Mistakes Through the Heart

A frustrated Pete Carroll ran down the list of turnovers and defensive breakdowns, the dumb penalties his team had committed. Then the USC coach looked up and said: “You’ve probably heard that before.”

It was deja vu at the Coliseum on Saturday, the Trojans looking all too much like the mistake-prone team that stumbled to a losing record last season. There is perhaps one distinction, this year’s version having the capacity to fight back.

But that wasn’t enough against unbeaten Stanford, which capitalized on USC’s miscues to open a three-touchdown lead, then held on for a 21-16 victory before a crowd of 53,962 that found itself booing one moment, cheering the next, ultimately filing quietly out of the stadium.

“It’s frustrating when we keep putting ourselves in a hole,” fullback Charlie Landrigan said. “It’s all in the details.”

Those details have paved the way to three consecutive losses, leaving the 1-3 Trojans with the unenviable task of trying to turn things around at unbeaten Washington next week. To make matters worse, they might be without half of their defensive line. Bobby DeMars sprained his neck and Ryan Nielsen was carted off the field with a sprained right shoulder. Reserve linebacker Lee Webb also was lost to a broken foot.

Stanford, meanwhile, boosted its record to 3-0, its best start in 15 years.

The Cardinal came into this game with the top-ranked offense in the Pacific 10 Conference and quickly showed why, making good on every mistake the Trojans handed over.

When USC failed to convert on a fourth and six--sending tailback Sultan McCullough into the line--Stanford quarterback Randy Fasani responded with a 50-yard pass to receiver Luke Powell, one of several times Fasani burned the USC secondary for long gains. Cornerback Kris Richard thought he had a play on the ball but jumped and missed.

“At the last second it seemed to float,” Richard said. “I should never have left my feet.”

The pass left Stanford close enough for a four-yard touchdown run by Kerry Carter who, along with running mate Brian Allen, had a solid if unspectacular game behind Stanford’s veteran line. The Cardinal would soon improve on its 7-0 lead when McCullough fumbled on a questionable flea flicker, a play that stuttered and stalled and took too long to develop.

Fasani then scrambled for extra time and passed again to Powell, who somehow outmaneuvered double coverage to catch a 34-yard touchdown pass.

“Once you get in a rhythm,” Fasani said, “it’s easy to move down the field.”

So Stanford built its lead to 21-0 on another Fasani touchdown pass--this one to a wide-open Brett Pierce--after USC quarterback Carson Palmer threw the first of two interceptions.

Coming off a three-interception performance against Oregon, Palmer has felt the heat from fans and media but his top receiver, Kareem Kelly, said the team still has confidence in him. His coach also offered a defense.

“You’ve got to understand, the guy is under a barrage,” Carroll said. “We’re not running the football and [the defense] is coming after him. He’s running for his life.”

Palmer was sacked twice and hurried on numerous occasions as the young offensive line struggled through another inconsistent performance. The running game stalled too, McCullough held to a paltry 32 yards in 16 carries.

The Stanford defensive linemen were “a little more physical than I thought they would be,” guard Norm Katnik said. The Trojan line began committing penalties--including personal fouls for late hits--because “guys are trying so hard their heads aren’t on straight,” he said.

How bad did it get? The home fans booed the players. They booed Carroll when he called a timeout. But the Trojans have fallen behind to Kansas State and Oregon in recent weeks and, if nothing else, have shown they can stay in the game.

After a Fasani fumble early in the third quarter, USC drove for a 41-yard field goal to make the score 21-3. Then, after a 47-yard punt return by Kevin Arbet, McCullough started right and reversed field, picking up a block from Palmer as he ran eight yards for a touchdown to close the gap to 21-10.

Stanford responded with a long drive to start the fourth quarter. But when the Cardinal attempted a 39-yard field goal, USC cornerback Chris Cash burst from the left side to block the kick and Richard returned the ball 65 yards for a touchdown. The Trojans missed on a two-point conversion, but, with 6:34 remaining, the score was 21-16.

Ultimately, it was too little, too late. While the USC defense could hold Stanford scoreless in the second half, they could not keep them from another clutch drive with 4:13 left. Carter rushed for five and six yards at a time, Fasani scrambled 23 yards for a crucial first down and the Trojans never got their hands on the ball again.

Afterward, Carroll glanced at a pink sheet of paper that detailed USC’s nine penalties for 93 yards. He talked about his determination to solve the problems that have plagued his team. But with so many miscues in so many areas, it was tough to know where to begin.

Kelly bristled at the suggestion that the Trojans were reliving last season’s difficulties. “I don’t even want to talk about last season,” he said.

The best he and his team could do was take satisfaction in their second-half play. Three times in the past three games they have rallied only to fall short.

“Unfortunately that’s where it’s at after four weeks,” Carroll said. “But that’s where it starts.”