Spirit of Troy Returns to the Defense

The pass intended for Stanford receiver Teyo Johnson was over his head at the sidelines, but Troy Polamalu didn’t hesitate. Polamalu knocked Johnson to the ground with a hit that caused many to shudder in the crowd of 44,950, not to mention Johnson.

But there was a problem with Polamalu’s crushing blow -- he did it right in front of an official, who dropped a penalty flag at Polamalu’s feet for a personal foul.

“I should have pulled up,” Polamalu said afterward. “But in that split second, I was thinking ‘Man, he’s huge, I’ve got to take my chances. What if he catches it and I let him get away?’

“In some ways it was worth the penalty. I hit him when he was out of bounds, though, and I do apologize for that.”

It was an aggressive defensive play and far from an apologetic hit, but it probably serves as a significant signpost along the road for the USC Trojans, who blew out the Stanford Cardinal, 49-17, at Stanford Stadium, and then retreated to the locker room to feel good about themselves.

At 7-2 and 5-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, good will is flowing for the Trojans, only not on defense, where the best news is that Polamalu is making hits again. They’re occurring all over the field, and, as Johnson learned Saturday night, sometimes off of it as well.

Polamalu is the USC strong safety with the weak right ankle. He injured it on the first series at Washington State, the only conference defeat the Trojans have endured. That was a month ago, but as recently as Tuesday, Polamalu had X-rays because he didn’t feel it was getting any better.

“He’s going to have to play hurt with it the rest of the year,” Coach Pete Carroll said.

Against Stanford, Polamalu led the USC defense with 13 tackles, seven of them unassisted. He had two tackles for losses and one sack and didn’t let on for a single play that he was not at full strength.

“He’s still not 100%,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “But even when he’s 80%, he’s still the best player on the field.”

Only three more games remain for USC -- next week against Arizona State, at the Rose Bowl against UCLA and at the Coliseum against Notre Dame. And while Palmer and the offense have put up 41, 44 and 49 points in USC’s last three games, more of the burden is expected to be on the defense in a closing rush.

In that case, every Trojan helmet turns toward Polamalu.

“It’s great to have him back there,” linebacker Matt Grootegoed said. “When he’s not there, you get nervous. He’s our leader.”

That is why Carroll depends so much on the senior from Tenmile, Ore., a preseason Thorpe Award candidate as the nation’s top defensive back.

“He’s a very special part of our defense, with his flexibility and style and all he commands,” Carroll said.

What Polamalu commands mostly is the ability to deliver blows to offensive players. Defense, the way Polamalu plays it, is all about sudden impact. But when he fell to the ground in the first quarter Oct. 5 at Pullman, he was just hoping he wasn’t out for the season.

“Oh, Lord, I thought it was my knee, you know, because everything went numb,” he said. “Then I said a prayer and I could thank God because it wasn’t my knee, only a sprained ankle. It could have been so much worse.”

The way Polamalu sees his role on defense, it is not so much as a team leader or a delivery man for punishment, but only to do his job.

“We have a bunch of great leaders on this team,” he said. “My game, what I do, it’s not about big hits, it’s only about making the plays I’m supposed to make. And the good thing is, we’re feeding off each other.”

And so it goes for the Trojans and their high-scoring offense and pounding defense. Of course, shutting down an ineffective Stanford group is no longer a huge task, but for a strong safety with a sore ankle and a USC team looking for inspiration, it was about as good as it could be.