HACKETT COULDN'T HACK IT.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI

For the coach who said Oregon had the best football team in the Pacific-10 Conference, the coach who predicted a low-scoring game because USC and UCLA rarely commit turnovers, reality bit on Saturday.

Paul Hackett messed up, he trusted his Trojans to keep a grip on the ball, and they practically handed a 34-17 victory and another year's bragging rights to the Bruins at the Rose Bowl.

Which means there will be no Hackett Miracle in 1998. The Trojans can still beat Notre Dame next week and will play in a bowl because they've won seven games. So there's progress.

But when it comes to USC-UCLA, upon which many Trojans fans draw their trend lines, it was a case of different coach, same result.

Hackett was asked what he learned in his rookie outing against UCLA as a head coach, 18 years after he served as a USC assistant to John Robinson.

``In the days I was here, we played this game in the Coliseum every year and we split the stadium down the middle, half red and half blue,'' Hackett said raspingly outside the Trojans locker room.

``This is different. It is dramatic when you come to their place and play in a hostile environment. That's a tribute to their fans and what they've created here.''

Hackett hinted he'd like to see the same environment at the Coliseum on Nov. 20, 1999.

In the meantime, a skeptic will say Hackett has to learn about more than ambiance.

He has to learn to practice what he preaches to his players, which is not to insult the biggest opponent of the year. Have no doubt, the Bruins read about Hackett's praise of Oregon last month, and they used it for motivation Saturday, whether they needed it or not.

He has to learn that once the emotions take their inevitable flight in this game, almost anything can happen except low scoring. In UCLA-USC, past results are never a promise of future performance.

And he has to learn another lesson of UCLA-USC history, which is that you've always got a chance to come back unless you give it away.

In '96, with the Bruins trailing by 17 and barely 6 minutes left in the game, coach Bob Toledo made a fourth-down decision to go for a field goal and that modest boot set up their incredible rally. Saturday, with the Trojans down by 17 and 9:34 to play, Hackett called for a fourth-and-15 pass into the end zone, and when it ticked off Mike Bastianelli's fingertips, they were sunk.

But that would be a skeptic.

The other side is that Hackett couldn't have done much different that would have prevented the Trojans' eighth straight loss to the Bruins. Unless he'd gone out and carried the ball himself.

Five Trojans - once each - fumbled the ball away and Carson Palmer threw two interceptions. The turnovers led to a Bruins touchdown and two field goals.

``It wasn't about them, it was about us,'' Hackett said. ``We have a lot of work to do, obviously.

``(It was) our own mistakes, our own errors, and it was not just one person. That has not been a problem all year. . . . But Oregon came in here (the Rose Bowl) and turned the ball over, so you can't say it's not UCLA (causing it).

``You've gotta give them their due. That's a fine football team.''

We'll, it's about time.

Actually, Hackett had expanded on his Oregon comment during the past week. He said he'd meant the Ducks were the best team in the conference at the time they nearly beat UCLA Oct. 17. He said the Bruins were the best now.

To catch up, the Trojans have a lot of work to do, obviously.

Of course, it's hard to say how much after what happened Saturday.

``You could also say, `Same players, same result,' '' receiver Billy Miller said. ``This had nothing to do with Coach Hackett. This is on every man in this room.''

``There's definitely progress,'' said linebacker Chris Claiborne. ``We moved the ball today and played pretty good on defense. The turnovers, that's up to us (players). The coaches can tell us what to do during the week, but we're the ones who play. We played really good in spots. That's what really hurts us.''

As Trojans dressed, staffers in the locker room were ripping down cardinal-and-gold motivational signs, including one that read, ``Expect to Win.''

Maybe next year, maybe not.

But at least the coach will know what to expect.