pete and the boys will love this

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Keys to USC's Win

September 17, 2006

Gary Klein's keys to the game, and how the Trojans measured up:

1. Front and center. USC's offensive line did a good job protecting quarterback John David Booty, who was sacked only once. The Trojans, however, had a tough time rushing against the Cornhuskers' front seven. Freshman Emmanuel Moody gained a team-best 70 yards in nine carries. USC sacked Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor once and limited the Cornhuskers to 68 rushing yards.

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2. Safety precautions. USC freshman safety Taylor Mays was largely untested as Taylor completed only eight of 16 passes for 115 yards. Booty took advantage of Nebraska's cornerbacks, throwing two touchdown passes to Dwayne Jarrett and another to Steve Smith.

3. Efficiency experts. Booty completed 14 of 18 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and finished 25 of 36 for 257 yards. He has not had a pass intercepted in two games. Taylor also did not throw an interception, but a fumble by running back Marlon Lucky opened the door for the

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Bill Plaschke:

Jarrett Stands Alone in the Trojans' Offense

September 17, 2006

They couldn't run.

They were lucky that Nebraska's defensive backs couldn't catch.

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What was once the country's most beautiful collegiate offense filled the Coliseum on Saturday night with the awkward colors of an unfinished painting, a splotch there, a smear here.

Except for that vivid brushstroke that is Dwayne Jarrett.

For three hours against an outsized and outpaced Nebraska secondary, he streaked cardinal and splashed gold and left a mark so indelible his coach couldn't wait to frame it.

"He's back," announced Pete Carroll, shaking Jarrett's hand in the interview room after USC's 28-10 victory. "He's back."

Where USC stumbled, Jarrett soared. Where USC creaked, he created.

And when the USC offensive coordinator publicly scolded him last week after he barely showed his facemask in the opener at Arkansas?

"Yeah, I listened," he said with a grin.

All he heard Saturday were cheers, amazed cheers, Keyshawn cheers, the loudest of cheers from a cramped Coliseum audience smart enough to know that his long arms and bouncing step were the evening's chief entertainment.

"We did not play well tonight, that was obvious to everyone, it was not up to our standards," said grim offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, pausing. "But in answer to your first question, yes, Dwayne was very, very good."

He was 11 catches good, more than the entire Nebraska receiving corps combined.

He was 136 yards good, more than half of Nebraska's total offense.

Most important, he was two touchdowns good, giving the junior 31 career USC touchdown catches and the most amazing spot on the Trojans' all-time list.

Would you believe, first? Yeah, first, ahead of Keyshawn Johnson, Lynn Swann, Curtis Conway. Johnnie Morton, deposed career leader Mike Williams, all those guys.

"I knew I was close, I didn't know I actually got it," Jarrett said afterward, shaking his head. "Hey, I've had a lot of help."

From the top of his red skull cap to his corners of his loopy smile to the bottom of football pants that never seem dirty  he's that quick  Jarrett is the antithesis of the flashy USC receiver.

He never screams for the ball, never hollers in the media, wasn't afraid to admit that he almost moved back to New Jersey in his freshman year because he was so homesick.

And as he walked off the field Saturday night, it was as if he were the wide-eyed fan.

He giggled when coeds gathered around him to snap a picture. He smiled and knelt his 6-foot-5 frame to the ground to sign the back of a little boy's jersey.

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Chilling of the Corn

Efficient offense, dominant defense power No. 4 USC past No. 19 Nebraska, 28-10

By Gary Klein, Times Staff Writer

September 17, 2006

John David Booty did not expect it to be easy.

USC's quarterback had stood on the Coliseum sideline for three years and watched as the Trojans matured into one of the most potent offenses in college football history.

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But when Booty started at the Coliseum for the first time before an expectant sellout crowd Saturday night, his goal was modest: A mistake-free performance and a victory.

Booty engineered both as the fourth-ranked Trojans defeated 19th-ranked Nebraska in workmanlike fashion, 28-10, before 92,000.

"Not every game is going to be a walk in the park," Booty said.

It might have seemed that way after the Trojans routed Arkansas, 50-14, in their opener two weeks ago, but a stubborn and conservative Nebraska team looking for respect made USC work for its 28th consecutive victory at home.

On a clear and breezy night before a crowd bathed in USC cardinal and pockets of Nebraska red, the Trojans were unable to uncork the trademark scoring sprees that typified USC teams of the previous three-plus seasons.

Coach Pete Carroll said he was proud of the defense and the Trojans' hard-fought victory, but acknowledged that stylistically as a whole, "It didn't feel right. Too many issues."

Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin agreed after the Trojans amassed only 399 yards.

Asked how he thought the offense played, Kiffin grimaced and said, "Not very well. We have a long ways to go."

For all the wringing of hands, there were several bright spots for the Trojans.

Booty completed 25 of 36 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

"I thought I did all right, but I know I can keep getting better," said Booty, who has passed for six touchdowns with no interceptions in two games.

Booty benefited from an outstanding performance by All-American split end Dwayne Jarrett. The junior from New Jersey, who was slowed by a leg injury throughout training camp and the opener, caught 11 passes for 136 yards with two touchdowns.

Last week, Kiffin had criticized Jarrett for not playing at an All-American level against Arkansas.

"I kind of did need this game to let the world know I'm still working hard, I'm still out there," said Jarrett, who established a USC record with his 31st touchdown catch.

Jarrett's first touchdown came on a 12-yard pass after he beat Nebraska cornerback Andre Jones on a post route. Jones, a transfer from Fresno City College, had boldly predicted that the Cornhuskers would beat the Trojans.

"It felt good, just from his running his mouth," Jarrett said.

Nebraska (2-1) had looked efficient in easy victories over Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State, but the Cornhuskers struggled to move consistently against a USC defense that featured four players stepping in for injured starters.

Fili Moala played in place of nose tackle Sedrick Ellis, freshman Taylor Mays stepped in for safety Josh Pinkard, cornerback Cary Harris started in place of Kevin Thomas and sophomore middle linebacker Rey Maualuga made his first career start in place of Oscar Lua.

The quartet helped the Trojans limit Nebraska to 211 yards, only 68 rushing.

"They dominated," said Cornhuskers running back Marlon Lucky, a former North Hollywood High star who was limited to 27 yards in 10 carries.

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Before the game, Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan had called the matchup against the Trojans a measuring stick for the Cornhuskers.

"Our guys competed hard against one of the best teams in the country, but when you compete against teams like this, the margin for error is minute," Callahan said afterward. "We had critical penalties and mistakes."

Just as Arkansas did in the opener, Nebraska opened the door for the Trojans on its first possession of the second half.

Lucky and quarterback Zac Taylor could not complete an exchange and Harris recovered the fumble at the Cornhuskers 31.

Four plays later, Jarrett beat cornerback Cortney Grixby for a five-yard touchdown pass and a 21-3 USC lead.

Nebraska launched a threat with 1:16 left in the quarter, Taylor connecting with tight end Matt Herian on a 36-yard pass play on the final play of the period for a first down at the Trojans three.

USC appeared to be on its way to an easy win when Maualuga hit Taylor and forced a fumble that was recovered by Keith Rivers. However, linebacker Dallas Sartz was called for holding, giving the Cornhuskers another chance.

USC stuffed tailback Kenny Wilson twice before Taylor ran a bootleg around left end for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-10.

But Booty completed five of seven passes on an 81-yard, 14-play drive that tailback Chauncey Washington capped with a seven-yard touchdown run.

"I didn't know what to do," said Washington, who is playing this season for the first time since 2003. "Coach Carroll says don't celebrate, so I just ran back to my O-line to thank them for letting me get in."

USC next travels to Arizona for its Pacific 10 Conference opener.

"We're starting to come together," linebacker Sartz said. "This is exactly where we wanted to be going into the conference.

"We're only going to get better."

[E.T.]

men of troy keep rolling

[smiley=pimp.gif]

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excuse me

isnt  leavitt's  men of usf that have drug problems?

one needs to honest with one's self

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another ncaa record for carroll and boys

54 straight games scoring 20 points or more

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No. 3 USC 20, Arizona 3

Defense Propels USC Past Arizona

By Gary Klein, Times Staff Writer

September 24, 2006

Tuscon, Ariz. -- TUCSON, Ariz. -- USC returned to prominence over the last four seasons with high-scoring offenses that were at the very least proficient but more often than not spectacular.

Lost in the pyrotechnics, however, was this simple fact:

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The Trojans won two national championships with outstanding, sometimes suffocating, defenses.

In their Pacific 10 Conference opener Saturday night, the third-ranked Trojans showed again that they might have what it takes to make a run at another Bowl Championship Series title game.

The defense almost completely shut down Arizona in a 20-3 victory before a sellout crowd of 58,801 at Arizona Stadium.

"We dominated the whole game," middle linebacker Rey Maualuga said.

With 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart watching from the sidelines, USC committed its first two turnovers of the season and struggled for most of the game on offense. But the Trojans improved to 3-0 overall and increased their conference winning streak to 24 games thanks to a defense that had also played well in victories over Arkansas and Nebraska.

"I love the fact that we're playing defense like this," Coach Pete Carroll said. "Three straight weeks of playing like crazy is really important.

"We're going to really be able to count on these guys to be a big factor in this football team's success."

It figures to be a necessity until the offense finds a way to move the ball consistently and punch it into the end zone.

"The ball's not getting down the field quite as fast as it has, obviously," Carroll said.

Freshman tailback Emmanuel Moody emerged Saturday as a productive runner, with 130 yards and a touchdown in 21 carries, but the Trojans misfired on several big-play opportunities and finished with 381 yards.

Quarterback John David Booty had played virtually error-free in the first two games, passing for six touchdowns without an interception. But he misfired on some throws and several others were dropped or went through receivers' hands against Arizona.

USC led 3-0 at halftime on a field 35-yard field goal by Mario Danelo before managing just 17 points in the second half.

"It seems like the last couple of games we seem to shoot ourselves in the foot early on," said Booty, who completed 24 of 39 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception. "The result is scores like this .... We just have to work on coming out faster and trying to execute better early on."

If the defense continues to play like it did Saturday night, it might not matter.

The Trojans sacked Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama five times and limited the Wildcats to 154 yards. Arizona converted only two of 12 third-down attempts.

A week after Arizona running back Stephen Jennings ran for 201 yards against Stephen F. Austin, USC stuffed the Wildcats, who finished with minus-16 rushing yards.

"I'm a little disappointed that we didn't execute better on offense," Arizona Coach Mike Stoops said. "I thought we had chances on offense to score, but we just couldn't get deep into the red zone."

Maualuga made sure of that, intercepting a pass in the second quarter and making five tackles, including two of the Trojans' seven tackles for losses. Defensive end Lawrence Jackson blocked a field-goal attempt in the second quarter and linebacker Dallas Sartz recovered a muffed punt in the fourth that set up USC's final touchdown, a nine-yard jaunt by Moody.

Moody showed that he was capable of carrying the load in the running game by rushing for 130 yards in 21 carries.

"It's something we've been looking for," Carroll said. "We kind of were hoping tonight would be a bit of a breakout game for him."

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Moody darted his way to a 40-yard gain in the third quarter that set up Booty's three-yard touchdown pass to split end Dwayne Jarrett. His 29-yard run in the fourth quarter helped set up Danelo's 33-yard field goal that put USC ahead, 13-3 with 9:43 left.

"They saw what I can do," Moody said. "They recruited me for this aspect."

After playing sluggishly on offense in the first half, the Trojans came out and started the third quarter with their best drive of the game.

Moody provided the spark when he took a hand-off on a second down at the Arizona 43, ran through the left side of the line and then cut back through the secondary for a 40-yard gain, the Trojans' longest play of the season.

A few plays later, Booty put USC ahead with a three-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Jarrett.

Danelo missed a 26-yard field goal attempt, but the Wildcats could not convert the opportunity into a touchdown and settled for Nick Folk's 43-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Moody helped the Trojans answer, blowing past Wildcat defenders for a 29-yard gain that moved the ball to the Arizona 35. The Trojans stalled at the 16 and Danelo came on for a 33-yard field goal for a 10-point lead with 9:43 left.

Arizona blew its final chance to rally when Mike Thomas muffed a punt with just over three minutes left. Sartz recovered and Moody provided the finishing touches with his touchdown run.

"We just played three really good, solid football teams and we got three really nice wins," Carroll said. "I'm really pleased with it. We don't really care what the formula is.

"We want to play good football and make other people have to beat us and so far that's what we're doing."

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carroll demonstrates the importance of recruiting

all the injuries havent slowed trojans as they continue to roll

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TUCSON  On a night when star receiver Dwayne Jarrett sprained his shoulder, the Trojans lost yet another fullback when Stanley Havili suffered a broken leg in a 20-3 victory at Arizona.

A freshman starting his first game, Havili had been pressed into action because of season-ending injuries to Brandon Hancock and Ryan Powdrell. Team doctors initially estimated he would miss up to six weeks.

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"Unbelievable that that should have happened," Coach Pete Carroll said. "He had a terrific game for us in the role he was playing."

In addition to his blocking duties, Havili caught four passes for 24 yards.

As for finding another replacement on the depth chart, Carroll said, "That's just one we'll figure out as we go."

Jarrett, who tied a Pacific 10 Conference record with his 32nd career touchdown reception, will be re-evaluated in Los Angeles today.

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USC running back Chauncey Washington rushed for 33 yards in 10 carries after an emotional week.

Washington missed practice on Thursday because of a health issue involving his grandmother. But he said Saturday that he also was dealing with the death of a 26-year-old cousin, who was shot during an incident in Inglewood last week.

"It's been a tough, hard week," said Washington, who fumbled in the second quarter. "The family stuff might have affected me a little bit but that's not why I made a mistake."

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Referee David Cutaia and umpire Dennis Angel made it through Saturday's USC-Arizona game without any major controversies which, normally, would not be noteworthy.

But Cutaia and Angel worked a game last week in which a controversial call helped Oregon defeat Oklahoma.

They and the other officials were handed one-game suspensions but, because of scheduling complexities, will serve the penalties at different points in the season.

Pacific 10 Conference Commissioner Tom Hansen and coordinator of football officiating Verle Sorgen were in Tucson to watch. Cutaia and Angel appeared to perform well, and instant replays in the second, third and fourth quarters appeared to result in correct calls.

Two of the other suspended officials, head linesman Dan Antonietti and side judge David Curschman, worked the UCLA-Washington game in Seattle.

Hansen rejected suggestions that college football institute a national pool of officials not connected with any conference as too costly and logistically difficult.

"Right across the country, officials do such a good job," he said. "I just hope we're not going to let one play where we made a number of mistakes sour us."

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Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart and offensive lineman Taitusi Lutui, now members of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, attended the game.

The players mugged for pictures with Trojans song girls and chatted with Coach Pete Carroll and assistants on the field as the Trojans warmed up.

The Cardinals play the St. Louis Rams today in Glendale.

Fans wearing Leinart's No. 7 Cardinals jersey dotted the crowd.

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Larry Smith, who was head coach at Arizona in 1980-86 and at USC in 1987-92, attended the game.

He looked healthy and seemed upbeat despite his continuing battles with chronic lymphatic leukemia and melanoma.

Smith, 66, was 28-28-3 at Arizona, 44-25-3 at USC.

"This is where I live, so I'm rooting for U of A," Smith said. "I'm not rooting against SC, but I'm rooting for U of A."