USC NOTEBOOK: DEFENSE SHOWS SPLIT PERSONALITY CLAMP DOWN AFTER HALFTIME REDEEMS EARLIER MISHAPS.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

STANFORD - If the way Stanford was shredding the USC defense wasn't bad enough, J.R. Lemon made sure Trojans players went to the locker room with a sour taste in their mouths after his run-out-the-clock dive turned into an 82-yard touchdown run on the last play of the half.

Once bitter, they got better.

The Trojans' defense held Stanford to 36 yards, two first downs and no points in the second half, allowing them to rally from an 11-point deficit to a 31-28 victory.

The difference on defense was equal parts execution and enthusiasm. After playing conservatively and with nonchalance early, the Trojans looked like a new team in the second half. They blitzed, they clamped down their pass coverage and they played with the passion of an underdog.

``We were getting embarrassed,'' Trojans defensive tackle Sean Cody said. ``Guys were so riled up (at halftime). I've never seen so much energy in the locker room or on the sidelines in the second half.''

USC coach Pete Carroll, who coordinates the defense, changed his plan of attack after Stanford sophomore quarterback Trent Edwards masterfully picked apart the Trojans with a quick passing game.

The 28 points the Trojans allowed in the half were as much as they'd allowed in a game during their 13-game winning streak.

``We tried to throw different things than we were throwing at them in the first half. That's a pretty good thought isn't it?'' Carroll said. ``We were getting our butts kicked and didn't do anything right, so we used the rest of the game plan and hopefully it would be a difference maker.''

Edwards, using mostly three-step drops and rollouts, carved up the Trojans in the first half. He made good use of tight end Alex Smith and a pair of sophomore receivers from the Southern California area - Mark Bradford and Evan Moore.

USC had surrendered 291 yards at the half. If not for Kevin Arbet's 66-yard interception return, the Trojans might have found itself blown out at halftime.

``We played a lot of straight stuff in the first half, thinking that we could cover them,'' Carroll said. ``They out-executed us.''

In the second half, the Trojans split their ends wide and used freshman linebacker Keith Rivers as a defensive end for the first time. They also tightened the pass coverage, blitzed linebacker Matt Grootegoed frequently and occasionally sent a cornerback after Edwards.

``We had to pull some stuff out of the bag to win the game,'' Cody said. ``Coach Carroll called some blitzes we don't always run. We always practice them, but don't necessarily pull 'em out of the bag. Tonight we had to.''

Rivers sacked Edwards to thwart a drive at the start of the second half, then the Trojans forced three consecutive three-and-outs.

``I wasn't getting any groove, any kind of comfort level wasn't there,'' Edwards said of the second half. ``In the first half, we were picking up the blitz, we were making the right checks against the right defenses. We weren't able to do that in the second half. We didn't have anything to throw back at them.''

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Stanford quarterback Kyle Matter (11) celebrates with tight end Patrick Danahy (82) after scoring on a fake field goal.

Paul Sakuma/Associated Press