Foley, USC Come Up Short : John Hancock Bowl: Backup gets Trojans in position to beat Michigan State, but his errant pitch to Royster is costly.

EL PASO —  In a bid to write a storybook ending to his unusual season and a mostly unfulfilling career, backup quarterback Shane Foley had USC positioned to beat Michigan State Monday in the John Hancock Bowl.

A fourth-quarter replacement for Todd Marinovich, whose third interception of the day prompted Coach Larry Smith to bench him, Foley drove the Trojans within 17 yards of a go-ahead touchdown with 3 1/2 minutes left.

But Foley, whose efficiency and command of the offense outdistanced his physical ability, then botched the most basic play in USC’s offense, a pitchout to the tailback, and an opportunity was lost.

So was the game, which soon became a 17-16 victory for Michigan State.

“I think maybe I was concentrating too much on putting it in front of him instead of putting it right on his numbers,” Foley said of the pitch, which sailed wide of sophomore tailback Mazio Royster.

Royster eventually caught up to the ball, falling on it for a nine-yard loss at the Spartan 26-yard line.

Instead of third and short yardage, the Trojans had third and 11.

Forced to pass, Foley rolled to his left, firing incomplete toward flanker Gary Wellman, who slipped as he ran a sideline pattern.

On came Quin Rodriguez, who kicked his third field goal of the day, from 43 yards out, to cut the Trojans’ deficit to one point.

Because only 3:07 remained, it seemed an unusual call.

Explained Smith, who ordered the kick: “I thought I could hold them there with my defense, use our two timeouts, get the ball back in a two-minute offense, drive down, kick a field goal and win.”

Only a minor point in Smith’s dream scenario unfolded: USC used its timeouts.

Michigan State ran out the clock to wrap up the victory, its sixth in a row after a 2-3-1 start.

USC ended the season with an 8-4-1 record after a 5-1 start.

“It was bitter,” Smith said of the Trojans’ latest loss, which was played before a record crowd of 50,562 in the Sun Bowl.

USC outgained the Spartans, 336 yards to 215, but failed to score a touchdown after the first quarter and was victimized by four turnovers, including a second-quarter fumble into the end zone by Marinovich.

“Basically, it came down to two things--turnovers and missed scoring opportunities,” Smith said of the loss, the Trojans’ third in as many games against Michigan State in Smith’s four seasons at USC. “When you get down to the end zone, you’ve got to come away with some points.”

The Trojans dominated until Marinovich’s fumble, opening a 7-0 lead on a seven-yard pass from Marinovich to Wellman with 54 seconds left in the first quarter and limiting the Spartans to two first downs, one by penalty, through the middle of the second quarter.

But after Marinovich lost control of the ball on a fourth-and-goal play at Michigan State’s one-yard line, the Spartans rallied.

Quarterback Dan Enos led Michigan State on an 80-yard drive, completing all three of his passes for 38 yards to set up an 18-yard scoring run by tailback Hyland Hickson, who took a handoff on a draw play, cut back around right end and sprinted into the end zone for his 15th touchdown.

The Trojans kept the ball for the first nine minutes of the second half, but after reaching the Spartans’ seven-yard line, they stalled.

On first and goal, Marinovich threw incomplete into the end zone. Royster, who ran for 125 yards in 32 carries, was stopped for a three-yard loss on second down, and a third-down pass from Marinovich to fullback Scott Lockwood left the Trojans three yards short of the end zone.

USC settled for Rodriguez’s 20-yard field goal.

Enos and wide receiver Courtney Hawkins, who caught six passes for 106 yards and was voted the game’s most valuable player by the media, then combined for the play of the game.

On third and 13 at the Spartans’ 26-yard line, Enos lofted a long pass over the middle for Hawkins, who was sandwiched by cornerback Stephon Pace and strong safety Marcus Hopkins, but somehow managed to catch it.

“The turning point might have been when we had them in a hole and their guy went up and made the great catch,” Smith said. “He just went up and took it away from three of my defenders (including a late arrival).”

Enos misfired on his first five passes, completed eight in a row and wound up nine of 17 for 131 yards and a touchdown.

In the second and third quarters, he was hot.

His 21-yard touchdown pass to Hawkins with 2:53 left in the third quarter gave the Spartans the lead for good at 14-10 and was only his fourth scoring pass of the season, his first to a wide receiver.

Marinovich was then intercepted for the second time, setting up a career-long 52-yard field goal by John Langeloh, who beat USC with a 36-yarder with less than five minutes left in the 1988 Rose Bowl.

Rodriguez answered with a career-best 54-yard field goal.

Michigan State’s lead was 17-13 with 13:07 remaining. But Marinovich, who completed 18 for 30 passes for 174 yards, then had a third pass intercepted, this one tipped over Wellman’s head by middle linebacker Chuck Bullough to free safety Mike Iaquaniello.

If USC was to rally, it would be with Foley at quarterback. “I just felt we needed a change of pace,” Smith said.

How would the coach assess Marinovich’s performance? “I can’t really evaluate a player until I sit down and study the tapes,” Smith said.

An interception by Pace, who stepped in front of a pass by Enos intended for James Bradley, gave the Trojans the ball with 9:01 left.

Foley, his clean-cut image shattered last week when he was arrested for public intoxication in Newport Beach, had his chance.

He drove the Trojans 41 yards in nine plays, twice running for first downs on third-down keepers, but then came his wide pitch.

USC Notes

USC is 22-12 in bowl games but is 2-6 since 1977 and 1-3 under Coach Larry Smith. . . . . USC was 3-4-1 against teams that reached bowl games, 0-3-1 in the second half of the season. . . . After scoring six touchdowns against UCLA, USC scored none against Notre Dame and one against Michigan State. . . . Eric Moten, Michigan State’s all-Big Ten offensive guard, was ejected in the second quarter after punching USC defensive tackle Matt Willig. . . . Senior kicker Quinn Rodriguez ended the season with 19 field goals, breaking the USC record of Steve Jordan, who kicked 17 in the 1984 season. Rodriguez had 57 field goals in his career, another school record. . . . Rodriguez’s 54-yard field goal was the longest by a Trojan since 1986, when Don Shafer established a school record with a 60-yard field goal against Notre Dame. . . . USC linebacker Craig Hartsuyker, who had two sacks, including one that caused a fumble, was named lineman of the game.

USC flanker Gary Wellman caught three passes for 19 yards, giving him 1,015 receiving yards for the season, a school record. . . . Michigan State rushed for a season-low 84 yards, but tailbacks Tico Duckett and Hyland Hickson still ended the season as the most productive rushing tandem in Big Ten history, combining for 2,590 yards. . . . Hickson ran for 68 yards in 14 carries and Duckett ran for 18 in eight.