KEEPING TABS

Bruce Luizzi does not lack confidence.

“I think I’m the best special-teams player in the nation,” the former Burroughs High player said.

Luizzi, a college senior, was the best at USC last season. Luizzi was honored as the Trojans’ special-teams player of the year in 1991.

This season, he has made several key tackles, and during Saturday’s 38-37 loss to UCLA he recovered Zuri Hector’s block of Darren Schager’s punt in the end zone for a third-quarter touchdown that gave the Trojans a 24-17 lead.

“I saw the ball rolling in the end zone and my eyes lit up really big,” Luizzi said. “Once I saw it, I jumped on it, and, boom, it was a touchdown. I thought that was going to be a big turning point in the game. I thought it was going to give us momentum and carry over and blow the Bruins out.”

Luizzi considers the play among the best moments in his collegiate career, but the loss took away some of the luster. This week, Luizzi is feeling a special responsibility to help USC end its nine-game losing streak to Notre Dame.

“Us seniors are going to have to lift everyone every day we go out there,” Luizzi said.

Luizzi said the attitude among the players was “really gloomy” Monday, but by Tuesday the focus had shifted to preparation for Saturday’s game at the Coliseum against the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish.

Saturday’s game will be the last at the Coliseum for Luizzi, concluding a career laced with disappointment. After primarily returning kickoffs as a freshman in 1989, Luizzi was USC’s extra defensive back in passing situations in 1990.

He anticipated becoming a starter in 1991 but was beaten out by Mike Salmon. Luizzi missed another chance to contribute when USC dropped its five defensive back alignment.

“It’s been really frustrating but I go out on special teams, do my job out there and, hopefully, I’ll get noticed,” said Luizzi, adding that he does not regret attending USC. “I’m just hoping to get my chance out there. I have two more games, and if something happens where I have to go in there, I’m going to do the job because I have enough confidence in myself that no matter where I’m playing, I’m going to get the job done.”

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Accentuating the positive: Things are looking up. That’s the message Carrick O’Quinn wants to send UCLA fans.

After a season in which a five-game losing streak prompted Bruin supporters to flood radio call-in shows and newspaper letters columns with criticism of the team in general and Coach Terry Donahue in particular, O’Quinn sees plenty of reason for optimism.

“We’re really excited about next year,” said O’Quinn, a junior inside linebacker from Agoura. “We’re on a hot streak (closing the season with three consecutive victories) and that’s going to take us into next year.

“We’re losing a lot of key players, but the ones that were key got injured and we played real well without them. People took up the slack, and since we have all these people with experience and being able to deal with the season we had, we’re going to be tough next year.”

O’Quinn moved into the starting lineup for the Oct. 31 game against California and stayed there for the remaining three games, making 54 tackles (sixth-best on the team), including four for losses, and recovering two fumbles.

“For the SC game, I was so pumped up, by halftime I was drained,” he said. “I played pretty well in the first half, I was nonexistent in the third quarter but came back pretty strong in the fourth quarter. I have to learn how to settle myself my down.”

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Biting Bulldog: To USC fans, the expected Dec. 30 Freedom Bowl appearance against Fresno State is a great comedown. After all, when USC plays a school with a State in its name, it is usually Ohio, or at least Penn.

But Johnny Johnson, a starting safety for Fresno State and a former Palmdale High and Pierce College standout, looks at the game as a great positive for the Bulldogs’ program.

“I think it’s a big challenge for us,” Johnson said. “I think it will be a great game. We’ll get a lot of exposure. We don’t have anything to prove. We’re just going to go out and show we can play among the elite schools.”

The Freedom Bowl will be Fresno State’s fourth bowl appearance in five years. The Bulldogs won the California Raisin Bowl in 1988 and 1989 and lost to Bowling Green in last year’s game.

Fresno State (7-4) is averaging 40.3 points a game heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Texas El Paso (1-9) and figures to lead Division I-A teams in scoring for the second consecutive season.

Johnson, a junior, is in his first season with the Bulldogs after transferring from Pierce. He has 77 tackles.

“I came (into the program) a little late. I haven’t had the type of season I’d like to have, maybe because it took me a while to learn the system, but it’s coming along OK.”

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All-American: Ed Bunn of Texas El Paso, formerly of Valley College, was selected to the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-American team that was announced Wednesday.

Bunn is the nation’s leading punter with a 47.68-yard average. He was named to the Football News All-American team last week.