BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) USC picked the wrong town and the wrong
time for an early celebration.
Several California players got all the motivation they needed
for Saturday's game after hearing reports of a raucous informal
parade by Southern California's boosters and band on the streets of
Berkeley on Friday night before the Trojans' game against the
Golden Bears.
``They were marching down our streets, partying in our town,''
Cal running back Adimchinobe Echemandu said. ``That's just the way
USC is. They're so arrogant. They think they're better than
everybody else on the West Coast before they even play a game.''
The actual extent of the pregame partying was heavily debated,
with most USC people insisting nothing significant happened. That
didn't make the sting any easier when Cal outplayed the Trojans in
regulation, then held on in overtime for a 34-31 win that sent USC
tumbling from No. 3 to No. 10 in the rankings.
Last season, Southern California's rally from an 18-point
deficit against Cal was the start of an 11-game winning streak. USC
nearly made another comeback against the Bears and coach Jeff
Tedford's inventive offense, but the Trojans (3-1, 0-1 Pac-10)
never got the lead in a heartbreaking loss.
``They came out and punched us in the mouth,'' USC defensive
tackle Shaun Cody said. ``We didn't have an answer for anything. We
were expecting them to run certain things out of certain
formations. They just switched it up on us. ... We were fooled.''
In their first three games of the season, USC reclaimed a large
measure of the mystique that had surrounded the program for
decades. Starting with a dominant win over Auburn, the Trojans
appeared to be the latest emerging West Coast power under coach
Pete Carroll.
Now, USC is looking up at Cal (3-3, 1-0) and Washington State,
among others, in the Pac-10 standings. The Trojans still might be a
Western power, but the Bears exposed weaknesses that nobody knew
existed.
USC never moved the ball consistently against Cal's defense,
which endured many poor stretches during the Bears' 2-3
nonconference start. A quarter of USC's 99 rushing yards came on
pass plays that began behind the line of scrimmage.
After a mostly dismal game, there's bound to be speculation
around quarterback Matt Leinart, who threw three interceptions. The
sophomore never got the Trojans' offense moving through the air
despite talented receivers Keary Colbert and Mike Williams lining
up against Cal's suspect pass defense, which had been shredded
regularly this season.
There's a section of the USC fan base that's devoted to John
David Booty, the former Louisiana high school prodigy considered
the Trojans' quarterback of the future. But Carroll never
considered replacing Leinart, not even after the quarterback
bruised his knee in the second half.
``I was just making mistakes I shouldn't have made,'' Leinart
said. ``I didn't play well in the first half, and that's why we
were down.''
USC's vaunted run defense hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 16
games until Adimchinobe ran for 147 yards against them, cracking
100 yards well before overtime. Cal confused the Trojans with the
unorthodox formations and clever blocking schemes that have become
Tedford's trademark.
A long conference season looms for the Trojans, who have left
the Pac-10 without a clear favorite. USC also lost linebacker Lofa
Tatupu, who returned an interception for a score against the Bears,
and offensive tackle Winston Justice to sprained ankles.
Though the Trojans reminded each other of a long schedule still
to play, there was a sense of disbelief among their fans. The USC
band stayed in the stands at Memorial Stadium for an hour after the
game, still playing while the Cal students and band celebrated on
the field.
``We're the third-ranked team in the nation,'' Cody said. ``It's
not supposed to happen like this.''
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)