Trojans Aren’t the Only Problem Facing Arizona

TUCSON —  So, they hate USC Coach Larry Smith here? You obviously haven’t been paying attention. That’s old news in this town.

For today’s USC-Arizona game, there are newer, hotter feuds. Now it’s time to hate Dick Tomey. Hate Ronald Veal. Hate the local media. Hate the local fans.

There are so many locals taking potshots at so many other locals, it’s hard to remember that the Trojans and Smith, the former Arizona coach, are supposed to be the enemies in a game that could decide the Pacific 10 Conference Rose Bowl berth.

This was to be Arizona’s biggest game ever. Never before had the Wildcats been in Rose Bowl contention this late in the season. They took the field against California last Saturday with a 4-1 conference record, pointing toward a showdown this week against USC, 5-0 in the Pac-10.

The Wildcats raced to an early 21-0 lead, but behind quarterback Troy Taylor, Cal came back to win, 29-28, and the finger-pointing began.

The fans and local media had already been criticizing Tomey, Arizona’s coach, for a move he did not make the week before.

Ahead of Pacific by 24 points with less than six minutes to play, Tomey kept his first-string defense in the game.

And wouldn’t you know it? Free safety Jeff Hammerschmidt, the team leader in interceptions (four) and tackles (87), went down with a season-ending knee injury.

Then, last week, redshirt freshman quarterback George Malauulu led Arizona into the 21-0 lead, passing for one touchdown and rushing for a second.

Malauulu had taken the starting job from Veal two games earlier by pulling out a win over Washington State.

With the big lead against Cal, Tomey saw an opportunity to give Veal playing time. Bad move, as it turned out. The Wildcats seemed to lose momentum and never recovered.

Malauulu, called back in to recapture the spark, tore knee ligaments and is out for the season.

But the criticism over yanking him has continued unabated all week from fans and the media alike.

“It was,” Tucson Citizen columnist Jack Rickard said, “like taking a pitcher out who had a no-hitter going after four innings.”

Now, Veal has gotten involved, blasting his critics.

“People were saying I can’t move the ball,” he told the Arizona Daily Star. “My record stands at 12-4. Try to explain that to me.

“Our fans will jump on the bandwagon and jump off with every little thing you do.”

Into this caldron come the Trojans, ranked ninth in the nation with a 7-2 overall mark and in need of just one victory or a tie to clinch their third consecutive Rose Bowl appearance.

The Wildcats’ only chance is to beat USC, then win their final game against Arizona State at Tempe on Nov. 25, while hoping that UCLA can upset USC next Saturday at the Coliseum.

Unlikely? Perhaps, but the feeling around here seems to be more like hopeless.

“As far as the Rose Bowl race (is concerned), I think we’re out of it,” Arizona defensive lineman Anthony Smith said. “Whether USC plays good or not, there’s no way they’ll lose. They are a powerhouse team and there’s nothing bad you can say about them.”

Even the fans seem caught up in the negativity. Despite the fact this could be the biggest game in Wildcat history, 5,000 seats remain unsold in 57,000-seat Arizona Stadium.

“Obviously, everybody in town is disappointed that we didn’t win last week,” Tomey said. “But I think the fans will bounce back just like the players and coaches will, and we’ll have a real a good environment out there.”

Controversy may swirl around the quarterback, but the Wildcats’ chances seem to lie with the running game.

This one figures to come down to one massive collision--the nation’s top rushing defense against the conference’s top rushing offense. Two powerful forces digging in their heels. Who will budge first?

USC has allowed an average of just 51.9 yards a game on the ground. The Trojans have given up minus 19 yards on the ground in their last two games.

But for most of the season, they have faced pass-oriented teams. The only time they went up against a dominating running game, at Notre Dame, they were blown out. The Irish rushed for 266 yards and four touchdowns.

Asked if he’d ever before had a team hold the opposition to minus yardage on the ground two weeks in a row, Smith said he couldn’t remember but added: “I don’t think it’ll happen this week. I’ll tell you that. Not against these guys.”

No argument there.

The Wildcats are leading the Pac-10 in rushing for the third consecutive year, gaining an average of 245.2 yards a game on the ground.

And they’ve gotten better recently.

After using a wishbone offense for the first half of the season, Tomey switched to something called the I-bone for UCLA.

It doesn’t change the cards in your hand, just the way you play them. One of the two halfbacks lines up in the standard I formation. The idea was to get the ball to halfbacks David Eldridge and Errol Sapp more often.

It has worked brilliantly from the first snap.

In the three games before the UCLA game, Eldridge had 24 carries for 96 yards. Against the Bruins, he had 20 carries for 205 yards. It was the same for Sapp. He went from four carries for 11 yards in three games to 12 carries for 77 yards.

Overall, the Wildcats rushed for 480 yards against UCLA and amassed 504 yards of total offense. Arizona followed that with 512 total yards against Pacific and 412 total yards in the losing effort at Berkeley.

Eldridge, who will be slowed today by a pulled hamstring, leads the team in rushing with 629 yards, averaging 5.6 yards a carry, and has scored six touchdowns.

It’s the kind of rushing attack that could spread out the Trojan defense and cause problems.

The Wildcats still figure to be overmatched, but to have any chance, they have to put all the controversy behind them and regain the intensity one assistant coach said they lost in the Cal game.

Can they recapture the fiery days when Larry Smith’s face adorned Tucson dart boards?

Apparently, it’s just not that simple anymore.

Trojan Notes

USC defensive lineman Randy Hord, sidelined last week because of a sprained ankle, has been upgraded to “possible” for today’s game. . . . Arizona is loaded with injured players listed as questionable for today. They include defensive lineman Anthony Smith (separated shoulder), fullback Mario Hampton (broken hand), kicker Doug Pfaff (thigh), and offensive tackles Glenn Parker (bruised calf, sprained ankle) and John Fina (sprained knee). Tight end Pete Russell (torn abdominal muscle) is doubtful. Definitely out are linebacker Mike Parker (broken ankle), running back Art Greathouse (heel), fullback Devon Robinson (back) and safety Marion Bates (ankle).