Rivalry Will Have New Date

The annual USC-UCLA football game will be played on “Championship Saturday” in 2004 and 2005 and will be televised nationally by ABC, the schools announced Thursday.

The rivalry, a national television staple from 1966-78, has not been broadcast nationally by ABC since 1988.

“It’s a great concept and both schools agree it’s a terrific opportunity to showcase our programs,” said Daryl Gross, a senior associate athletic director at USC who handles scheduling. “We hope we can do it for a long time.”

In 2004, the USC-UCLA game at the Rose Bowl will be played on Dec. 4. The 2005 game at the Coliseum will be played Dec. 3.

The last time USC played UCLA in December was in 1945.

USC is now guaranteed three consecutive appearances on “Championship Saturday,” the final day of the regular season that precedes bowl game announcements.

In February, the network approached USC and UCLA about moving this year’s game to Dec. 6, but UCLA could not because of a conflict with the Wooden Classic basketball event. USC instead moved its Nov. 8 game against Oregon State to Dec. 6 at the Coliseum.

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Charles White, winner of the 1979 Heisman Trophy, said his son, Ashton, a running back from Santa Margarita High, plans to enroll at USC in the fall and walk on to the Trojan football team.

Ashton White, the most valuable player in the Serra League in 2001, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last season.

-- Gary Klein

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Nevada Las Vegas Coach John Robinson was released from a Henderson, Nev., hospital after being treated for a blocked coronary artery. A UNLV spokesman said Robinson was resting at his Las Vegas home after undergoing surgery Monday.

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Rick Taylor, the Northwestern athletic director whose nine-year tenure was stained by the practice-field death of football player Rashidi Wheeler and a men’s basketball point-shaving scandal, announced that he would retire Aug. 31.

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The bowl championship series formed an oversight committee to discuss the possibility of a college football playoff and other changes to the bowl system. One university president or chancellor from each of the six BCS conferences will be on the committee.

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Pro Football

The Washington Redskins made a five-year, $8-million offer to New York Jet kick returner Chad Morton, a restricted free agent.

The Jets have a week to match the offer, which includes a $2.5-million signing bonus. If they don’t, they would get a fifth-round draft pick as compensation from the Redskins.

Veteran receiver Ike Hilliard remained with the New York Giants, signing a five-year, $12.5-million contract.... Baltimore has withdrawn its offer to starting quarterback Jeff Blake and will look to free agency or the draft for his replacement.... Veteran defensive end David Bowens re-signed with Miami.... Safety Blaine Bishop, a four-time Pro Bowl player, was released by Philadelphia.... Houston traded a fifth-round pick in the April draft to New England for right tackle Greg Randall.... Detroit hired eight-year coaching veteran Johnny Holland as a defensive assistant.... Journeyman safety Rich Coady signed with Indianapolis.

The Jets will play at Washington in the NFL’s season opener Sept. 4, the second straight year the league will begin its schedule on a Thursday night.

This year’s game will be televised by ABC. The rest of the season openers will take place Sunday (Sept. 7) and Monday night (Sept. 8). The rest of the schedule has yet to be announced.

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Tennis

Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt defeated South Africa’s Wayne Ferreira, 7-5, 6-1, to advance to the third round of the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic at Scottsdale, Ariz.

In other matches, third-seeded David Nalbandian beat Franco Squillari, 6-2, 7-6 (5), and Mark Philippoussis beat Scott Draper, 6-0, 6-4.

Qualifier Robert Kendrick beat Jean-Rene Lisnard, 7-5, 7-5, to advance to the quarterfinals of the International Tennis Championships at Delray Beach, Fla. Kendrick will next play Vladimir Voltchkov, who advanced when Sargis Sargsian retired because of cramps.

Winter Sports

Anja Paerson earned her first World Cup victory in her home country, edging two Italians on the giant slalom course at Are, Sweden.

Croatia’s Janica Kostelic was sixth, enough to clinch the World Cup overall title with five races left. Paerson was followed by Daniela Merighetti and Denise Karbon.

Cross-country skiing great Thomas Alsgaard will retire after the season, ending a career in which he won a total of 10 Olympic and world championship titles. The 31-year-old Norwegian has at least one gold medal in the last eight major championships -- an achievement no other cross-country skier can match.