USC KEEPS PROMISE TROJANS VOWED TO LIMIT MISTAKES.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

During a Friday-night team meeting, USC players offered to make a commitment to coach Pete Carroll.

``We vowed to play hard, hold on to the ball and execute,'' offensive lineman Faaesea Mailo said.

The Trojans came through on their promise, with just one turnover and the smoothest offensive performance of the season in their 48-17 victory over Arizona State.

``When you commit to the head coach, it's a big deal,'' wide receiver Kareem Kelly said.

With a trip to Notre Dame this weekend, the victory provided the launching point Carroll sought for the second half of the season.

``Coach Carroll told us the season starts today,'' quarterback Carson Palmer said.

Added cornerback Kevin Arbet: ``This was the beginning of our season. This should have been the way it was.''

That means the Trojans begin a stretch of seemingly winnable games, with the 2-4 Irish the next step toward respectability, followed by Arizona (3-3), Oregon State (2-3) and California (0-5).

``It's a huge opportunity with that matchup with Notre Dame,'' Carroll said. ``It's what we all come to SC for. Being my first opportunity to do this, it's going to be really special for me.''

Check back Saturday night to see if that answer holds up.

But as USC prepares for Notre Dame, it has added some desperately needed components to its offense. The Trojans' final touchdown drive took more than nine minutes and showed USC can be a power-running team. Much of the credit for that goes to new tailback Sunny Byrd, who suddenly becomes a possible starter this week with Sultan McCullough bothered by a strained abdominal muscle.

``We're in a little transition here,'' Carroll said. ``Right now, Sunny Byrd's going to get a lot of carries.''

Besides Byrd's running, the offensive line made a nice comeback, culminating with the nine-minute drive. Offensive tackle Jacob Rogers has begun to play better in recent games, and center Norm Katnik seems to have provided a boost the past two weeks.

``We dug down to get those extra yards,'' Mailo said. ``Each player was committed to themselves.''

It's going to be that way the rest of the season for the Trojans (2-4, 1-3). They might not need to play perfectly, but as close to it as possible to win consistently.

``It's about executing and not making stupid mistakes,'' Kelly said. ``We're all making steps forward now.''

Horrendous mistakes have been kept to a minimum, particularly by Palmer, who hasn't thrown an interception the past two games.

The turnover issue has been Carroll's main emphasis, and the attention to it has finally shown some results.

``I don't know if anybody could emphasize it more,'' Carroll said. ``It's an enormous emphasis. Our numbers are OK right now. We're on track to do a lot better than in the past.''

USC has 10 turnovers through six games. Last year, the Trojans had 17 through six games. If there have been few highlights this season, that's been one. There's still plenty of season left to salvage, but Kelly and Carroll already made references to next year.

``He's been telling us this is the building of a championship team,'' Kelly said. ``The bad breaks we had this year we won't have next year because of the chemistry and the bond.''

--Notes: Carroll said junior wide receiver Grant Mattos is expected to be out between two and three weeks with a sprained knee. ... The status of tailback Sultan McCullough (stomach muscle) remains uncertain this week. ...

Defensive lineman Ryan Nielsen of Royal High in Simi Valley returned from a separated shoulder and played well, Carroll said. ``He looked comfortable at the nose-guard position,'' Carroll said.

UP NEXT

Saturday vs. Notre Dame

11:30 a.m.

REPORT CARD

USC vs. Arizona State

GAME 6

RECORD: 2-4, 1-3

NEXT: Notre Dame

THIS WEEK'S GPA: 2.82

CUMULATIVE: 2.27

QUARTERBACKS

Carson Palmer finally resembled the player with all the preseason publicity, hitting receivers deep and short, and most important, did not have any interceptions.

B+

RUNNING BACKS

USC found someone who can gain 3 yards when it needs 2. Sunny Byrd adds a new dimension to the offense as a power runner and eases the potential absence of tailback Sultan McCullough.

B

WIDE RECEIVERS

Kareem Kelly has always been capable of big games, but Keary Colbert finally got a chance to go deep. After a one-week hiatus, the Trojans rediscovered tight end Kori Dickerson (a 21-yard TD) and even let tight end Alex Holmes score a touchdown.

A-

OFFENSIVE LINE

The best block of the day was thrown by a line judge, and the first quarter was a disaster. But it eventually got better as the game wore on, allowing Palmer to enjoy his success.

C+

DEFENSIVE LINE

Let's assume there was a bend-but-don't-break philosophy, since three ASU tailbacks combined for 143 yards. And the quarterbacks were sacked just once. Lonnie Ford (three tackles) was active, but that was about it.

C-

LINEBACKERS

Matt Grootegoed (seven tackles) demonstrated that some big plays in the previous four games might have been avoided if he were healthy. Frank Strong's 24-yard interception return offered a glimpse of what would happen if he played tailback.

B

SECONDARY

Kris Richard and Kevin Arbet had timely interceptions, though it's hard to get too excited when Arizona State was stuck with second-string quarterback Matt Cooper. Troy Polamalu (eight tackles) continues to be the steadiest player on defense.

B+

SPECIAL TEAMS

The kickoff team continues to show leaks, allowing far too many long returns. The punt team's delay-of-game penalty at the 10-yard line was unforgivable. But kicker David Davis has made 7 of his past 8 field goals.

C

COACHING

Offensive coordinator Norm Chow made crucial adjustments to throw quicker pass plays and use Byrd at tailback. And coach Pete Carroll deserves credit for keeping the locker-room atmosphere upbeat, despite the four-game losing streak.

B+

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

The Trojans came through Saturday on their promise to coach Pete Carroll to play hard and execute the offense.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) UP NEXT (see text)

(2) REPORT CARD: USC vs. Arizona State (see text)