Supposed Filler Opponent Now Is a Real Threat

For USC, it was a match made out of necessity.

Last February, the Trojans were coming off their second consecutive national championship season and needed to fill an open home date in the 2005 schedule so they would not have three weeks between playing California and UCLA.

Few Division I-A opponents had a similar open date, or the inclination, to play USC at the Coliseum.

“There weren’t many choices of people that would come,” Coach Pete Carroll said Sunday.

Fresno State Coach Pat Hill, however, was more than willing. He had long lobbied to play the Trojans and USC, finally, begrudgingly, agreed.

So on Saturday, top-ranked USC will play host to a 16th-ranked Fresno State team seeking to top the biggest win in school history: a 24-7 victory over USC in the 1992 Freedom Bowl.

“They’ve always liked these kinds of opportunities,” Carroll said. “They got the best of the best on this one.”

Before the season, many observers thought USC’s game against California would be the biggest potential hazard on the Trojans’ road to the Rose Bowl, this season’s bowl championship series title game.

But USC easily defeated the Golden Bears on Saturday and improved its record to 10-0.

Afterward, Carroll said 8-1 Fresno State might be the best team USC will face.

“They have a championship program,” Carroll said Sunday. “They have all they need to come take a shot at us.”

Fresno State’s only loss was by three points to Oregon in September. Last week, the Bulldogs ended Boise State’s 31-game conference winning streak.

Boise State, however, is the only Western Athletic Conference opponent with a winning record that Fresno State has played. New Mexico State, Utah State, Idaho, Hawaii, San Jose State and Boise State are a combined 14-39.

Carroll said USC would not look past the Bulldogs.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for them -- it’s the best team they’ve probably ever had,” Carroll said. “They know they get to take a chance at beating us and they have nothing to lose.”

*

Carroll said X-rays of linebacker Thomas Williams’ knee showed damage to the patella, but the extent of the injury had yet to be determined.

Freshman Rey Maualuga, who replaced Williams at middle linebacker early in the first quarter against Cal, had an interception and recorded a sack. Freshman Brian Cushing started at one outside linebacker spot and recorded a team-best seven tackles.

“They’re probably maybe a little bit ahead of schedule of where we hoped,” Carroll said.

Carroll said he would wait for an update on Williams and Oscar Lua (knee) before deciding whether Maualuga would start against Fresno State.

*

Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis said ends Frostee Rucker and Lawrence Jackson helped throw Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob off his game by penetrating into the backfield and hitting his arm.

“When that happened, he got jittery and we were able to open it up and get some pressure on him,” Ellis said of Ayoob, who had four passes intercepted.