Article Launched: 09/04/2005 12:00:00 AM
Not satisfied
Jarrett, Bush lead Trojans
By Scott Wolf, Staff Writer
Receiver Dwayne Jarrett, right, is congratulated by Dominique Byrd after scoring one of his three touchdowns in USC's romp over Hawaii.Not satisfiedRomp over Hawaii not enough to please USCKevork Djansezian/Associated Press
USC's Steve Smith (2) loses his helmet as he's gang-tackled in the first quarter by Hawaii defenders.Jarrett, Bush lead TrojansBy Scott Wolf, Staff Writer HONOLULU - If USC coach Pete Carroll ever returns to the NFL, credit days like Saturday as a reason.
USC traveled almost 3,000 miles for its first game and learned virtually nothing Saturday in a 63-17 victory over Hawaii in front of 50,000 at Aloha Stadium.
With Hawaii alternating quarterbacks on each play and running a gimmicky offense, Carroll couldn't answer some of the questions he had about his defense. Another way of looking at it: USC's soft spots remain exposed, as Hawaii rolled up 23 first downs and 437 yards total offense.
"I was disappointed in myself, that I didn't get stuff done better for (the team)," Carroll said. "There were a couple things I didn't have that I needed in the game plan. They hunt and peck through you.
"They made some big-time catches and kicked my butt. That's the first thing I said to their coaches."
Only in college football can one feel this bad after a 46-point victory.
Everyone knew the offense was superb, and USC's new offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin, showcased tailback Reggie Bush like never before.
Bush ran and caught for 144 yards and. in a new twist, stayed in the game on goal-line offense, at the expense of LenDale White.
"Any back wants to be in there at the goal line," Bush said.
White was visibly upset about his reduced role, getting most of his 13 carries and 69 yards in garbage time.
"I can't control what happens," White said. "I have no clue what happened."
Carroll might be nearly as frustrated, trying to gauge the top-ranked Trojans against an unconventional offense from which a quarterback (Tyler Graunke) ran more than any of his running backs. But the Warriors lacked a running game, passing 49 times.
USC's defense, soft and vulnerable against Warriors offense that returned 6 percent of its receiving yards and 4 percent of its rushing yards from last season, needs to be fixed before facing Arkansas in two weeks.
"We have a lot of stuff we need to clean up," Carroll said.
The defensive line applied little pressure and committed several personal-foul penalties, and the secondary could have been embarrassed against a strong passing team. Even the linebackers made mistakes - the usually reliable Dallas Sartz was beaten on a 27-yard touchdown pass.
"That was a miscommunication between myself and the cornerback," Sartz said. "There's going to be some rust in the first game."
After that mistake, USC simply scored on a 67-yard pass from quarterback Matt Leinart to receiver Steve Smith.
It's a good thing quarterback Timmy Chang is no longer playing for the Warriors, or that this Trojans team didn't open against Virginia Tech,
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like last year's did.
Hawaii's weak defense masked the Trojans' shortcomings. The Warriors looked like they had 10 or fewer men on the field on some plays, with USC receivers strolling untouched into the end zone.
Receiver Dwayne Jarrett scored three touchdowns for the first time in his career, and Steve Smith caught seven passes for 185 yards.
So, who cared that Hawaii passed for 377 yards?
"They had a couple good concepts that messed up our rhythm," cornerback Justin Wyatt said. "We need to work on teams gashing us, because they did it a couple times."
It's difficult for the fans to worry much when touchdowns were coming so frequently. Hawaii defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville's blitzing style created a flurry of scoring opportunities for Leinart to exploit in his three quarters of work. Leinart (18 for 24, 332 yards, three touchdowns) wasn't overly impressed with his season debut.
"I have no excuses for some throws, even though it's hot and the ball's moist," Leinart said. "I did my job. We didn't bust anything out on offense. We just ran what we've done the past four years."
There were subtle differences. The offense seemed to favor a fancier array of passes to Bush, Jarrett and Smith. If there were any early signs of change without Norm Chow, the Trojans' offense highlighted Bush and attacked the outside, and White and tight end Dominique Byrd (one catch) had quiet games.
Byrd in particular made little impact, in part because he threw a ball at a Hawaii player and received a personal-foul penalty. Carroll was livid over USC's personal fouls and a couple of taunting displays in the end zone by Jarrett and Darnell Bing.
"I hated it," he said. "I just felt terrible about that. We got out of whack and took penalties we never do. I got to hammer them at halftime about it. That's not what we're about."
Glanville blitzed at all costs, but Carroll has changed his approach defensively, with less blitzing, primarily to protect the unproven cornerbacks. At one point in the third quarter, true freshman Kevin Ellison and sophomore Josh Pinkard were the safeties, with Bing resting a sore hip and Scott Ware taking a break.
"A lot of young guys got in there," Carroll said. "We planned on playing a lot of those guys. It was hot out there. But we played hard against a rough team."
Scott Wolf, (818) 713-3607
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