BEING SECOND FEELS LIKE NO. 1 HANCE THRILLED TO BE USC'S BACKUP.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Staff Writer

There are certain things only a backup college quarterback can understand.

Like the hours of practice spent watching the first- and second-team offenses work and knowing there is little chance of being used. Or the awkward moments with old friends who knew you in high school as a star and now offer words of sympathy and encouragement.

But USC's Brandon Hance can deal with those things.

He even persevered when he lost his number to heralded Trojans freshman Whitney Lewis. It was the number Hance has had all of his life, the number he had made into a necklace and wore around his neck.

So it should come as no surprise the way he regained his health - and a better standing on the team - after a bout with spinal meningitis left him 20 pounds lighter than he was at the start of fall practice. At that time Hance was probable successor to Carson Palmer, but the illness had reduced him to a weak-armed, third-string quarterback.

Almost as quickly as Hance found himself buried on the depth chart behind two younger players, he's climbed out of that hole. And now, one sprained ankle or one big hit to starting quarterback Matt Leinart means Hance becomes USC's quarterback in the Rose Bowl, with a potential share of the national title on the line.

``Sometimes I feel embarrassed because ... you know, your whole life, you're the guy. And all of a sudden you're not,'' said Hance, a Super Prep All-American at Taft High of Woodland Hills in 1999. ``As a quarterback, you're either the guy or you're not. ... And, of course, everyone knows. But the sympathy you receive from people isn't exactly what you want.

``But you just got to keep your head up. It's tough with things that are out of your control, but you've got to stay positive and prepare yourself ... so if I do get put in (the Rose Bowl), to win the game, with everything that's on the line, I want to be as prepared as possible because everyone on this team, from the coaches to the managers, have worked so hard.''

For Trojans fans who might seem nervous about that prospect, it should be noted that Hance, of all the USC quarterbacks, probably is best-suited to handle the pressure.

At Purdue, he was Drew Brees' apprentice for one year and then started nine games as a redshirt freshman before transferring to USC. Hance went to a Rose Bowl that year and watched closely as Brees navigated his way through a senior season in which he was a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Hance also has had success against Michigan, USC's Rose Bowl opponent. As Purdue's starter in 2001, Hance threw for 198 yards and a touchdown as the Boilermakers nearly beat Michigan on the road for the first time since 1966.

The tape of that Michigan game was one Hance sent to USC when he decided to transfer.

In nine games in 2001, Hance led Purdue to a 6-3 record, passing for 1,529 yards and eight touchdowns. Many wondered why he transferred from what appeared to be a good situation - an opportunity to be a four-year starter in the Big Ten Conference.

But he was miserable so far from home. Hance said his decision to leave was reinforced when ``I said to myself, 'OK, if I can't be happy as the starting quarterback on a Big Ten championship team, then maybe this isn't the place I'm supposed to be.' ''

Some good did come of the experience. After choosing USC over California and UCLA, the experience Hance had as a starter at Purdue made him the front-runner to replace Palmer coming into spring practice.

But no one could have foreseen what he would endure.

``He just got caught in a situation where he had so many health problems and the other guy just stepped up,'' USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. ``It really hasn't been fair to him, but you can only wait around so long and then you've got to go with someone.

``He's a terrific kid and a very good, mature quarterback. He could easily have sat around and pouted, but he didn't do that. And now, he's one step away from playing if something were to happen to Matt, so he's got to prepare himself.''

Last spring, when the four-man race to replace Palmer began with Leinart, Hance, Matt Cassel and Billy Hart, Chow and USC coach Pete Carroll said it was important to pick a starting quarterback by the end of spring practice.

Hance was fewer than seven months removed from surgery to repair cartilage in his right (throwing) shoulder. He hadn't thrown a ball for more than a year because of the injury, and he'd been waking up at 3 a.m. every day to drink protein shakes to rebuild the strength and weight he'd lost.

``When I came out in the spring, I couldn't throw and I knew it,'' he said. ``I was kind of side-arming stuff and definitely wasn't the player I could've been.

``It was like, 'Hey, this is my opportunity right here and I'm nowhere near being able to perform at my highest level.' And that was my first exposure to the team, so it was frustrating because I looked like this weak-armed quarterback.''

Tight end Gregg Guenther, who played with Hance at Taft and had kept up the friendship while Hance was at Purdue, said he found himself telling USC players about Hance and his ability.

``A lot of guys weren't sure how to perceive Brandon, why he left Purdue and why he was here, so they asked me about him,'' Guenther said. ``But a lot of them saw his ESPN Classic game against Minnesota (Hance passed for 306 yards and three touchdowns), so they were all extremely happy he came and knew he wouldn't be here if he wasn't something special.''

At the end of spring practice, though, Carroll cautiously proclaimed Leinart was ahead in the competition.

Hance accepted the decision, knowing he wasn't at full strength, but thought he could earn the job at the start of fall practice. However, he lost another month of training because of minor knee and shoulder surgeries.

He came back during the summer and started working himself back into shape in preparation for the competition in the fall.

Then, a few weeks before camp, Hance started having terrible headaches that sent him to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he was diagnosed with spinal meningitis and underwent a spinal tap.

He stayed in the hospital for more than a week in a dark room, since any light would exacerbate his headaches.

Again he lost weight, not to mention time that could have been spent conditioning his arm and body for the quarterback competition.

He recovered in time to participate in fall practice but again was nowhere near his physical peak. Leinart emerged as the starter and Hance dropped to No. 3 behind Cassel and sometimes seemed even lower on the depth chart with the emergence of freshman John David Booty.

Leinart has had a big year and is in no danger of losing his job as a starter. But with Cassel moved to tight end and Booty out with a broken left wrist, Hance's perseverance has paid off at the same time his strength, arm and confidence nearly are back to what they once were.

``I think for every football player, you have to have that competitive mentality on things. That's what this game is built on,'' Hance said. ``There are certain things you can prove in practice and certain things you can't. The only time you can really, truly gain the respect of your teammates at the quarterback position is under fire, in the game, fourth- quarter-type stuff.''

Hance is one play from that opportunity. But in many ways, he's proved himself already.

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Brandon Hance overcame a bout with spinal meningitis, among other health issues, to ascend to No. 2 on USC's depth chart.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

(2) BRANDON HANCE

Former quarterback at Taft High has had much to deal with since transferring to USC from Purdue.