ANALYSIS : USC BRASS MISHANDLED SITUATION ROBINSON SHOULD HAVE BEEN BACKED.

Byline: Scott Wolf Daily News Staff Writer

All that remains is the formal announcement.

It will probably come in another disingenuously worded statement from the office of athletic director Mike Garrett or president Steven Sample.

And it will no doubt have an ``I told you so'' tone, as it explains that the return of USC coach John Robinson was never in question.

Everyone else will know better.

Robinson will return next season, but it is difficult to tell which turnabout was more stunning: the Trojans' 27-20 victory over Notre Dame at the Coliseum on Saturday or the manner in which public opinion solidified behind the coach this week.

In a matter of days, Robinson seized back the power he has enjoyed during his first 10 years at USC.

The improbable victory over Notre Dame, USC's first since 1982, was only the finishing touch to Robinson's resurgence. The groundswell of support had begun earlier.

It started with the Monday Morning Quarterback meeting on campus at the beginning of the week. An overflow crowd gave Robinson a standing ovation, an unexpected response considering the Trojans had blown a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter against UCLA two days earlier.

It was a small moment but signaled for the first time the fans' sentiment for the embattled coach.

By Tuesday, speculation had completely dominated conversations inside and outside Heritage Hall, as everyone offered their own opinions about Robinson's future. Of course, Garrett and Sample said little, so boosters began waging their own campaign of support.

Players also mulled the possibilities, wondering whether Robinson or his assistants would return. Some of the younger players pondered leaving themselves. About this time, letters and faxes from the boosters and fans began pouring in to Sample's and Garrett's offices.

And an important member of the Board of Trustees spoke out. Former USC quarterback Pat Haden, perhaps the most influential trustee on athletic matters, offered total support for Robinson this week. Haden's opinion matters. He played a role in hiring Garrett and has been a trusted Sample advisor.

The support culminated with Friday's Notre Dame-USC luncheon at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. Before a crowd of around 2,000, Robinson received a standing ovation when he entered the luncheon and a second one when he rose to address the group.

Perhaps the most embarrassing moment during the event came when it took USC's nemesis, Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, to defend Robinson - while Garrett and Sample listened silently.

Sample, who has given the impression he would rather be solving a physics equation through this ordeal, couldn't even muster the courage to support Robinson on Saturday night, when it was basically a foregone conclusion that Robinson would be back.

``I don't have anything to say,'' was Sample's only comment.

Now that's leadership.

It's been the problem in this whole fiasco.

Instead of a bold, strong statement to end speculation, there have only been meaningless or awkward remarks from the USC administration regarding Robinson. Garrett had left Robinson's status in limbo since the Trojans' 24-20 loss to Stanford on Nov. 9, when he said the coaching situation would be evaluated at the end of the season.

According to a source, Sample decided more than a week ago that Robinson would return. But he is such a stickler for protocol that he would not make his opinion known in public.

This demonstrates a considerable lack of savvy.

Aside from causing turmoil within the football program, this vacillation has begun to affect recruiting. The Trojans were in the midst of assembling perhaps their best recruiting class under Robinson before the rumors started.

Fortunately for Robinson, the Trojans played one of their most-inspired games in years with several of the nation's top recruits in attendance.

But those within the program are praying a public statement will be made this week to stop any further negative recruiting by other schools.

Now the only question is which assistants will return.

Offensive coordinator Mike Riley appears gone - by choice. He is interviewing today for the Oregon State job. Defensive coordinator Keith Burns has been contacted by Baylor and SMU but is considered an outside candidate.

Any staff changes, which seemed assured a week ago, might not occur at all now if Robinson wants to fight them.

That's how quickly power can change hands.

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Photo

Photo: The victory against Notre Dame has assured that John Robinson will remain in charge at USC.

Tina Gerson / Daily News