Sometimes Penalty Is More Than 15 Yards

Against Hawaii last Saturday, USC was penalized nine times for 97 yards, and a number of the penalties were for unsportsmanlike conduct. Receiver Dwayne Jarrett was penalized for excessive celebration after a touchdown and tight end Dominique Byrd was flagged for throwing the ball at a defender.

Coach Pete Carroll, the featured speaker at Friday’s Pasadena Quarterbacks Club luncheon, was asked by an audience member how he dealt with the players who were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“I ripped ‘em,” he said. “Drawing attention to ourselves is not what we stand for. You didn’t see Dominique Byrd in the game after his penalty. I learned from Coach [John] Wooden -- use the bench as your ally.”

Trivia time: UCLA’s 1954 football team went 6-0 in the Pacific Coast Conference, 9-0 overall and was crowned UPI national champion, but didn’t play in a bowl game. Why?

Makes sense: Carroll said he was using USC’s bye week to work on recruiting. Asked what type of players he was looking for, Carroll said, “Great ones.”

Mum’s the word: This time of year, Carroll can scout prospects but is not allowed by NCAA rules to speak to them. When an audience member mentioned seeing Carroll at Thursday night’s game between Woodland Hills Taft and Crenshaw High at Canoga Park, Carroll said, “But you didn’t see me talking to any of the players.”

Caution doesn’t always pay: Former Bruin Billy Kilmer, who went on to star with the Washington Redskins, will be UCLA’s honorary captain at tonight’s game against Rice.

Kilmer, before visiting Bruin practice Friday, recalled the week before the 1959 UCLA-USC game, when he was a junior.

“I was a P.E. major and had a baseball class,” Kilmer said. “They were extra cautious about me getting hurt, so I couldn’t play baseball. They had me umpire, and I had to stand out on the mound behind the pitcher. So what happened? I took a line drive off my right ankle and suffered a hairline fracture.”

To the rescue: Kilmer said he sat out the first half of the game that weekend, but with UCLA trailing, 3-0, at halftime, he asked coach Bill Barnes to put him in.

Kilmer, a single-wing tailback, told Barnes he could at least throw, even if he couldn’t run.

“But I ran for a first down to set up the winning touchdown [in a 10-3 victory],” Kilmer said.

Looking back: On this day in 1977, Chris Evert won her third consecutive U.S. Open title by beating Wendy Turnbull, 7-6, 6-2.

Trivia answer: The “no-repeat” rule, which prohibited teams from playing in consecutive Rose Bowls. UCLA had played in the Rose Bowl the previous season, losing to Michigan State. USC, which lost to the Bruins, 34-0, in 1954, played in that season’s Rose Bowl, losing to Ohio State.

And finally: UCLA will give away football posters to the first 7,500 fans at tonight’s game at the Rose Bowl. Wow, 7,500 posters. The Bruins must be working on a tight budget these days.

*

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.