Trojans size up course ahead

If Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh and others were to be believed, USC would now be well on its way to the Bowl Championship Series title game in New Orleans.

But instead of joining the pantheon of college football’s greatest teams, USC has fallen from No. 1 in the polls to 19th in the BCS standings. The Trojans also have been left to figure out exactly where they are going in their last four games.

On Sunday, a day after USC suffered its second Pacific 10 Conference defeat, Coach Pete Carroll said the Trojans would do what they always have done -- focus on the next game. But he acknowledged that the Trojans’ inability to control their destiny is unfamiliar territory.

“It’s different; we haven’t been in this situation in a long time,” said Carroll, who guided the Trojans to a BCS bowl game in every season but his first in 2001. “I can’t remember when we had to wait. We’ve always been one game away or in the lead.”

Although USC’s home loss to Stanford on Oct. 6 was a surprise, its 24-17 defeat Saturday at Oregon was not entirely unexpected.

USC was a rare underdog and quarterback Dennis Dixon and the Ducks showed why they are legitimate contenders for a berth in the BCS title game.

“It’s never a cakewalk playing in the Pac-10,” senior linebacker Keith Rivers said after the loss.

It doesn’t get any easier for USC.

On Saturday, the Trojans play an Oregon State team that has won three consecutive games and eliminated any USC intimidation factor with last year’s win at Corvallis, Ore.

USC also plays at California, at sixth-ranked Arizona State and at home against UCLA.

“There’s reason to keep on fighting for all the obvious reasons,” said Carroll, whose teams have lost four of their last 10 conference games. “You don’t know how the season is going to turn out.”

USC’s season has been devoid of continuity, though the defense, save for creating turnovers, has mostly kept up its end.

The Trojans are fourth in the nation in total defense, surrendering 263 yards per game.

However, they have not generated as many turnovers as they have given up -- the Trojans are last in the Pac-10 and 96th nationally with only six interceptions.

The offense has struggled in part because of quarterback issues.

John David Booty might not have been the Heisman Trophy candidate he was thought to be after last season’s Rose Bowl performance against Michigan, but he was enjoying a decent season until his four-interception performance against Stanford, a game in which he suffered a broken middle finger on his throwing hand.

Booty’s injury elevated sophomore Mark Sanchez to the starting lineup, the Trojans’ first in-season change at quarterback in Carroll’s six-plus seasons.

According to Carroll, Sanchez’s inexperience has influenced the play-calling of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who has been the target of growing criticism on Internet message boards. The invective has approached the blistering attacks that were directed toward former co-offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.

“We’ve had to try to keep [Sanchez] under wraps so he can play confident -- that’s what’s at hand right now,” Carroll said. “It does affect your play calling and your decision making.”

USC was the envy of most programs when it opened training camp with 10 tailbacks, but that depth was a mirage after Emmanuel Moody transferred and others suffered injuries.

Sophomore Stafon Johnson had appeared to emerge as the Trojans’ go-to back after impressing against Nebraska and Washington. But the former Dorsey High star sat out two games because of a foot bruise and, more seriously, a sprain and has not been near full strength since. Johnson carried the ball only three times against Oregon.

“I was disappointed he didn’t get involved more,” Carroll said. “He just didn’t get the ball, but that happens sometimes when you rotate guys.”

USC’s receivers were a question mark going into the season and showed little growth through the first seven games.

But junior Patrick Turner, sophomore Vidal Hazelton and freshman David Ausberry seemed to take a big step against Oregon, using their ability to make plays and, in Hazelton’s case, absorb some crunching hits after catching the ball over the middle.

Injuries across the offensive line also have stunted the offense. Against Oregon, the unit that was projected to start at the beginning of the season actually lined up together for the first time.

The Trojans also have hurt themselves by averaging eight penalties per game. Only 14 teams in the nation average more. The Trojans average 74.5 penalty yards per game, which ranks even closer to the bottom.

Despite the situation, Carroll remains typically optimistic. His team, he said, is not out of the Rose Bowl race.

“It would be crazy to think anything but that,” he said. “All kinds of things can happen.”

--

gary.klein@latimes.com