Ken Henry & Co. Get the Trojans Off the Ground : Receivers Give USC a Liftoff

USC has had its share of outstanding tailbacks, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs over the years.

Not so often, though, are the Trojans represented by an accomplished wide receiver. And seldom has USC ever had a group of skilled wide receivers, as it apparently does now.

For one thing, the USC offensive system hasn’t been styled to feature wide receivers. Stanford is the passing school. The Trojans have traditionally been run-oriented.

As a result, USC hasn’t had an All-American wide receiver since Lynn Swann in 1973, although several Trojan pass catchers have gone on to careers in the National Football League.

If the first three games are any indication, though, USC is pushing its wide receivers closer to the forefront.

Coach Ted Tollner says that the running game is still the first priority, but the passing game has accounted for most of USC’s offensive production.

USC has gained 581 yards passing, compared to 426 rushing. Moreover, Ken Henry, a split end, has scored five of USC’s eight touchdowns.

Henry and the other USC receivers--Randy Tanner, John Jackson, Erik Affholter and Lonnie White--had a no-name label at the outset of the season.

Henry, a junior, was particularly undistinguished. He was redshirted in 1983, played five minutes in 1984, then had a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing most of last season.

He didn’t catch his first pass as a Trojan until the Aloha Bowl game against Alabama last December in Honolulu. Apparently, he’s making up for lost time.

Henry’s scoring catches have either brought USC from behind or determined the outcome. For instance:

--He caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rodney Peete against Illinois that gave USC a 14-9 halftime lead. Then Tanner, on a flanker reverse, threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Henry in the third quarter that enabled USC to pull away to a 21-9 lead.

--The Trojans trailed Baylor in the fourth quarter, 14-7, before Henry out-jumped two defenders deep in the end zone to pull down Peete’s 12-yard touchdown pass.

--He was a game-breaker again last Saturday against Washington. Another gimmick play, Tanner to Henry, covered 67 yards and enabled USC to tie Washington, 10-10, in the third quarter. Then, in the fourth quarter, he caught Peete’s 13-yard touchdown pass that put USC ahead to stay.

A 6-foot 3-inch basketball center at Edison High School in Fresno, Henry has a vertical jump of 37 inches.

“If I throw it up to Henry, I’m almost sure he’ll come down with it,” Peete said.

Henry used to catch passes from Tim McDonald, who was a quarterback at Edison and is now USC’s All-American strong safety.

McDonald has been a starter since his sophomore year, but Henry has had to wait his turn.

“I was getting discouraged, but my teammates told me to hang in there I would get a shot,” Henry said.

As for being part of the no-name clan, Henry said: “That has just inspired us to work harder. We haven’t had any real recognition and it has been written that we were the weak spot on offense . . . inexperienced and stuff. I think we’ll put a halt to that this season.”

Henry said that Swann has been a model for him since sixth grade.

“I was catching the ball pretty good and a few of my classmates started calling me Lynn Swann, and I said, ‘Who is Lynn Swann?’ Then, I started watching him and I was pretty upset when he retired.”

Said Ron Turner, USC’s offensive coordinator: “Ken really dedicated himself in the off-season, figuring now that it was his time to make something happen. Everyone talks about his jumping ability, but that’s not the only thing. He has tremendous timing, knows when to jump and has good body control. He also has good hands and concentration to go along with it.”

Tanner, a flanker who is used as a surprise passer, is one of the most versatile athletes on the team. He was a running back, option quarterback and a wide receiver at Bishop Amat High School.

“When I came to USC, they asked me what position I wanted to play,” Tanner said. “I said receiver because Lynn Swann has always been my hero. He was poetry in motion and had the heart to go up and catch the ball.”

So both Henry and Tanner have been inspired by Swann.

Tanner, 5-10 1/2 and 186, a junior, thought his USC career might have ended last October in South Bend, Ind. He tore the tendon on his kneecap while returning the opening kickoff against Notre Dame. Tanner fumbled, the Irish recovered at the 10-yard line, scored and went on to rout USC, 37-3.

Tanner said that he probably should have settled for a touchback on the kickoff because he was deep in the end zone when he fielded the ball.

“I didn’t really pay any attention to where the ball was because I was so fired up,” he said. “Coach John McKay talked to us before the game and I knew it was going to be the greatest game I ever played.

“I saw a guy coming from my left side and I tried to go around him. Then, I heard a loud pop a couple of steps before he hit me. I didn’t feel anything, though. I was trying to protect myself and I let the ball go. The kneecap just floated back on my leg.”

A long scar on Tanner’s left leg identifies the injury, but the flanker said he has not been troubled by it.

As for his ability to launch long passes, Tanner said: “I’ve always been able to throw for distance, but in practice I’ll under-, or over-throw a receiver. I’m not really a good practice player. I drop passes that I should catch, but I seem to do better in a game.”

Tanner is 2 for 2 as a passer this season, and in his normal duties has caught 10 passes for 130 yards.

Said Turner: “Randy is a clutch player, a poised, intelligent kid and a gamer. When something is on the line, he rises up. Like Ken, he knows how to run patterns and get open.”

John Jackson, 5-11 and 175, a redshirt freshman, is accustomed to Tanner’s passing style. He caught three of Tanner’s five touchdown passes when they played for Bishop Amat.

Jackson is the son of John Jackson, the former coach of USC running backs who is now an executive at the Forum.

Said Turner: “John Jackson has tremendous hands and concentration. The others are smart, but he might be the smartest of all. J.J.’s best asset is his competitive ability. He’ll block the biggest, toughest defender if we ask him to.”

Jackson has caught only 6 passes, but he’s averaging 17 yards a catch, close to Henry’s average of 18.7 yards on 14 catches.

Affholter, 6-0 and 190, a sophomore, is also a backup kicker. He has caught only one pass this season, but it was an important one. Peete found him on the sideline for a 23-yard pass--on third and 22--against Washington Saturday. That play preceded Don Shafer’s 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

White, a senior and the brother of former USC wide receiver Timmy White, is still waiting his chance. He’ll probably get it, since USC often uses three wide receivers in a game, a departure from last season’s offensive scheme.

As for the no-name label, it doesn’t apply anymore. But Tanner says he likes it.

“A receiver doesn’t get much publicity at a tailback school, but we worked hard this summer and we figured we were as good as anyone in the country,” he said. “I don’t think that’s conceit. Just confidence.”

Trojan Notes Since Ted Tollner became USC’s coach in 1983, his teams have played five top 10 teams and won every time. The record: 16-7 over No. 1 Washington in 1984; 20-17 over No. 5 Ohio State in the 1985 Rose Bowl; 17-13 over No. 8 UCLA in 1985, and victories over ninth-ranked Baylor and sixth-ranked Washington this season. . . . Flanker Randy Tanner and outside linebacker Marcus Cotton were named the Pac-10 players of the week on offense and defense, respectively. . . . A crowd of 50,000 is expected for USC’s game with Oregon Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the Coliseum.

Tollner said that Ryan Knight most likely will start at tailback against Oregon. Aaron Emanuel played the entire second half against Washington last Saturday. Tollner said he still plans to alternate tailbacks in the first half, with playing time the second half based on how a game unfolds. “There has been no indication that one has jumped out over another,” he said. The USC coach is concerned, though, about the productivity of the running game. Emanuel is averaging only 2.9 yards a carry and Knight 3.0.

An inadvertent whistle by an official in the first quarter of of the Washington game deprived the Trojans of a fumble recovery. Fullback Rick Fenney fumbled to USC on second and 10 from the Trojan 48-yard line. The Huskies were leading at the time, 7-0. But by the rules, Washington had the option of letting the play stand, or getting another second down. Naturally, they chose another down. “I was very emotionally upset at the time, as bad as I can get,” Tollner said. He said that some of his defensive players told him, “Don’t worry coach, the officials won’t beat us.” . . . USC has outscored three opponents in the second half, 44-17.