 7 Ducks tonight.

Upperclassmen on the team remember what it sounded like during a triple-overtime loss at Autzen two seasons ago.

“Loud,” defensive tackle Bernard Riley said. “ So loud.”

The stadium’s modest construction is a big part of what makes it tough on visitors. Only a dozen or so feet separate the stands from the bench and, in the years since Oregon became a winning team, the fans have been anything but shy.

Ask Bobby DeMars, who will start beside Riley tonight but was on the sideline for the 1999 game as a sophomore.

“For some reason the fans decided to pick on me,” DeMars recalled. “All game long they kept yelling, ‘Why don’t you bring me some water, No. 91?”’

The problem is worse on the field, where the din can be so great that quarterbacks resort to signaling their receivers by hand. Even linemen, shoulder to shoulder, must sometimes read one another’s lips. Hearing the snap count can be hard, calling an audible even harder.

“You can still do it,” USC Coach Pete Carroll said. “How effectively you audible is what’s important. So you have to be very careful and it will restrict you in some regards.”

Of course, there’s also the matter of playing the nation’s seventh-ranked team.

The Ducks will look more familiar than earlier opponents San Jose State and Kansas State in that they favor a Pac-10 style of run and pass.

Much of the focus falls on the stars: quarterback Joey Harrington, receiver Keenan Howry and the tailbacks, Maurice Morris and Onterrio Smith. But the subtleties of the offensive scheme are equally important.

“I wouldn’t call it trickery, but they have plays that throw you off,” Riley said.

They run a lot of misdirection, which means linebackers must read not only the fullback but also the guards. They also take great pains to fool the defense, faking a quarterback bootleg several times, for instance, then actually running it on a crucial third down late in the game.

“If you guess, they’ll beat you,” Riley said.

Safety Troy Polamalu added: “It’s a mental challenge.”

Not that the Ducks don’t have weaknesses.

After a less-than-impressive victory over Utah two weeks ago, Coach Mike Bellotti does not believe his team is playing up to its national ranking. “I’ve challenged our guys to put up, live up or shut up,” he said.

The offensive line is a concern and so is the defense, where only four starters returned this season, only one in the front seven. Oregon looked particularly vulnerable to the run against Utah, which gives the Trojans hope that tailback Sultan McCullough can find his rhythm after seeing limited duty against Kansas State.

“We know the run is going to be a factor,” McCullough said. “We’re going to shove it down their throats.”

The passing game, meanwhile, faces two of the conference’s best cornerbacks in Rashad Bauman and Steve Smith. With steady coverage outside, Oregon figures to blitz quarterback Carson Palmer early and often.

And then there is the noise.

“The crowd can prey on your confidence,” Carroll said. “If you get into listening and reacting to them, they’ve done their job.”

The coach doesn’t want to make too big a deal about it, but he has been preparing his team for this atmosphere since training camp. The last two weeks, in particular, speakers have blared from the sidelines at practice each day.

Veterans have tried to warn younger players.

“It doesn’t really help,” freshman tailback Darryl Poston said. “I guess I’m going to have to experience it for myself.”

Some players said they will try to ignore the crowd. Others plan to face it head-on.

“I enjoy playing in that stadium,” Palmer said. “Everyone is against you. It’s fun to try to make them mad.”

*

USC AT OREGON

Tonight at Eugene,

7:15, Fox Sports Net