Trojans Have Two Weeks to Make It Right

USC players and coaches were looking back, not immediately ahead, after a stirring victory over Stanford.

Perhaps with good reason.

Though they overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to win, 31-28, the top-ranked Trojans said they would find much to correct before they began to consider their Oct. 9 Pacific 10 Conference game against 10th-ranked California at the Coliseum.

USC (4-0) has a week off to recuperate and ponder the Golden Bears, who dealt them their only loss last season in triple overtime. Cal (2-0), idle since Sept. 11, plays at Oregon State on Saturday.

“We’ve got two weeks to start thinking about Cal,” sophomore running back Reggie Bush said after producing 240 total yards and a touchdown against Stanford. “It’s not a special game. It’s just a game we need to win.”

An impressive victory over Cal could help the Trojans win back the confidence of some voters who will help decide their fate in the bowl championship series.

On Sunday, USC received 46 of the 65 first-place votes in the Associated Press media poll. The Trojans lost eight votes to second-ranked Oklahoma, which was idle. USC got 45 of the 61 first-place votes in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, three fewer than last week.

But USC players, under Coach Pete Carroll, have maintained that they care little about polls. Or their opponents.

“It’s about us -- it really doesn’t matter who we play,” offensive lineman Sam Baker said in the locker room after Saturday’s game. “We’re going to fix what we need right now and then we’re going to start looking at Cal.”

USC will practice today through Thursday and then take next weekend off before starting preparations for Cal.

Today, the Trojans will no doubt be looking at tape of the final three minutes of the first half against Stanford, when the Cardinal turned a fake field-goal attempt into an 11-yard touchdown and a routine running play into an 82-yard touchdown for a 28-17 halftime lead.

USC made several adjustments in the second half that helped limit the Cardinal to 36 yards and zero points.

“It was a tale of two different ballgames,” Carroll said Sunday.

Said USC safety Jason Leach: “The third and fourth quarter, everybody just went to some other level -- and I think we need to stay there for a while.”

Trojan running back LenDale White said he would use the week off to rehabilitate a sore left ankle that limited his playing time and effectiveness against Stanford. Fullback Lee Webb and tight end Nick Vanderboom, who left the game because of foot and knee injuries, also hope to heal in time for the Cal game.

Carroll said kicker Ryan Killeen has not lost his job but that redshirt freshman Mario Danelo would get more opportunities in practice this week. Killeen made a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter, but missed from 23 yards in the fourth. He has made only two of six field-goal attempts this season.

Receiver Steve Smith, who caught eight passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, said Saturday’s comeback victory bodes well for the Trojans.

“This sets us up good,” he said. “We showed we can come back from any team. Don’t count us out, ever. If there’s time left on the clock, we can make plays and pull out the win.”