[0] TROJANS' EASY VICTORY IS SWEET AND SOWARD : USC 35, SAN DIEGO ST. 6.

Byline: Scott Wolf Daily News Staff Writer

R. Jay Soward admitted he desperately missed playing for USC in its season opener, but his return Saturday night demonstrated that the Trojans probably missed him even more.

Soward came back from his one-game suspension for poor academic performance in high style against San Diego State, catching two touchdown passes and returning a punt for a touchdown to lead the Trojans to a 35-6 victory before 49,927 at the Coliseum.

Without Soward, it was hard to imagine where the Trojans would have been against the stubborn Aztecs, who entered the game a 19-point underdog but stayed close until the final eight minutes, when USC added two touchdowns.

Soward's big-play ability quickly emerged in his first game of the season, and helped keep the Trojans ahead.

``It was fun,'' Soward said matter-of-factly about his performance.

He ended up with 256 total yards while touching the ball just nine times, for an average of 28.4 yards per carry.

``He runs by people and he runs through people,'' USC coach Paul Hackett said. ``He's a marvelous football player.''

Soward caught a 53-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter that ignited the crowd and gave the Trojans a 14-0 lead.

Soward leaped above cornerback Eric Lewis to grab the ball and breezed into the end zone.

Soward was virtually the entire USC offense, aside from tailback Chad Morton's 110 yards rushing. His 74-yard punt return for a touchdown put the finishing touches on the night, giving the Trojans a 35-6 lead with 5:50 left.

He also had the critical plays in the first half.

After USC defensive end Aaron Williams stripped the ball from quarterback Brian Russell and recovered the loose ball at the San Diego State 33-yard line, Soward again put the ball in the end zone for the Trojans.

The junior wide receiver caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Mike Van Raaphorst that gave the Trojans a 21-0 advantage.

And just when USC had fallen into a second-half malaise, Soward came to the rescue in the third quarter. He caught a pass behind the line of scrimmage, and raced 42 yards before being tackled at the San Diego State 38-yard line.

Soward also shook things up early by taking a short pass and sprinting 35 yards into the end zone on his first possession, but the play was called back for holding.

These big plays were more than enough, however, to prove that Soward can have more impact than any other USC player on the field. In fact, he was just about the only Trojan to do anything offensively against the Aztecs.

USC's kicking game, which was near perfect against Purdue, had a less-than-stellar evening. The Trojans' opening drive stalled and kicker Adam Abrams missed a 39-yard field goal to snap his string of 12 straight field goals.

Later in the quarter, Abrams missed a 29-yard attempt, which no doubt caused some to think back to his struggles the previous two seasons.

That feeling was reinforced when Abrams missed a 44-yard attempt in the third quarter.

The first half was a slightly better story for the offense. The Trojans managed to score a touchdown on their second possession of the game, driving 66 yards in seven plays. Soward ran 16 yards on a handoff while Van Raaphorst completed passes to Windrell Hayes (12 yards) and Larry Parker (16 yards).

Morton scored on a 12-yard run to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead, USC's only points of the first quarter.

Despite rolling up impressive totals statistically, it took awhile for the Trojans to convert those gaudy numbers into a substantial lead.

USC outgained San Diego State in first-half yardage, 302-105, but only managed a 21-6 halftime lead.

The Aztecs ended notions of an early blowout, when Russell hit Damon Gourdine on a 31-yard touchdown pass with 1:01 left in the half.

USC vs. SAN DIEGO ST.: A CLOSER LOOK

THE HERO

USC wide receiver R. Jay Soward. In his debut after being suspended from the Trojans' opener, Soward caught two touchdown passes in the first half and had three receptions for 77 yards in the opening 30 minutes.

THE GOAT

USC kicker Adam Abrams. He missed three field goals, from 39, 29 and 44 yards, after hitting 12 straight dating back to last season.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Trojans piled up 471 yards in offense, compared to just 231 for San Diego State.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

``After what happened in the country today, it's nice to be 2-0.''

- USC coach Paul Hackett

NOTEBOOK: Victory gets USC to rare mark: 2-0

USC did not gain much prestige with a victory over San Diego State, but it still turned out to be a significant result.

The Trojans are now 2-0 for only the third time in the 1990s.

USC also started 2-0 in 1990 and '95, the last time the Trojans went to the Rose Bowl.

With Oregon State up next week, it's a fair bet the Trojans will get off to a 3-0 start. Last year, USC started its season 0-2.

Say ahhhh: USC's jerseys might not have any player names or school logos on them, but each Trojan mouthpiece features both. Look into a player's mouth and you'll see ``USC Trojans'' or an interlocking ``SC'' smiling back at you.

Inspect a little further and you'll also discover the name of the owner. Prior to the 1998 season, Dr. Ramon Roges, the director of EmergencyTrauma and Sports Dentistry at USC, made a mold of each player's teeth, which he used to form state-of-the-art, multi-layered compressed mouthpieces.

Each of the custom mouthpieces is made of either cardinal or gold-colored plastic (sometimes both colors in combinations).

The mouthpieces, which protect the teeth as well as guard against concussions, are currently used by some colleges, but mostly NFL teams.

``It's inspirational,'' linebacker David Gibson said. ``We've got a little more tradition and self-pride.''

``They're perfect. I love them,'' wide receiver Mike Bastianelli added. ``I figured, hey, it's a step up.''

Roges also will be making them soon for the Trojans men's and women's basketball teams.

Short appearance: San Diego State quarterback Spencer Brinton sprained his left thumb and was forced to leave the game in the first quarter.

Mixed shoes: Hackett tried to mix up the monotony this week at practice by wearing two different shoes - one Nike and one Reebok.

``They started giggling when they saw it,'' Hackett said of his players' reaction. ``I just think you need to keep things loose.''

Walk-ons get scholarships: Hackett has given two walk-ons - tight end Gurjot Dhaliwal and linebacker Rocky Seto - scholarships for this season.

``You should have heard the football team erupt when we told them,'' Hackett said.

--- Scott Wolf

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) USC's Chad Morton dives between two San Diego State defenders for a touchdown.

(2) San Diego State quarterback Brian Russell, dropping back to pass, and the Aztecs had their problems against USC.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

BOX: USC vs. SAN DIEGO ST.: A CLOSER LOOK (see text)