RICHARD PICKS THE RIGHT TIME HIS INTERCEPTION RETURN FOR TD SAVES USC USC 41, ARIZONA 34.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

TUCSON, Ariz. - It's already almost November, but a small shovel of dirt finally was tossed upon one legacy of the Paul Hackett era.

The Trojans blew an 18-point lead against Arizona in the second half, something they did four times under Hackett. But unlike those games, someone stepped forward and made a critical play in the fourth quarter, allowing USC to squeak out a clutch victory.

``During the course of the past few years, we weren't able to make those plays,'' USC wide receiver Kareem Kelly said. ``We always came up short.''

That pattern ended Saturday night. USC cornerback Kris Richard intercepted a pass and ran 58 yards down the sideline for the game-winning touchdown as the Trojans beat the Wildcats 41-34 in front of 46,399 at Arizona Stadium.

The play flew in the face of every previous USC loss. The Trojans (3-5, 2-3) usually have watched other teams make crucial plays in the fourth quarter. The trend held Saturday as USC blew a 31-13 halftime advantage, and the Wildcats tied the game on a 9-yard run by quarterback Jason Johnson with 7:50 left.

Arizona (3-5, 0-5) was driving toward a potential game-winning field goal when Richard saved the day for the Trojans.

``Honestly, I did not for one second think, `Here we go again,' '' Richard said. ``I just went for the ball and thank goodness I got it. I saw Johnson in my peripheral vision, so I had to take it back to my Pop Warner days and do a dip move to get away from him.''

Richard's touchdown was probably the only way the Trojans would reach the end zone in the second half. The offense had its usual meltdown - managing just 35 yards in the third quarter - and the defense was on the field for too many plays.

USC's only points in the second half came from kicker David Davis' 47- yard field goal that gave the Trojans a 34-27 lead early in the fourth quarter.

``It's awesome,'' quarterback Carson Palmer said. ``Our defense came through huge. That's what we need, somebody stepping up. I felt someone would step up and Kris did. The whole game, Coach (Pete) Carroll said he knew we would win. Everyone had that feeling.''

Richard's heroics were extra important to the Trojans because cornerback Antuan Simmons delivered an emotional speech during a Friday night pregame meeting, where he preached team unity.

``It was really spontaneous. I felt I had to say something and they responded,'' Simmons said. ``We haven't been feeding off each other, the offense and the defense. We weren't patting each other on the back enough.''

Simmons' remarks were well-received, especially with team goals evaporating each passing week.

``That was a great speech,'' freshman defensive tackle Shaun Cody said. ``We were drifting apart and it made us want to fight for each other.''

Cody preserved the victory by sacking Johnson with 51 seconds left in the game.

He also kept USC's slim bowl hopes alive. The Trojans need to win their remaining three games to have a winning season and be bowl eligible.

``It gives us a chance toward a winning season and it keeps hope alive,'' Carroll said.

Carroll predicted a USC player would step forward in the fourth quarter and finally win a close game, but he didn't actually believe it when he told the team.

``I was kind of exaggerating, but it's true,'' he said. ``We needed a win like this. Somebody had to make a play in the fourth quarter and Kris Richard made a gorgeous play.''

In fact, the defense made two critical plays, with cornerback Kevin Arbet returning an interception 70 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. That gave the defense two touchdowns, compared to three for the USC offense.

Perhaps because of Simmons' speech, there wasn't a trace of resentment that the defense was being stretched too far.

``I want it to be on the defense,'' Cody said. ``If we have to fight for it, that's good.''

Even Palmer was slightly sheepish about the offense's performance, which totaled 97 net yards in the second half.

``We didn't hold up to our end of the bargain in the second half,'' Palmer said. ``At halftime, we were just like, `We got the lead, let's just win the game.'

``We relaxed a little too much.''

It certainly didn't look like the offense would struggle early on. Palmer, who didn't complete a pass to the tight end last week, threw touchdown passes to tight ends Alex Holmes and Kori Dickerson in the second quarter as the Trojans blitzed the Wildcats 28-3.

Palmer completed 18 of 32 passes in the first half but was 6 for 17 in the second.

``We didn't move the ball at all,'' he said.

That allowed the Hackett-like evaporation of the 18-point halftime lead. Arizona's offense began working, and the Trojans' offense became little more than three-and-out.

``There was an inability for us to make a play, and we gave them some opportunities,'' Carroll said.

Around this time, Carroll started wondering if someone would step forward and stop the Wildcats' momentum.

Richard obliged, and the Trojans' season remains relevant for at least another week.

``It's a great memory to see him flying down the sideline,'' Carroll said. ``Our guys really hung in there.''

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

USC's Carson Palmer, left, threw two touchdown passes in the first half as the Trojans built a 28-3 lead, only to almost lose it at the end.

John Miller/Associated Press