NOW WE'RE TALKING DESPITE USC ROUT, CARROLL NOT SATISFIED USC 42, STANFORD 0.

Byline: SCOTT WOLF  Staff Writer

PALO ALTO -- USC got its blowout, but Trojans coach Pete Carroll wanted a lot more Saturday and delivered several emotional lectures to make sure no one thought that merely beating a winless team was mission accomplished.

More than once during the ninth-ranked Trojans' 42-0 victory over hapless Stanford in front of 49,371, Carroll berated his own players unlike during any of USC's more recent nailbiters.

``He definitely was very animated and getting on us,'' freshman safety Taylor Mays said.

The crowd at Stanford Stadium was generally pleased because there were so many USC fans in attendance, but Carroll kept a tight leash on the Trojans (7-1 overall, 5-1 Pacific-10 Conference) as they enter the final four-game stretch of the season.

``There were some reasons to get on some guys,'' Carroll said. ``One play, we missed about four tackles. It didn't seem right.''

Mays was the recipient of that lecture, after a third-quarter screen pass went right through the Trojans' defense.

``He's not going to let anything slide,'' Mays said. ``Stuff like that play is not acceptable.''

Mays wasn't the only one, however. Linebacker Rey Maualuga got yanked in the first quarter after failing to read a screen pass properly and received his own tongue-lashing.

``I guess I messed up,'' Maualuga said. ``At times, when I'm playing at my maximum, I tend to overrun. I'm still learning.''

When the Trojans got near the goal line, Carroll admitted he lectured tailback Emmanuel Moody about fumbling.

``I was hard on Emmanuel Moody at the goal line,'' he said.

And he gave a piece of his mind to reserve quarterback Mark Sanchez in the fourth quarter with a 35-point lead.

``I think it's because when you play against struggling teams, guys start taking things off and then all of a sudden it's 28-21,'' quarterback John David Booty said.

With Carroll keeping the Trojans alert, there was no chance of slacking off against Stanford (0-9, 0-6), although some might wonder how the offense went scoreless in the third quarter.

USC did what it needed to do against a demoralized opponent. Whether it was a step forward following last week's loss to Oregon State will be determined as the Trojans close out the season against Oregon, California, Notre Dame and UCLA.

All four games will be in Southern California, with UCLA the only game outside the Coliseum.

``I feel like we came out and made a statement,'' Maualuga said. ``The first two games our defense showed what it was capable of, then we backtracked.

``I don't know if we were taking teams lightly or looking ahead, but everybody woke up, I guess, after the loss.''

Carroll always seeks domination against lowly teams and was happy to earn the first rout since the season-opener against Arkansas.

``It's hard to do this,'' he said. ``People don't always do this.''

Last week's loss made him even cagier about how the Trojans would handle Stanford.

``I don't know if it was anxiety,'' Carroll said. ``It's different after you have a certain feeling for 29 or 30 games or whatever it was (38). Fortunately, we were able to turn things back on track.''

More comforting for Carroll was the return of the forced turnover. USC intercepted two passes and caused a fumble on a kick return. Those three turnovers stand out, considering the Trojans forced one in their previous three games. USC also did not commit any turnovers.

``We finally got the ball away from our opponent,'' Carroll said. ``And my guys did not let the ball get away, and that was great.''

And the special teams even made a play, as nose guard Sedrick Ellis blocked a field goal that cornerback Terrell Thomas scooped up and returned 71 yards for a touchdown.

It was a big night for Thomas, who also intercepted a pass and earned extra respect from Carroll for challenging the defense during a team meeting Friday night. It doesn't usually happen because there are not many vocal leaders on the team.

``We needed to step up as a defense and put the team on our back,'' Thomas said.

Booty delivered a workmanlike performance, completing 12 of 21 passes for 203 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Although the first-team offense went scoreless after halftime, its 28 first-half points plus Thomas' touchdown allowed Sanchez to play the entire fourth quarter.

Sanchez completed two of four passes for 44 yards and ran for a 4-yard touchdown.

``I was bouncing around in the third quarter, hoping I could get in,'' Sanchez said. ``It felt great to butt heads with some guys.''

Carroll found its value in case Booty gets injured.

``We have to get (Sanchez) prepared to win in case we need to call on him,'' Carroll said. ``Unfortunately, he's had very little playing time.''

Those positives, plus the Trojans' first shutout since a 38-0 victory over Washington in 2004, were enough to overlook some of the negatives, like an inconsistent kickoff specialist and the fact USC let a team recover an onside kick for the second time this season.

Not that Carroll ignored those shortcomings. He yanked kicker Troy Van Blarcom after several short kickoffs but his replacement, David Buehler, only reached the 16-yard line on his first attempt, so Carroll went back to Van Blarcom.

At least against Stanford, it did not make any difference.

``It's definitely good to have a blowout, whether we needed it or not,'' Booty said.

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) USC's Chauncey Washington celebrates after scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter Saturday.

(2) USC coach Pete Carroll, right, congratulates tight end Fred Davis after Saturday's victory. The Trojans bounced back from a 33-31 loss last week at Oregon State.

Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News

(3) USC's John David Booty completed 12 of 21passes for 203yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images