COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Trojans Make a Strong Case for Short-Handed Defense

In the two days leading up to its game against Arizona State, every player on USC’s defense had to deal with questions regarding suspended senior starters Israel Ifeanyi and Errick Herrin.

The questions ranged from: How will their replacements (defensive end Marcus Bonds and linebacker Brian Haas) do against the Sun Devils?

To: Will USC lose its title as the best-scoring defense in nation?

On Saturday, the Trojans answered the skeptics with their first shutout of the season in defeating Arizona State, 31-0.

“In my personal opinion, too much was made about the guys who weren’t playing, and not enough credit was given to the rest of the players on our defense and our coaching staff,” said Keith Burns, USC’s defensive coordinator.

“People overlooked the time and effort everyone has made to get to this point. I really want to give credit to our defensive coaches Dennis Thurman, Rod Marinelli, Joe Barry and Tim Prukop, who prepare the team every week to get to this point.”

If the Sun Devils had any illusions that USC’s defense would be distracted because of the absence of Ifeanyi and Herrin, who along with tailback Shawn Walters were withheld from the game pending an investigation regarding alleged payments from an agent, they were wrong.

With USC’s offense struggling for most of the first half, Arizona State had many opportunities to score, but found itself matched up against an inspired and deep Trojan defense that began the game giving up only nine points a game.

“We lost two soldiers, but we knew that we still had to fight the war,” said Bonds, who played well in place of Ifeanyi. “We wanted to show everybody that we have a complete team.”

The defense made its biggest statement at the start of the fourth quarter, holding a 24-0 lead.

In a span of nearly nine minutes and 23 plays, Arizona State marched 73 yards to USC’s seven-yard line.

The Sun Devils came up short four times.

“[Not scoring] was crushing,” Arizona State Coach Bruce Snyder said. “I think you’ve got to make the play when the play is called. To get down there and not get in the end zone was very disappointing to us.”

But not for USC.

“We’ve had opportunities for shutouts all year but they just slipped away from us,” said Haas, a fifth-year senior who helped stuff Arizona State’s running game throughout the game. “We really wanted a shutout in this game.”

In USC’s locker room afterward, there were many defensive standouts, including safety Sammy Knight (a team-high nine tackles), linebacker Scott Fields (eight tackles and an interception), and defensive linemen Willie Lowery (six tackles) and Matt Keneley (five tackles, including two sacks).

However, the two players receiving the most attention were Bonds and Haas.

“We’re a team with a lot of depth,” Fields said. “I’m very confident in Brian Haas and his ability. And everybody has seen Marcus Bonds play, he’s just like a starter. It shows we’re a top team. That’s what No. 1 teams do. Every team has some type of letdown or has something happen that messes the flow up. Good teams always find a way to rise to the top.”

Said Haas: “I’ve been around here for a long time, but I’ve always been ready to play because our practices are a lot harder than games. So, I really didn’t feel any pressure. I was just glad to get a chance to play. This is definitely the best night of my life.”