Injuries, Trojans slow down Cowan

Thoughts of UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan roaming free, getting yards by the chunks on busted plays, were probably still on the minds of USC defensive players.

Cowan sprinting as quickly as he could to the sideline for safety in the first quarter, or sliding feet-first, unchallenged, to the turf in the third quarter had to be sights for sore eyes for the Trojans in a 24-7 victory Saturday.

A year ago, Cowan didn’t do much, but did enough, when the Bruins upset the second-ranked Trojans, 13-9. On Saturday, the Bruins’ offense was as limited as its quarterback.

Cowan hobbled through the game with a sore right knee, taking away a key element that can make him effective, and left with seven minutes left after injuring his left knee.

“I wasn’t where I would like to be,” Cowan said of his health. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to or try to, it just didn’t happen. I don’t want to make excuses.” But, Cowan admitted, “I had a knee injury.”

The rest of the offense limped along as well.

The Bruins had four turnovers and finished with 168 total yards, their lowest output since getting 164 against Fresno State in the 2003 Silicon Valley Bowl.

Even with the offense struggling, Coach Karl Dorrell said he never considered bringing Ben Olson off the bench until Cowan was injured.

“We were moving the ball at times in the second half, we just made a couple mistakes,” Dorrell said.

Olson, who played the second half against Oregon last week, was brought into the game and did not complete a pass in five tries.

“I wouldn’t have played if Pat hadn’t gotten hurt,” said Olson, who is also recovering from a knee injury.

“It was a tough game. I saw most of it from the sidelines. . . . I wanted to play, but that is not my decision. Coach Dorrell made the decision that he felt would be best for the team and I have to support that.

“I knew what was going on in practice. I’m not an idiot. I knew taking all reps with the second team sends a pretty strong message to you. I knew that was happening.”

Not much was happening for the Bruins in the first half, as they went three-and-out on six consecutive series.

But Cowan finished the half with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Johnson with seven seconds left to cut the USC lead to 17-7.

Said tailback Chris Markey: “We felt we were on the verge of getting the consistency we need.”

The Bruins never did. They reached the USC 45 to start the second half, then self-destructed, with two penalties. Cowan was also forced out of the pocket, sliding at midfield, then lost eight yards on a sack.

Against USC in 2006, Cowan had 55 yards rushing, including scrambles of 29 and 16 yards on the Bruins’ only touchdown drive.

“I did feel prepared this game,” said Cowan, who has had hamstring and knee injuries, plus a concussion and collapsed lung this season.

“I felt having last year, and the experience of playing in games, would help. But knowing what injuries I had to go through this year does make a difference.”

UCLA drove to the USC 44 on its next possession, then punted on fourth-and-four, deciding not to go for it in a game where they had little to lose.

“We considered it, but there was still so much to play for at that point in time,” Dorrell said.

Playing field position got the Bruins the ball back at the USC 42. Brandon Breazell mishandled a handoff on a reverse on the first play and USC’s Sedrick Ellis recovered the ball with 56 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Bruins gained only one more yard the rest of the game.

“We felt really well when we came out in the second half,” said Cowan, who was sacked four times and finished with minus-31 yards rushing. “Even throughout the game, we had a few good plays here and there, then something would happen. We couldn’t prolong it.”

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chris.foster@latimes.com