TROJANS DEFENSE STEPS UP IN HUGE WAY.Byline: Steve Irvine Most of the attention at the Coliseum on Saturday turned toward a switch at the USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. quarterback position. That's understandable. Carson Palmer's starting debut is big news. But, in reality, the 33-10 USC victory over Washington wasn't about the play of the 18-year-old freshman. It was about an experienced group on the other side of the ball. ``This,'' proclaimed USC linebacker Chris Claiborne Christopher Ashone Claiborne (born July 26, 1978 in San Diego) is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Professional Career Previously, Claiborne played for the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, and the New York Giants. , ``is a defensive team.'' For the sixth time in nine games this season, the defense directed the Trojans' victory. And they did it by worrying more about Washington's two-quarterback system of Brock Huard Brock Huard (born April 15, 1976 in Seattle, Washington) is a former American football quarterback in the NFL. Brock's brother, Damon, also played quarterback at the University of Washington and currently plays in the National Football League. and Marques Tuiasosopo Marques Tuiasosopo (born March 22, 1979 in Woodinville, Washington) is a professional football player, a quarterback for the NFL's New York Jets. He began his career in 2001 with the Oakland Raiders. than USC's two-quarterback question of Palmer and Mike Van Raaphorst. ``It doesn't matter to us who (the USC) quarterback is,'' Trojans safety Rashard Cook Rashard Cook (born April 18, 1977 in San Diego, California) is a former professional American football safety in the NFL. Professional career Cook was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft with the 184th overall pick. said. ``We can't worry about that on defense.'' The truth is, USC's defense was far too busy to fret about anything but the Huskies' offense. Washington snapped the ball 98 times, had possession for 36 minutes and 40 seconds of the 60-minute game and, despite the lack of running success, kept the pressure on by putting the ball in the air 68 times. ``As a defensive back, if you can't look forward to a game like this, then don't bother showing up,'' cornerback Daylon McCutcheon Daylon McCutcheon (born December 9, 1976 in Los Angeles) is a retired National Football League cornerback. Coaching career Beginning in 2007, McCutcheon began coaching at his former high school. said. There were some impressive defensive numbers. Claiborne had 13 tackles and strongside linebacker Zeke Moreno added 11. And cornerbacks Antuan Simmons (eight tackles, six pass breakups), McCutcheon (eight tackles, four pass breakups) and Ken Haslip (four tackles, three pass breakups) performed well. But a pair of key numbers Key Numbers® A system devised by West Group involving the classification of legal subjects that are organized within their publications according to specific topics and subtopics. - 10 and five - jump out. Ten is what Washington scored, which is 19 under its season average. Five represents the sum total of two interceptions by Simmons and one each by Haslip, McCutcheon and Grant Pearsall. Huard put up some head-turning numbers - 33 of 62 for 301 yards - but he also was intercepted four times, three in the fourth quarter. ``Our defense just kept coming at Brock Huard, who is a fine quarterback, and all of a sudden he threw it to us,'' USC coach Paul Hackett said. USC took a 14-0 lead just over 15 minutes into the game, but ``14 points is not a big lead,'' Gibson said. Fourteen points was basically one Washington play away from a precarious lead. |
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