Trying Not to Get Caught in an Irish Wake

The drama is over, a memory to be savored sometime after the season, once the work is done.

That is the message USC Coach Pete Carroll attempted to drive home to his players this week as the Trojans turned their attention from Notre Dame to today’s game against struggling Washington.

As top-ranked and unbeaten USC begins the second half of its schedule, Carroll is concerned about an emotional letdown.

“I think we’re on track,” Carroll said. “But you never know.”

USC’s 28-game winning streak, preserved in the final seconds at Notre Dame Stadium, figures to grow against a Husky team that has only one victory.

But Carroll and his staff took no chances.

Rather than celebrating the victory over the Fighting Irish, they began the week by emphasizing the Trojans’ multiple mistakes and challenging players to perform better.

“It was a win but it felt like a loss,” offensive tackle Winston Justice said. “So I don’t think there will be an emotional letdown.”

Carroll also cut off media access to running back Reggie Bush for a day, in part so the junior would not have to answer questions about last week’s game. Quarterback Matt Leinart, who engineered the game-winning drive and scored the decisive touchdown, blitzed through questions about the victory and told reporters the Trojans were concentrating on Washington.

The rest of the team fell in line behind the Heisman Trophy winner.

“We know how to get refocused and how to get back into game mode,” offensive lineman Fred Matua said. “Right now, we totally just forgot about that game and all we’re thinking about is the Washington Huskies.”

Cornerback Justin Wyatt said the Trojans would not come out flat.

“Notre Dame scared all that out of us,” he said. “Nobody wants to play any more close games. Not like that.”

Washington, 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference, does not figure to seriously challenge the Trojans.

Last season, USC defeated Washington, 38-0, ending the Huskies’ streak of 271 games without being shut out. Keith Gilbertson resigned as coach after the season and was replaced by Tyrone Willingham, who suffered three straight 31-point defeats against USC while coaching at Notre Dame.

Washington began this season with losses to Air Force and California before defeating Idaho. The Huskies then lost to Notre Dame, UCLA and Oregon.

“We have had some quarters that have been excellent football and we have had some quarters that have been less than that. ... We need to get to the winners’ category by playing complete ballgames,” said Willingham, who guided Stanford to the Pac-10 title in 1999.

Washington is led by quarterback Isaiah Stanback, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior. Stanback has improved markedly since last season when he made his first career start against the Trojans and the Huskies failed to convert any of their 14 third-down plays.

Willingham installed an offense that allows Stanback to use his strong arm and mobility. The Huskies will try to exploit a Trojan secondary that Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn picked apart last week.

However, USC players say their main challenge will be eliminating the penalties, turnovers and punt coverage miscues that plagued them last week.

The Trojans are averaging nearly nine penalties a game. Against Notre Dame, defensive end Frostee Rucker and safety Josh Pinkard were flagged for personal fouls.

“Because of all the hype, some guys may think, ‘We’re the Trojans. We can’t get hit. You can’t hit us.’ So they kind of strike back with a punch or a blow or a shove,” middle linebacker Oscar Lua said. “We get penalized just like everybody else. The rules apply to us as well.”

Center Ryan Kalil said the Trojans played far from their best game against Notre Dame and that they were determined to play the second half of the season the way they play the second halves of games.

“We’ve still got the fire in our hearts,” he said. “We’re not going to let up.”