ARIZONA STATE HUMILIATES USC : ASU 35, USC 7.Byline: Scott Wolf Scott Richard Wolf (born June 4, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Steven Wolf and Susan Enowitch, Wolf was raised in West Orange, New Jersey. He graduated in 1986 from West Orange High School. Daily News Staff Writer The visitors' locker room at Sun Devil Stadium Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals • • was transformed into ground zero for this disaster. Inside, USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. coaches and players were clustered, searching for answers. Whatever they offered as an explanation, however, will not fend off speculation that Saturday might have kicked off the first leg of the John Robinson Several notable individuals have been named John Robinson: Politicians
``I thought it was ugly,'' said USC athletic director Athletic director (commonly, "athletics director") is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic Mike Garrett Michael Lockett Garrett (born April 12, 1944 in Los Angeles, California) is a former American football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. , trying his best to appear unflappable as he walked off the field. Garrett's mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. will surely be shared by many others, following the Trojans' embarrassing 35-7 loss to Arizona State before 61,802. For a little perspective, it equaled the third-worst loss in Robinson's USC career. And it was USC's worst setback since Arizona blew out the Trojans 38-7 in 1993, Robinson's first season back as coach. The Trojans also lost to Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame by 28 points (38-10) in 1995. The difference, though, is that those Arizona and Notre Dame teams were both ranked in the Top 20. Arizona State (4-2, 2-1) entered the game unranked and had lost nearly every impact player from last year's Pacific-10 Conference The Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I. Membership Full members championship team. Robinson did not even attempt to rationalize the Trojans' desert meltdown. ``Our performance was a disgrace,'' he said. ``I'm ashamed of what we did. Every person that has worn this uniform I know is embarrassed. ``We were just simply lousy. We didn't have any fight at all. The fault for this is mine. The responsibility for this is mine. I take the blame. ``It was a terrible performance by everyone involved. Me, our players and our coaching staff.'' USC (2-3, 1-2) offered about 30 minutes of resistance before completely falling apart after halftime. The offense was so bad, offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator typically refers to the coach on a football team in the National Football League or College football who is in charge of the offense. This position aids the head coach by designing and scripting plays, delegating work to offensive position coaches during Hue Jackson Hue Jackson (b. October 22, 1965 in Los Angeles) is the offensive coordinator for the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons. Jackson was formerly an offensive coordinator for the University of Southern California and Cal and the receivers coach for the Cincinnati yanked quarterback John Fox for the first time this season, giving redshirt freshman Mike Van Raaphorst the first snap of his college career. The Trojans' defense was equally at fault. Arizona State scored on its first two drives of the second half to turn a competitive 13-7 game into a 28-7 rout with 6:24 left in the third quarter. ``We pretty much disappointed ourselves and the university,'' cornerback Brian Kelly Brian Kelly may refer to:
The epitome of the farce came on Arizona State's fourth touchdown. Quarterback Ryan Kealy found tight end Kendrick Bates Bates , Katherine Lee 1859-1929. American educator and writer best known for her poem "America the Beautiful," written in 1893 and revised in 1904 and 1911. open for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Open is actually an understatement. There wasn't a Trojans defender within 15 yards of Bates, who took so much time to walk into the end zone, he was assessed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. ``We left him uncovered. We didn't recognize the coverage,'' defensive coordinator Keith Burns said. ``It was just a blown coverage,'' Kelly added. There were plenty of other mistakes. Burns singled out the opening play of the second half, when Kealy found slotback Ricky Boyer for a 33-yard completion. ``The second half, the first play, we missed a zone coverage, probably a 10- or 12-yard play went for (33) yards,'' Burns said. ``That kind of set the tone.'' Somehow, the Trojans made Arizona State's offense appear formidable. The Sun Devils entered the game with the ninth-best offense in the Pac-10. Arizona State, which averaged 344 yards in offense per game, had 332 in the second half alone. ``They kept their offense pretty basic, they didn't try to trick us in any way,'' Kelly said. In the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of the defense's collapse, the game's turning point - if there was one - occurred right after Arizona State went ahead 21-7. Delon Washington broke free on a 34-yard run that gave the Trojans the ball at the Arizona State 25. But center Jonathan Himebauch was called for holding. Instead of first-and-10 at the 25, the Trojans faced second-and-19 at their own 29. ``The umpire looked at me and said I was holding,'' Himebauch said. ``I don't think I did. The thing that disappoints me is something set our team back, but we didn't react to it.'' USC will now try to figure how to react to its self-destruction. Although the Trojans decided against holding a team meeting following their loss to Washington State last month, the sense of desperation accompanying this loss almost assures that something will happen this week. ``We've really got to dig deep and find out what we'll do with this season,'' Kelly said. ``We really need to talk.'' Everyone else certainly will be. This loss is certain to once again unleash a furious amount of rumors about Robinson's fate, and the future is hardly bright. Two of USC's next three games are road trips to Notre Dame and Washington. ``This is gut-check time right here,'' Kelly said. USC vs. ARIZONA ST.: A CLOSER LOOK; USC's Brymer doesn't blame coach Robinson TEMPE, Ariz. - Before Saturday's 35-7 loss to Arizona State had even sunk in, USC offensive lineman Chris Brymer was trying to deflect criticism away from his embattled coach, John Robinson. ``It would be a tragedy (if he were fired),'' Brymer said. ``It's not the coaching that's hurting us. It's the players. I don't think it's the coaching staff at all. We played (lousy) today.'' Robinson blistered the Trojans in the locker room following the game for their uninspired performance. Asked if it was the maddest he had ever seen the USC head coach, Brymer said, ``Yeah, probably.'' No retraction In the law of Defamation, a formal recanting of the libelous or slanderous material. Retraction is not a defense to defamation, but under certain circumstances, it is admissible in Mitigation of Damages. Cross-references Libel and Slander. : USC wide receiver R. Jay Soward Rodney (R.) Jay Soward (born January 16, 1978 in Rialto, California) is a football player who most recently played for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts as a wide receiver. College career He burst onto the college football scene with a 4-TD game vs. refused to back down from his boastful quotes earlier in the week. ``I'm going to be so happy after the game because it's going to be like I've gained something back,'' Soward had said. ``We're the team of the future. They're the team of the past.'' Soward said he did not regret his remarks. ``I don't regret saying anything,'' Soward said. ``I don't care. They played a great game. What's said during the week doesn't matter.'' Soward ended up with just two receptions for 19 yards. He suffered a bruised hip and leg during a kickoff return that limited his playing time but is expected to be OK. Tough start: True freshman Malaefou MacKenzie gained 35 yards in 10 carries in his first career start. He was forced to leave the game after spraining his shoulder in the first half. MacKenzie returned in the second half but had only one yard in three carries. ``We executed really well early,'' MacKenzie said. ``We just had some missed opportunities.'' Injury report: USC freshman tight end Lonnie Ford suffered a fractured clavicle clavicle /clav·i·cle/ (klav´i-k'l) collar bone; a bone, curved like the letter f, that articulates with the sternum and scapula, forming the anterior portion of the shoulder girdle on either side. and will probably be lost for the remainder of the season. Alumni in the crowd: Former USC safety Jason Sehorn and tight end Johnny McWilliams attended the game. Sehorn, who plays for the New York Giants
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of plays McWilliams' Arizona Cardinals today. Largest margin: The 28-point victory was the largest Arizona State has had against the Trojans. The Sun Devils now lead the series 8-6, the only Pacific-10 school to lead its series with USC. THE HERO Arizona State quarterback Ryan Kealy. The redshirt freshman completed 21 of 34 passes for 281 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. THE GOAT USC. Pick a spot. Ineffective offense. Porous defense. Questionable decision making. No one gets spared for this disaster. The Trojans were outscored 22-0 in the second half. STAT OF THE GAME USC allowed 528 yards in offense while managing just 214. QUOTE OF THE GAME ``It was a terrible performance by everyone involved. Me, our players and our coaching staff. We're choking in games and choking in our own mistakes. - USC coach John Robinson CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box PHOTO (1) Wide receiver Lenzie Jackson pulls away from USC defender Antuan Simmons during ASU's 35-7 rout. (2) USC tailback Malaefou MacKenzie is tripped up after a short gain in the first half. He finished with 35 yards on 10 carries. Associated Press BOX: USC vs. ARIZONA ST.: A CLOSER LOOK (see text) |
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