STUMBLING START USC'S HYPED OFFENSE FAILS TO SHOW.

The buzz began in the winter, immediately after USC coach Pete Carroll plucked highly regarded offensive coordinator Norm Chow away from North Carolina State, where he was among the country's top-paid assistant coaches.

It grew louder in the spring, when USC installed a shotgun formation, along with many four-receiver sets in an attempt to become freewheeling and wide open.

It reached a crescendo in the summer, when the offense's explosiveness was one of the few aspects of the Trojans that drew universal agreement.

``I know a lot of people expected us to score 50 to 60 points a game,'' wide receiver Kareem Kelly said.

But two games into the season, the offense has started off with a resounding thud. It has scored 27 points, the fewest after two contests by any USC team since 1974.

``It's weird. It's shocking,'' Kelly said.

With Kelly, quarterback Carson Palmer and tailback Sultan McCullough, USC was expected to field one of the better offenses in the Pacific-10 Conference. Instead, the Trojans (1-1) play seventh-ranked Oregon (2-0) on Saturday looking for ways to boost an anemic attack.

Conclusions cannot be drawn two games into the season, but the Trojans can't hide their disappointment about scoring 21 points against San Jose State and six against Kansas State.

``The first game we were making progress, and the second week we ran into a buzz saw,'' Carroll said. ``We'll find out when we play a couple more games where we are.''

It's already obvious that Chow's options are more limited today than before the season. Senior tailback Malaefou MacKenzie, who was expected to be a primary target as a runner/receiver, has not played. A knee injury kept him out of the first two games and he flew to Samoa this week for his father's funeral.

``You could put he and Sultan together in the backfield, or he and (fullback) Charlie Landrigan together,'' Chow said. ``Now you can't do that.''

Another possible contributor, junior wide receiver Marcell Allmond, was suspended for the rest of the season by the university because of several alleged altercations with other students.

``Those are two very versatile players,'' Chow said. ``It just restricts what we can and can't do.''

Even without MacKenzie and Allmond, USC has plenty of talented skill performers. But the biggest handicap might be that players are learning the new offense.

``It takes time,'' center Lenny Vandermade said. ``This stuff doesn't happen overnight.''

Said Kelly: ``We're not real in sync right now.''

Chow has already made one subtle change, making junior college transfer Grant Mattos the starter at flanker over sophomore Keary Colbert. But even Mattos, who caught six passes against San Jose State, failed to make an impact against Kansas State, with zero receptions.

``Keary, Grant and I don't think we're struggling, but we're trying to get a feel for the offense,'' Kelly said. ``We're trying to get in our comfort zone.''

Against Kansas State, no receiver other than Kelly caught a pass.

``That is amazing that they could lock up our receivers,'' USC strong safety Troy Polamalu said.

The shortcomings are especially evident on deep passes. Palmer's longest completion this season is 32 yards, and he and Kelly have missed on several long plays.

In an effort to fix the problem, Kelly said he is working on his running style this week, to become more precise on passing routes. Kelly said a glitch in previous games was that he ended up in a different spot on the field than where the pass was intended.

``It's about me giving Carson a chance to put the ball in the right spot,'' Kelly said. ``I haven't given him a chance. Once I beat the defensive back, I have to get back to the original spot. That's just about chemistry and just knowing what to do.''

USC's shortcomings aren't restricted to the passing game. When Kansas State placed nine players up front to stop the run, it held McCullough to 40 yards rushing.

This week, McCullough vows a different outcome against Oregon.

``(Oregon's) defense is not as good as people think they are,'' McCullough said. `It's not going to be as difficult as Kansas State because of their nine-man fronts. We'll see what we can do against them.

``We are not going to do what we did against Kansas State. We're going to slam it down their throats regardless if it's an eight- or nine-man front.''

This week's game will be viewed as a statement of progress, to see if the offense is capable of running smoother. And it's notable that players remain fairly calm about the offensive woes.

``If this was the middle of the season, it would be a problem,'' Kelly said. ``It's real early. We're going to put up some points. Now we all know what we have to do. We all have to take it up a notch.''

Although 50 points sounds unrealistic, Kelly is not ready to abandon the incredible expectations that accompanied the installation of Chow's offense.

``We're not going to score 50,'' Kelly said. ``Once we get the offense clicking, we'll be able to put up 45 points.''

USC at Oregon

When: Saturday, 7:15 p.m.

TV/Radio: FSN2/1540-AM

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Despite the arrival of offensive guru Norm Chow, tight end Kori Dickerson, above, and the Trojans offense have scored 27 points in their first two games, the fewest by any USC team since 1974.

Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News

Box:

USC at Oregon (see text)