Cal’s Snyder Avoids USC, UCLA Comparisons

College coaches are cautious when evaluating opponents, or comparing teams. They have their private opinions, but publicly their statements are usually bland.

That’s why it was somewhat surprising and refreshing that Oregon State Coach Dave Kragthorpe didn’t hedge when asked to compare USC and UCLA.

USC beat Oregon State, 41-20, Saturday in Corvallis, Ore. The Beavers lost to UCLA, 38-21, Oct. 8 at the Rose Bowl.

“USC is a stronger football team than UCLA,” Kragthorpe said. “They are bigger and stronger on the offensive line. They hit harder and their secondary makes you pay the price. USC is just more physical than UCLA.”

California Coach Bruce Snyder, whose team will play USC Saturday at the Coliseum, was more cautious, befitting the coaches’ code, when asked to compare the Trojans and Bruins. His Bears lost to UCLA, 38-21, Oct. 15 at Berkeley.

“They (USC and UCLA) are different in their approach to the game in a lot of respects,” he said. “Where they are similar is that they both have fine defensive speed and swarm to the football.”

Asked to explain the difference in approach, Snyder said: “If you take the two offensive stars, the quarterbacks, UCLA’s Troy Aikman is more of a classic dropback passer although he’s capable of running.

“Whereas USC’s Rodney Peete attacks the perimeter a great deal more. I think our ability to contain Peete will be more critical to the outcome of the game than, maybe, containing Aikman.”

Snyder may be more specific in his comparison after Saturday’s game when, like Kragthorpe, he won’t have to meet either team until next year.

USC Coach Larry Smith wants to instill in his players the attitude of aggressively playing to win, rather than playing not to lose.

He said his team had the latter attitude while barely beating Washington, 28-27, Oct. 15 at the Coliseum.

“This is the time of year you have to develop a killer instinct,” Smith said Tuesday.

With a 7-0 record, the second-ranked Trojans are off to their best start since 1975. However, the bottom fell out for USC that year in John McKay’s final season as the school’s coach. USC then lost four straight conference games.

However, if USC beats Cal, it would have an 8-0 record, the best start since the 12-0 national championship season of 1972.

Smith said that fullback Leroy Holt ignited the team with his tackle-breaking, 28-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that provided USC with a 26-14 lead.

“It was an inspirational run,” Smith said. “He was really fired up at halftime and on the sideline. Then, he basically took on the whole Oregon state team with that run. I’ve been coaching for a long time, but that will be one of the plays that will stand out for me. It was a sheer determination run.”

However, Smith wasn’t pleased with some members of his secondary, especially when Oregon Sate quarterback Erik Wilhelm teamed with wide receiver Robb Thomas on a 53-yard pass play that set up a touchdown in the third quarter.

Chris Hale was beaten on the play, but Smith said that the cornerback should have helped.

“When you’re playing a two- or three-deep zone, the safeties are supposed to get deep, or deeper than the deepest man running the pattern.

“Our guys were trying to guess and jump stuff underneath instead of getting back where they belonged, and I’m tired of seeing it.”

Smith also said free safety Mark Carrier had an excellent game, along with cornerback Ernest Spears.

“However, at the other two positions, Marvin Pollard is competing with Hale to see who starts, and Tracy Butts is competing with (strong safety) Cleveland Colter,” Smith said.

Even though Hale and Colter have been starting since the outset of the season, it seems that Smith won’t hesitate to alter his lineup if he thinks change is necessary.

Trojan Notes

USC Coach Larry Smith said that wide receiver Gary Wellman is on crutches with a sprained ankle and won’t play against Cal. He added, however, that linebacker Brian Tuliau, who suffered a sprained neck against Oregon State, has a chance to play. “To my knowledge, all the tests they ran on him were negative,” Smith said. Tuliau was on the turf for several minutes before he was removed on a stretcher. . . . Smith said that tailbacks Aaron Emanuel and Steven Webster, who have been inactive with a sprained ankle and hip injury, respectively, are running in practice but are still unable to play. Tight end Paul Green, who also has an ankle injury, hasn’t been able to practice. . . . Kickoff time for USC’s televised game (Channel 7) with Arizona State Nov. 12 has been changed from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. (PST).

USC split end Erik Affholter caught 3 touchdown passes from quarterback Rodney Peete against Oregon State. He probably would have had another, but an Oregon State defensive back grabbed the receivers’s jersey to prevent him from catching the ball, incurring a pass interference penalty. Affholter also made a one-handed, rolling catch of a pass from Peete that didn’t seem possible at the time. However, after watching the film, Smith said it was a legal catch. . . . Peete had a 200-yard-plus passing game against Oregon State for the 16th time in his career. He also ran for a season-high 46 yards, including a 22-yard run on an option play that set up USC’s last touchdown.