DOUBLE JEOPARDY NEWBURY'S KICK RESCUES TROJANS.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

USC kicker David Newbury and snapper Joe Boscovich were practicing in the hallway of a downtown Los Angeles hotel Friday night, pretending that Newbury was taking the winning kick in Saturday's game against Colorado.

Things got so intense that hotel security arrived when Boscovich started snapping footballs off the door of his room.

The practice paid off, at least when it counted most, as Newbury nailed a 24-yard field goal with 13 seconds left to allow 11th-ranked USC to slip past Colorado 17-14 before 65,153 at the Coliseum.

Considering the pressure Newbury and Boscovich felt, it was a minor miracle the final kick was successful. Especially when you factor how incredibly bad Newbury looked missing two field goals earlier in the contest.

``I was really nervous,'' Boscovich said.

Said Newbury: ``I don't know how long that kick was, but it's probably the longest I've ever made. Those uprights sure looked so skinny looking up at them.''

Newbury was the Trojans' goat until his final attempt, and was already getting heckled from the sideline by fans before his final attempt.

``Two guys in the stands were hassling me during the game that I choked,'' he said.

The Trojans (2-0) were lucky, because immediately preceding Newbury's kick, Colorado kicker Mark Mariscal missed a 40-yard attempt with 1:14 remaining.

That sequence allowed the Trojans to avoid what would have been a devastating home loss just two weeks after gaining national attention with their drubbing of Penn State.

``This is the biggest thing, after Penn State, we didn't know about this team,'' defensive tackle Ennis Davis said. ``We hadn't been challenged. We wouldn't have won this game in the past. There's a lot of things we did in this game that we wouldn't have done before.''

Like execute a game-winning drive in the final minute?

Quarterback Carson Palmer was nearly perfect, completing 25 of 30 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown, and erasing doubts about his sluggish performance against Penn State. And he was at his best on the final drive, completing 6 of 7 passes, with his only incompletion an intentional grounding.

Three of Palmer's passes went to wide receiver Kareem Kelly (10 receptions, 145 yards), who atoned for his dropped touchdown pass in the first quarter that turned into an interception.

``It would have been real devastating if we lost,'' Kelly said. ``But we weren't thinking loss. I told a guy on the sideline if it were up to me, we would win this game.''

The actual play of the game might have occurred with 16 seconds left, after Palmer completed a 3-yard pass to Keary Colbert. After the play, Colorado defensive back Medford Moorer was called for a personal foul for striking USC offensive lineman Lenny Vandermade in the head.

Moorer was ejected, and more importantly, the ball was moved from the Colorado 14-yard line to the 6, allowing Newbury a relative chip shot.

``As I was falling, I gave (Moorer) a little shove,'' Vandermade said. ``Nothing dirty, of course. After the whistle blew, he struck me in the back of the head. I guess you could say he beat himself.''

Colorado (0-2) wasted a wonderful effort from tailback Marcus Houston, who gained 150 yards in 25 carries.

Conversely, USC's offense was inconsistent for much of the contest. The Trojans' defense was forced to help themselves to start the second half, as defensive end Matt Childers stripped the ball from Colorado quarterback Zac Colvin, and strong safety Troy Polamalu picked it up and ran 14 yards to the Buffaloes' 35.

Three plays later, tailback Sultan McCullough scored on a 6-yard run to put the Trojans ahead 14-7.

The lead could have increased, but an ensuing USC drive stalled and Newbury badly hooked a 45-yard attempt, his second miss of the game.

It proved costly, because 58 seconds later, the Buffaloes tied the game. Houston ran 32-yards, and quarterback Bobby Pesavento, replacing the struggling Colvin, hit tight end Daniel Graham on a short pass, and Graham ran down the sideline for a 36-yard touchdown that tied the game again, 14-14.

The game started slowly and sloppily, with neither team scoring in the first quarter. USC finally ended the shutout late in the first half, with a 77-yard drive highlighted by Palmer's 19-yard pass to Kelly and 26-yard pass to Colbert. Tailback Petros Papadakis had four carries for 23 yards.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo: (1 -- color) Carson Palmer, eluding Colorado's Donald Strickland, completed 25 of 30 passes for 275 yards.

(2) USC's Sultan McCullough crashes through the Colorado line during the Trojans' dramatic 17-14 victory at the Coliseum.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

Box: CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE 2000