They Want Time on Their Side

USC ran its two-minute drill in practice Tuesday, hoping to smooth out the wrinkles that resulted in a miscue late in the Colorado game.

Quarterback Carson Palmer spiked the ball to stop the clock with 28 seconds left, but with the play clock running down and the offense not lined up, the team had to waste a timeout.

Coach Paul Hackett said he forgot that officials start the clock quickly after a spiked pass because no receivers have run downfield.

The team is also working on red-zone plays. USC drove inside the Colorado 20-yard line on its first possession but had a pass intercepted in the end zone. The next time down, Hackett elected to try for a field goal on fourth and one from the Colorado 13-yard line. Kicker David Newbury missed.

“I did not believe it would be the right thing to come away from two long drives with no points,” Hackett said of the fourth-down decision. “It never occurred to me that we would miss.”

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Defensive end Lonnie Ford, who twisted his back against Colorado, and cornerback Kris Richard, who injured his knee, are expected to miss practice this week. The team is optimistic that both will play Sept. 23 against San Jose State. . . . Offensive lineman Trevor Roberts, a projected starter who has yet to play because of a foot injury, ran in practice.