University Southern California Trojans

Trojans Host Bruins Saturday
November 14, 1999 | Football
Nov. 14, 1999
LOS ANGELES - It's the 69th meeting in this classic intracity rivalry and the 70th anniversary of the first game (a 76-0 USC win in 1929). There are many similarities between USC and UCLA, as both teams have identical-yet disappointing-records, both snapped long losing streaks last weekend with 3-point wins, both have lost a starting quarterback to a broken collarbone and both will start a quarterback who never figured in the plans back in August. USC is looking to end an 8-game losing skid against the Bruins. It's been nearly 60 years since both teams entered the game with losing records. The game is nearly sold out and will be shown live regionally by ABC-TV.
THE FACTS--USC (4-6 overall, 2-5 Pac-10) vs. UCLA (4-6, 2-5), Saturday, Nov. 20, 12:30 p.m. (PST), Los Angeles Coliseum
RANKINGS--Neither USC nor UCLA are ranked.
SERIES-USC leads the series with crosstown rival UCLA, 34-27-7 (dating to 1929). But Troy has lost the last 8 contests (the longest losing streak by either team in the series), snapping USC's 4-game unbeaten string over UCLA. Six of USC's losses in that 8-game streak were by a touchdown or less.
In games in the Coliseum, USC holds a 32-20-7 edge. In the last Coliseum game in 1997, USC lost 31-24. The Bruins scored on the opening series on a 9-yard TD pass from QB Cade McNown to TE Mike Grieb. On USC's first offensive play, WR R. Jay Soward hauled in a dramatic 80-yard TD bomb from QB John Fox. But UCLA came right back on its next possession, with TB Skip Hicks running 16 yards for the score. After being stopped by UCLA on its next series, USC CB Anthony Volsan recovered a fumbled Bruin punt return on the UCLA 24-yard line and the Trojans converted 3 plays later as Fox hit WR Mike Bastianelli for a 17-yard TD, making it 14-14 still in the first quarter. Troy grabbed the lead early in the second quarter as TB Chad Morton jetted 49 yards for a TD. But UCLA answered on the following series on McNown's 8-yard scoring pass to FL Jim McElroy. Things calmed down until midway through the third quarter when McNown and Grieb hooked up again, this time for a 38-yard TD. The Bruins stretched their third quarter lead to 31-21 on PK-P Chris Sailer's 32-yard field goal. USC threatened twice in the fourth quarter, but Fox was picked off both times, first at the goal line by CB Javelin Guidry (on a pass from the Bruin 16) and then by ROV Wasswa Serwanga on the UCLA 23 after recovering an onside kick with 2:08 to play following a 36-yard field goal by PK Adam Abrams. Soward equalled his then-career best for receptions with 8 for 181 yards, Fox was 14-of-34 for 258 yards, TB Delon Washington led USC in rushing with 67 yards on 10 carries and Morton had 64 yards on 10 rushes. McNown was brilliant for UCLA, passing (15-of-24 for 213 yards, including 6-of-7 for 91 yards in the second half) and running (48 yards on 11 carries). Hicks ran for a game-best 117 yards on 25 carries.
Last year in the Rose Bowl, USC fell 34-17 giving the No. 3 Bruins their 20th consecutive win (including a school record-tying 10th in 1998). USC was hampered by 7 turnovers (5 fumbles and 2 interceptions) and UCLA scored 13 points off those giveaways. USC got out to a 3-0 lead on a 36-yard field goal by PK Adam Abrams after LB Zeke Moreno intercepted QB Cade McNown's pass (it was popped in the air after LB Chris Claiborne leveled a Bruin receiver) on the game's second play. But UCLA scored touchdowns on its next 2 possessions, first on a 4-yard McNown pass to TB DeShaun Foster and then on a 1-yard Foster plunge after a Trojan fumble. After Claiborne intercepted a McNown pass and ran it 66 yards early in the second quarter, USC closed to 14-10 on a 4-yard pass from QB Carson Palmer to TE Antoine Harris. However, the Bruins opened up a 27-10 halftime lead after Foster's 65-yard TD gallop and a pair of field goals by PK Chris Sailer (38 and 26 yards) that followed Trojan fumbles. USC allowed UCLA only 9 yards in the third quarter and moved to within 27-17 midway through the quarter on a 1-yard run by TB Petros Papadakis. But UCLA answered with another 1-yard run by Foster early in the fourth quarter. It was Foster's fourth TD of the day, tying the UCLA and USC opponent single game marks. He ran for 109 yards on 15 carries overall. For USC, TB Chad Morton rushed for a game-high 120 yards on 19 tries, Palmer was 28-of-43 (both career bests) for 252 yards, while WR Windrell Hayes caught a game-high 9 passes for 95 yards and WR Billy Miller added 6 grabs for 64 yards. USC held UCLA to only 104 total yards in the second half (just 15 passing). McNown, who became the first starting quarterback to win 4 games in the series, was 12-of-20 for 146 yards. Sadly, 91-year-old USC "Super Fan" Giles Pellerin, who had viewed in person every USC football game since 1926 home and away (797 consecutive), including every USC-UCLA game ever played, died of cardiac arrest while at the game.
HACKETT VS. UCLA-Although Paul Hackett lost to UCLA in his USC head coaching debut in 1998, he saw Troy post a 4-1 record against the Bruins during his 5 years as a Trojan assistant (1976-80).
IN THE COLISEUM-USC has a 354-115-27 (.741) all-time record in the Coliseum since the stadium opened in 1923.
CLOSE LOSSES-This is the first season ever that USC has lost 6 games all by 10 points or less.
YOUNG TEAM-On USC's 44-man 2-deep, 35 players are non-seniors, including 15 who are starters (there's only 1 senior defensive starter).
USC-UCLA CONNECTIONS-UCLA head coach Bob Toledo was the secondary coach at USC from 1976 to 1978 (the Trojans won the 1978 national title and a pair of Rose Bowls in that span) and current Trojan head coach Paul Hackett was on the USC staff at that time, while current USC assistant Dennis Thurman was a player during Toledo's Trojan tenure...Hackett and Toledo were competitors during their collegiate playing days at UC Davis and San Francisco State, respectively...Toledo and USC assistant Shawn Slocum were assistants together at Texas A&M, while Toledo and USC assistant Steve Greatwood worked together at Oregon...USC TE-SNP Pat Swanson's father, Mike, was a middle linebacker, center and long snapper for UCLA in the mid-1960s...UCLA OLB Ryan Nece is the son of ex-USC All-American S Ronnie Lott (1977-80)...UCLA assistant coach Gary Bernardi was a USC assistant (1987-92)...UCLA SE Danny Farmer is the nephew of ex-USC FB Dave Farmer (1974-76), cousin of ex-USC infielder Ryan Stromsborg (1995-96)--whose brother, OLB Kevin Stromsborg, is on the Bruin football team--and grandson of ex-USC basketballer Steve Miletich (1942)...USC men's basketball coach Henry Bibby played on 3 UCLA NCAA title teams (1970-72), earning All-American honors in 1972...Fred Stroock, USC's special assistant to the A.D., worked 8 years at UCLA in academic services, while USC men's and women's water polo head coach Jovan Vavic was a Bruin men's assistant in 1991 and USC head trainer Russ Romano spent 1997 at UCLA...UCLA women's basketball coach Kathy Olivier was a USC assistant for 3 years (1984-86), including on Troy's 1984 NCAA championship team...USC CB Kris Richard's mother is a UCLA alum.
LAST GAME-USC-behind the play of TB Chad Morton and QB John Fox on offense and some timely defense-snapped a 5-game losing streak by beating Washington State, 31-28, before 23,065 fans on an unseasonably warm day (72 degrees) in Pullman and a live ABC-TV regional audience. USC scored on its first 3 possessions, the first 2 on Morton touchdown runs (7 and 3 yards) in the first quarter and then a 34-yard field goal by PK David Newbury early in the second quarter. The Cougars responded after Morton's first score as RB Deon Burnett ran for a 22-yard TD and again just before halftime on a tricky 24-yard scoring pass from WR Collin Henderson (who took a lateral from QB Steve Birnbaum) to WR Marcus Williams. USC opened up a 17-point lead by scoring on its first possession of the second half (a 1-yard Morton TD run) and then when CB Kris Richard went 6 yards for a TD after he intercepted Birnbaum's pass on WSU's ensuing drive. But the Cougars made a game of it as Birnbaum hit WR Nian Taylor for a pair of 5-yard scores (the first coming on the series after Richard's pick and the second late in the fourth quarter). In between, the Cougars squandered 2 scoring opportunities as USC stopped them on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line on the first one (WSU actually had 7 tries starting at the 6-yard line) and then saw a 43-yard WSU field goal sail wide. Morton ran for a game-high 117 yards (with the 3 TDs) on 29 carries and Fox threw for 117 yards on 12-of-22 passing while playing the entire contest. WSU had the statistical edge, getting more first downs (25-16), total yards (420-318) and plays (75-66). Burnett rushed for 96 yards on 24 tries, Birnbaum was 24-of-42 for 284 yards and Williams had a 7 catches for 121 yards (both game bests). USC was penalized 15 times for 140 yards and WSU was flagged 12 times for 68 yards. S Ifeanyi Ohalete led Troy with 11 tackles, CB Darrell Rideaux added 9 stops and LB Zeke Moreno had 8.
1999 USC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (4-6)
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME/RESULT |
| Sept. 4 | at Hawaii | W 62-7 |
| Sept. 18 | San Diego State | W 24-21 |
| Sept. 25 | at Oregon | L 30-33 (3OT) |
| Oct. 2 | Oregon State | W 37-29 |
| Oct. 9 | at Arizona | L 24-31 |
| Oct. 16 | at Notre Dame | L 24-25 |
| Oct. 23 | Stanford | L 31-35 |
| Oct. 30 | at California | L 7-17 |
| Nov. 6 | Arizona State | L 16-26 |
| Nov. 13 | at Washington State | W 31-28 |
| Nov. 20 | UCLA | 12:30 p.m. (ABC) |
| Nov. 26 | Louisiana Tech | 3:30 p.m. (FSN) |
TICKETS--Tickets for the USC-UCLA game, priced at $46, are available at the USC Ticket Office (213-740-GO SC).
RADIO-TV-Live regional TV: 12:30 p.m. (PST), ABC-TV, Charlie Jones, Dan Fouts.
Local cable TV replay: 1 p.m. (PST), Sunday (Nov. 21), FOX Sports West 2, Tom Kelly, Craig Fertig.
Live local radio: 10:30 a.m. (PST), XTRA-AM (690), Lee Hamilton, Paul McDonald, Tim Ryan, John Fricke (includes 1-hour USC pre- and post-game shows sandwiched by 1-hour college football pre- and post-game shows). Five other stations are included on the USC radio network: KCTD-AM 1540 in Los Angeles, KGEO-AM 1230 in Bakersfield, KSHP-AM 1400 in Las Vegas, Nev., KDEF-AM 1150 in Albuquerque, N.M. and KAXX-AM 1020 in Anchorage, Ak. Fans also can hear the live XTRA broadcast on the Internet as a "cybercast" (type http://www.usctrojans.com) or can pay to listen to it live on the phone by dialing 1-800-846-4675 ext. 5933. Also, 10:30 a.m. (PST), XTRA-AM (1150), Chris Roberts, Billy Ray Smith, Matt Stevens.
USC Sports Magazine Show: 5:30 p.m. (PST), Thursday (Nov. 18), FOX Sports West, Tom Kelly. Also, 6:30 p.m. (PST), Thursday (Nov. 18), midnight (PST), Friday (Nov. 19), FOX Sports Net West 2.
USC Trojan Talk: 7 p.m. (PST), Sundays during football season, KDWN-AM (720), Harvey Hyde, Chuck Hayes. Fans also can hear the live KDWN broadcast on the Internet as a cybercast" (type http://www.usctrojans.com).
USC HOTLINE--Dial (213) 743-2989 for a brief taped interview with USC coach Paul Hackett.
INFO CONNECTION--Dial (800) 300-2050, passcode 72210, for the Pac-10 Info Connection, a fax-on-demand system that provides access to press releases from the Pac-10 Office and all Pac-10 schools on a 24-hour-a-day basis. Media callers must have a PIN number (which can be obtained by calling 770-399-0096).
USC ONLINE--The USC athletic department has an official "home page" on the World Wide Web, featuring current and historical information about Trojan sports. For access, type http://www.usctrojans.com.
IT'S NOT SOUTHERN CAL--Note to the media: In abbreviated references to athletic teams of the University of Southern California, the following are preferred: USC, Southern California, So. California, Troy, Trojans and (for women's teams) Women of Troy. PLEASE do not use Southern Cal.
PAC-10 ONLINE--Pac-10 information, press releases, statistics and links to all league schools are available online at http://www.pac-10.org.
PAC-10 SATELLITE FEED--The Pac-10 provides a weekly satellite feed featuring interviews with coaches and selected players regarding upcoming games along with highlight footage. The half hour feed airs every Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. (PST) through Nov. 24. Coordinates are GE2, Transponder 6 (C-Band). Trouble numbers: 310-543-1835 or 310-286 3749 or pager 888-423-0095 or 925-932-4411.
PAC-10 STANDINGS
| PAC | 10 | OVER | ALL | |
| W | L | W | L | |
| STAN | 6 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| ORE | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| WASH | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| OSU | 4 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| ASU | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| ARIZ | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| CAL | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| USC | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| UCLA | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| WSU | 1 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
AP POLL
| 1. | Florida State |
| 2. | Virginia Tech |
| 3. | Florida |
| 4. | Nebraska |
| 5. | Wisconsin |
| 6. | Texas |
| 7. | Tennessee |
| 8. | Alabama |
| 9. | Kansas State |
| 10. | Michigan |
| 11. | Marshall |
| 12. | Mississippi State |
| 13. | Penn State |
| 14. | Georgia Tech |
| 15. | Michigan State |
| 16. | Mississippi |
| 17. | Minnesota |
| 18. | Southern Miss |
| 19. | BYU |
| 19. | Purdue |
| 21. | Georgia |
| 22. | Arkansas |
| 23. | East Carolina |
| 24. | Texas A&M |
| 25. | Boston College |
USA TODAY/ESPN POLL
| 1. | Florida State |
| 2. | Virginia Tech |
| 3. | Florida |
| 4. | Nebraska |
| 5. | Wisconsin |
| 6. | Texas |
| 7. | Tennessee |
| 8. | Alabama |
| 9. | Kansas State |
| 10. | Michigan |
| 11. | Marshall |
| 12. | Georgia Tech |
| 13. | Penn State |
| 14. | Michigan State |
| 15. | Mississippi State |
| 16. | Mississippi |
| 17. | Southern Miss |
| 18. | Minnesota |
| 19. | BYU |
| 20. | Texas A&M |
| 21. | East Carolina |
| 22. | Boston College |
| 23. | Georgia |
| 24. | Arkansas |
| 25. | Purdue |
USC VS. UCLA (34-27-7)
| 1929 | W | 76- 0 | H |
| 1930 | W | 52- 0 | A |
| 1936 | T | 7- 7 | H |
| 1937 | W | 19-13 | A |
| 1938 | W | 42- 7 | H |
| 1939 | T | 0- 0 | A |
| 1940 | W | 28-12 | H |
| 1941 | T | 7- 7 | A |
| 1942 | L | 7-14 | H |
| 1943 | W | 20- 0 | A |
| 1943 | W | 26-13 | H |
| 1944 | T | 13-13 | H |
| 1944 | W | 40-13 | A |
| 1945 | W | 13- 6 | A |
| 1945 | W | 26-15 | H |
| 1946 | L | 6-13 | A |
| 1947 | W | 6- 0 | H |
| 1948 | W | 20-13 | A |
| 1949 | W | 21- 7 | H |
| 1950 | L | 0-39 | A |
| 1951 | L | 7-21 | H |
| 1952 | W | 14-12 | A |
| 1953 | L | 0-13 | H |
| 1954 | L | 0-34 | A |
| 1955 | L | 7-17 | H |
| 1956 | W | 10- 7 | A |
| 1957 | L | 9-20 | H |
| 1958 | T | 15-15 | A |
| 1959 | L | 3-10 | H |
| 1960 | W | 17- 6 | A |
| 1961 | L | 7-10 | H |
| 1962 | W | 14- 3 | A |
| 1963 | W | 26- 6 | H |
| 1964 | W | 34-13 | A |
| 1965 | L | 16-20 | H |
| 1966 | L | 7-14 | A |
| 1967 | W | 21-20 | H |
| 1968 | W | 28-16 | A |
| 1969 | W | 14-12 | H |
| 1970 | L | 20-45 | A |
| 1971 | T | 7- 7 | H |
| 1972 | W | 24- 7 | A |
| 1973 | W | 23-13 | H |
| 1974 | W | 34- 9 | A |
| 1975 | L | 22-25 | H |
| 1976 | W | 24-14 | A |
| 1977 | W | 29-27 | H |
| 1978 | W | 17-10 | A |
| 1979 | W | 49-14 | H |
| 1980 | L | 17-20 | A |
| 1981 | W | 22-21 | H |
| 1982 | L | 19-20 | A |
| 1983 | L | 17-27 | H |
| 1984 | L | 10-29 | A |
| 1985 | W | 17-13 | H |
| 1986 | L | 25-45 | A |
| 1987 | W | 17-13 | H |
| 1988 | W | 31-22 | A |
| 1989 | T | 10-10 | H |
| 1990 | W | 45-42 | A |
| 1991 | L | 21-24 | H |
| 1992 | L | 37-38 | A |
| 1993 | L | 21-27 | H |
| 1994 | L | 19-31 | A |
| 1995 | L | 20-24 | H |
| 1996 | L | 41-48 (2OT) | A |
| 1997 | L | 24-31 | H |
| 1998 | L | 17-34 | A |
All games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, except Away games after 1981, which were played at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
SCHEDULE--USC's 12-game schedule in 1999 is as challenging as ever (the Trojans have played slates ranked among the nation's 5 most difficult in 4 of the past 6 years). The Trojans played 4 of their first 6 contests on the road, but finish with 4 of their final 6 at home. Troy opened the season at Hawaii, played at Oregon, Arizona, Notre Dame, California and Washington State. San Diego State, Oregon State, Stanford and Arizona State have visited the Coliseum, with UCLA (which has won 8 in a row over USC) and Louisiana Tech (in the regular-season finale on the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend) still coming up at home.
CAPTAINS--USC's 3 season captains are TB Chad Morton (offense), S David Gibson (defense) and S Ifeanyi Ohalete (special teams). Morton, who was also a captain in 1998, is USC's first two-time captain since Dan Caley in 1902 and 1903 (and only the fourth Trojan ever).
FUN FACT-This is only the fourth time that both USC and UCLA have faced each other with losing records. The other years were 1941, 1940 and 1937.
USC: COLLEGE OF THE YEAR 2000--USC has been chosen as the "College of the Year" by the 2000 edition of the Time/The Princeton Review College Guide. USC was chosen because of the remarkable bonds the university has forged with local schools, community residents, police, businesses and community organizations. "More institutions might do well to emulate USC's enlightened self-interest," according to the guide's editors. "For not only has the 'hood dramatically improved, but so has the university." The editors cited the university's model of service learning -- the practice of applying academic theory to real-life situations through public service -- as their main reason for choosing USC as college of the year, saying USC has one of the most ambitious social-outreach programs of any university in the nation. USC also has seen its undergraduate applications nearly double over the last few years and is enrolling the most academically accomplished freshman class in its history. And USC is the only university in history to have received three individual gifts of $100 million or more ($110 million by the Keck Foundation to the School of Medicine, $120 million by Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg to establish the USC Annenberg Center for Communication and $100 million from Alfred E. Mann to establish the Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering).
HACKETT--Energetic and innovative Paul Hackett, a one-time USC assistant coach who has been on coaching staffs that have won a national championship in college and a Super Bowl in the pros, made an immediate mark on the Trojan football program upon his return to Troy as its head football coach.
In his first year at USC's helm, he led the Trojans to an 8-5 record in 1998 (5-3 in the Pac-10 for a third place tie) and a berth in the Sun Bowl.
With his 1998 opening win over Purdue, he became the first head coach to win his Trojan debut since Jess Hill in 1951, and by starting off 3-0, he became only the third Trojan coach since 1915 to win his first three games (joining Hill in 1951 and the legendary Howard Jones in 1925). Hackett is 1 of only 2 USC head coaches to have won their first outing against Notre Dame (John Robinson is the other). Hackett, Robinson and Larry Smith are the only USC coaches to have guided squads to a bowl game in their first seasons at Troy. The 52-year-old Hackett signed a 5-year contract to replace Robinson on Dec. 17, 1997.
Regarded as one of the game's most progressive offensive coaches, he has 30 years of experience as a college and professional assistant and head coach. He has tutored some of football's top players--including Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, Jerry Rice, Andre Rison, Tony Dorsett, Steve Bartkowski, Charles White, Brian Sipe, Herschel Walker, Danny White, Dwight Clark and Vince Evans--and has worked under such head coaches as Bill Walsh, Tom Landry, Marty Schottenheimer and Robinson. Before coming to Troy, Hackett was the offensive coordinator at Kansas City for 5 years (1993-97). The Chiefs advanced to the NFL playoffs in 4 of those years, including 1997.
Before that, he was at the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92), the first season as the quarterbacks coach and then 3 seasons as the Panthers' head coach (posting a 13-20-1 record). As a college coach, he has a 25-31-1 overall mark in 4 seasons (including 12-11 in his second year at USC).
Hackett began his coaching career for 3 seasons (1969-71) at his alma mater, UC Davis. He then was an assistant at California for 4 years (1972-75). Then, at age 29, Hackett moved to USC for 5 years (1976-80), where under Robinson he was in charge of the quarterbacks and receivers for the first 2 years and then the quarterbacks and passing game the final 3 years.
During his Trojan tenure, USC was the 1978 national champion, won 4 bowl games (including 3 Rose Bowls), posted a 50-8-2 record and produced a Heisman Trophy winner (White). Hackett began his pro coaching career as quarterbacks coach with the Cleveland Browns for 2 seasons (1981-82).
He next was the quarterbacks and receivers coach with the San Francisco 49ers for 3 years (1983-85). The 49ers won Super Bowl XIX in the 1984 season. He then became the pass offense coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys for 3 years (1986-88) before returning to the college ranks at Pitt.
A 3-year starting quarterback at UC Davis (1966-68), Hackett collects old music juke boxes filled with 1950s and 1960s rock 'n roll music. A rock music fan, he sat in the front row at the final Beatles concert, held in 1966 in Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Born on July 5, 1947 in Burlington, Vt., he shares a birthday with former USC head coach John McKay. One son, David, is an administrative assistant with the USC football program and the other, Nathaniel, is a redshirt freshman on UC Davis' football team.
MORTON--Exciting senior tailback Chad Morton (208 tcb, 914 yds, 4.4 avg, 12 TD in 1999, plus 17 rec for a 4.6 avg, 16.8 KOR avg and 7.6 PR avg), a lightning-quick jitterbug style runner, is in his second season as the starting tailback. He's on the 1999 Doak Walker Award "Watch List".
With a 91.4 rushing average per game (fifth in the Pac-10), he's on pace to break the 1,000-yard rushing barrier in 1999. His 12 rushing TDs in 1999 are the most by a Trojan since Marcus Allen had 22 in his 1981 Heisman Trophy season.
The one-time defensive back has found his niche on offense, where he has 2,284 rushing yards (10th on USC's career rushing list) for a 4.9 average per carry--including 100-yard outings 11 times (3 in 1999)--on 463 carries with 15 scores as a tailback. He was just 15 yards shy of running for 1,000 yards last fall (985 yards), had a half dozen 100-yard games and ended up second in the Pac-10 in rushing (96.7). He also was used occasionally returning kicks (he took USC's first kickoff of 1998 back 98 yards for a touchdown) and punts, something he's doing again in 1999.
He is tied for 16th on USC's career punt return list (376 yards). For the second year in a row, he is a USC captain, the first time that's happened at Troy since Dan Caley in 1902 and 1903 (and only the fourth time in history). And he stars in the classroom, where he has been a 3-time Pac-10 All-Academic first teamer, a 2-time GTE Academic All-District VIII first teamer and, with a 3.43 GPA as a sociology major, he's a top candidate for Academic All-American honors in 1999. He was named a 1999 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete (one of 9 Division I-A seniors), entitling him to an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship (he will be honored at a Dec. 7 dinner in New York City).
USC CAREER RUSHING LEADERS
(Includes bowl games)
| TCB | NYG | AVG. | |||
| 1. | Charles White | 1147 | 6245 | 5.44 | |
| 2. | Marcus Allen | 932 | 4810 | 5.16 | |
| 3. | Anthony Davis | 784 | 3724 | 4.75 | |
| 4. | Ricky Bell | 710 | 3689 | 5.20 | |
| 5. | O.J. Simpson | 674 | 3423 | 5.08 | |
| 6. | Mike Garrett | 612 | 3221 | 5.27 | |
| 7. | Fred Crutcher | 670 | 2815 | 4.20 | |
| 8. | Ricky Ervins | 488 | 2337 | 4.79 | |
| 9. | Clarence Davis | 511 | 2323 | 4.54 | |
| 10. | Chad Morton | 463 | 2284 | 4.93 |
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT CHAD MORTON
Former USC running back Shawn Walters: "He makes runs like you only see on 'John Madden Football.'"
Former Oregon State head coach Jerry Pettibone: "He's one of the most exciting runners I've seen in a long time." USC offensive coordinator Hue Jackson: "He's like the Energizer Bunny out there. Any time you can put the ball in a guy's hands who is a threat to get to the end zone, that makes a difference. Everything doesn't have to be perfect for Chad to make a play. When things aren't exactly the way you wanted, he can squirt out and make a play. Pound for pound, he might be the best player I've ever coached. He's exceptionally fast, has quick feet, real good vision, and he's hard to tackle one on one."
Former USC Butkus Award winning linebacker Chris Claiborne: "Chad brings a lot of speed to the game. He's the kind of guy who stretches the defense." Former USC safety Rashard Cook: "Chad can score on you in a second. He has to scare you every time he touches the ball. He hits the hole so fast and is right on top of you. As a defensive back, you know if you miss the tackle it's a touchdown."
Mike Waldner, South Bay Daily Breeze: "Pencil him in as USC's little big man...He has sensational speed. He also has the outstanding runner's knack of dipping in to make a sweep appear as if it is a run at tackle. Then he cruises back a few yards as he is running laterally to the line of scrimmage and explodes to the outside, turning upfield for a big gain. And he is tough. He may get beat up. But he does not back down."
SOWARD--Senior R. Jay Soward (45 rec, 12.1 avg, 3 TD in 1999, plus 7 tcb for a 6.0 avg, a 12.8 PR avg with a TD and a 21.5 KOR avg) is perhaps America's most explosive collegiate wideout. He is 18th nationally in punt returns (12.8 avg, second in the Pac-10). His 45 catches in 1999 is 19th on USC's season reception list.
A 1999 pre-season All-American who was on the 1999 Biletnikoff Award "Watch List", he has scored a touchdown every 8.5 times he has touched the ball in his career (31 TDs on 264 plays) and those scores have averaged 48.5 yards each (1,502 yards). He has scored 4 different ways (22 on receptions, 3 on kickoff returns, 3 on reverses and 3 on punt returns).
A 3-year starter, he is fourth on USC's career reception list (155 grabs, 17th on the all-time Pac-10 list), second on the all-time kickoff return chart (1,414 yards) and 18th on the career punt return ladder (342 yards). In his career, he has 24 plays of 40-plus yards (6 for 80-plus yards). With 6 scoring punt/kickoff returns, he is within reach of the NCAA record of 8.
USC CAREER PASS CATCHING LEADERS
(Includes bowl games)
| NO. | YDS | AVG. | TD | |||
| 1. | Johnnie Morton | 201 | 3201 | 15.93 | 23 | |
| 2. | Keyshawn Johnson | 168 | 2796 | 16.64 | 16 | |
| 3. | John Jackson | 163 | 2379 | 14.60 | 17 | |
| 4. | R. Jay Soward | 155 | 2454 | 16.21 | 22 |
USC CAREER KICKOFF RETURN LEADERS
(Includes bowl games)
| NO. | YDS | AVG. | TD | ||
| 1. | Curtis Conway | 73 | 1723 | 23.60 | 1 |
| 2. | R. Jay Soward | 56 | 1414 | 25.25 | 3 |
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT R. JAY SOWARD
South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz: "He's one of the great receivers I've seen. Throw him a 4-yard hitch and he can turn it into a 70-yard gain. He reminds me so much of Raghib Ismail, the way he does things with his quickness, abilities and talent."
Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie: "I can't imagine there are many receivers in this country better than him. He reminds me an awful lot of Terry Glenn, who played at Ohio State. He's an excellent return man and a game-breaker player."
California head coach Tom Holmoe: "We just couldn't stop him." Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti: "R. Jay Soward is probably the most dangerous player in the conference. He forces you to do things you don't want to do and commit more to cover him."
Oregon State head coach Dennis Erickson: "He has unbelievable speed. He is very athletic. He is probably one of the best, if not the best, receivers in college football right now. He is a threat all the time. He is a guy you must keep in front of you because he is a game breaker. He creates concern for everyone who plays against USC."
Robyn Norwood, Los Angeles Times: "You don't see many like Soward. He has become a cornerback's nightmare."
Earl Gustkey, Los Angeles Times: "At USC, R. Jay Soward is the preferred new spelling for E-X-P-L-O-S-I-V-E."
Lyle Spencer, Riverside Press-Enterprise: "He's a burner blessed with the explosiveness and fearlessness of Keyshawn Johnson."
Steve Bisheff, Orange County Register: "With Soward, it's not just speed. It is moves. It is an innate ability to make tacklers miss that only the naturally gifted broken-field runners possess."
Phil Collin, South Bay Daily Breeze: "His chatty personality is a perfect compliment to his ability, which throws a scare into opponents, draws gasps from USC fans and tests the patience of anyone within hearing distance. He has been compared to USC's legendary talker, Keyshawn Johnson, which Soward takes as a compliment. But more important, he is also being compared to Johnson as a player who will deliver the big play, whether it's as a wide receiver or kick returner. For all the talk, it's not all swagger."
Ed Graney, San Diego Union-Tribune: "You really have to see Soward in person to appreciate his ability. His is an extra gear that separates from defenders, combined with the kind of instincts that set him apart. He really is incredible."
USC wide receivers coach Mike Wilson: "R. Jay has great potential. I've played with Jerry Rice. I've coached James Jett and Tim Brown. R. Jay has the speed to play at that level if he continues to work hard and stay focused. He's extremely confident. There's nothing wrong with it. He has the energy you need to be a successful player."
USC quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst: "It's scary. He's got a gear when he gets going. He puts it in gear and it's like the Millennium Falcon, he puts it in super-space. Or hyper-space...On a deep route, you just try to get back as quick as you can and throw it as far as you can...I have yet to see him overthrown...No matter how far you throw it, if you put enough air on it, he's going to catch up with the ball."
USC quarterback Carson Palmer: "I just have faith in him that he's going to go up and get the ball. He's so fast, opponents have to respect his speed, but they can't overplay him. If you're expecting a deep catch, he'll take a quick hitch and outrun you, he's so hard to tackle in the open field."
R. JAY SOWARD'S CAREER LONG PLAYS (40-PLUS YARDS)
| YARDS | PLAY | OPPONENT | YEAR | ||
| 98 (TD) | KOR | Arizona State | 1996 | ||
| 97 (TD) | Rec. | Illinois | 1996 | ||
| 95 (TD) | KOR | Washington State | 1997 | ||
| 85 (TD) | PR | Oregon State | 1999 | ||
| 80 (TD) | PR | California | 1998 | ||
| 80 (TD) | Rec. | UCLA | 1997 | ||
| 78 (TD) | KOR | Washington State | 1996 | ||
| 78 (TD) | Rec. | UCLA | 1996 | ||
| 78 (TD) | Rec. | UNLV | 1997 | ||
| 77 (TD) | Rec. | California | 1998 | ||
| 74 (TD) | PR | San Diego State | 1998 | ||
| 66 | Rec. | UCLA | 1996 | ||
| 65 (TD) | Rec. | California | 1997 | ||
| 64 (TD) | Rec. | Stanford | 1999 | ||
| 62 | KOR | Arizona State | 1998 | ||
| 60 (TD) | Rec. | UCLA | 1996 | ||
| 56 | KOR | Houston | 1996 | ||
| 53 (TD) | Rec. | San Diego State | 1998 | ||
| 49 | KOR | Notre Dame | 1996 | ||
| 44 (TD) | Rec. | UNLV | 1997 | ||
| 44 | Rec. | Notre Dame | 1998 | ||
| 42 | Run | San Diego State | 1998 | ||
| 42 | Rec. | Washington State | 1999 | ||
| 40 | Rec. | UCLA | 1997 |
QUARTERBACKS--USC features 3 quarterbacks ranked in the school's career Top 15 passing chart and each has started at least 8 games. With the injury to sophomore Carson Palmer (39-of-53, 73.6%, 490 yds, 3 TD, 3 int in 1999) at Oregon, re-assuming the starting quarterback role the next 5 games (Oregon State, Arizona, Notre Dame, Stanford and California) was junior Mike Van Raaphorst (139-of-258, 53.9%, 1,758 yds, 8 TD, 9 int in 1999), who started USC's first 8 games of 1998 before giving way to Palmer. He also started twice in 1997. He is ninth on USC's career passing list (232 completions) and 19th on the all-time total offense chart (2,809 yards), and owns the USC single game passing yardage record (415 yards versus Stanford in 1999) and total offense mark (390 yards against Stanford in 1999). His 139 completions in 1999 is good for 14th on USC's season passing ladder.
The starter the past 2 games (Arizona State and Washington State) was senior John Fox (39-of-71, 54.9%, 491 yds, 1 TD, 1 int in 1999), who started 9 games at quarterback in 1997 but was No. 3 last season and didn't take a snap (he also played briefly at tight end and on special teams in 1998). Fox switched to linebacker in 1999 and spent the first 3 games as USC's utility player: he was the holder on all placekicks, he was on the kickoff and kick return teams, he was the protection man on punts, he saw action as a reserve inside linebacker and he was the emergency quarterback. He concentrates on quarterback and holder now, he played quarterback most of the second half at California before starting versus ASU. He is 11th on Troy's all-time passing ladder (192 completions). Palmer opened eyes in the college football world with his impressive play as a true freshman in 1998...and he improved on that as the starter in the first 3 games in 1999 before being sidelined with a broken right collarbone. Already, he ranks 15th on USC' career passing chart with 169 completions.
A starter in USC's last 5 games of 1998 (he played significantly off the bench in Troy's first 8 contests), he became only the second first-year frosh to start for USC at the position (the other was 1-game 1991 starter Rob Johnson, now in the NFL). He threw for at least 200 yards in 4 of his 5 starts in 1998.
USC CAREER PASSING LEADERS
(Based on Number of Completions - Includes bowl games)
| PA | PC | INT | NYG | Pct. | TD | |||
| 1. | Rob Johnson | 1046 | 676 | 28 | 8472 | .646 | 58 | |
| 2. | Rodney Peete | 1081 | 630 | 42 | 8225 | .583 | 54 | |
| 3. | Todd Marinovich | 674 | 415 | 25 | 5001 | .616 | 29 | |
| 4. | Brad Otton | 718 | 410 | 14 | 5359 | .571 | 40 | |
| 5. | Sean Salisbury | 602 | 346 | 19 | 4481 | .575 | 25 | |
| 6. | Paul McDonald | 501 | 299 | 13 | 4138 | .597 | 37 | |
| 7. | Jimmy Jones | 604 | 298 | 25 | 4092 | .493 | 30 | |
| 8. | Pat Haden | 468 | 241 | 25 | 3288 | .514 | 33 | |
| 9. | Mike Van Raaphorst | 459 | 232 | 15 | 3042 | .505 | 17 | |
| 10. | Steve Sogge | 370 | 201 | 17 | 2542 | .543 | 16 | |
| 11. | John Fox | 351 | 192 | 9 | 2431 | .547 | 13 | |
| 12. | Jim Powers | 348 | 186 | 23 | 2329 | .547 | 19 | |
| 13. | Rob Hertel | 321 | 176 | 21 | 2812 | .548 | 28 | |
| 14. | Mike Rae | 323 | 172 | 17 | 2684 | .533 | 16 | |
| 15. | Carson Palmer | 288 | 169 | 9 | 2245 | .587 | 10 |
RUNNING BACKS--Besides the previously-mentioned Morton, USC has many other talented runners. Since senior tailback Petros Papadakis, who started 4 games last fall, broke his foot in fall camp and will miss the 1999 season, look for contributions from 3 other tailbacks: redshirt freshman Sultan McCullough (61 tcb, 265 yds, 4.3 avg, 1 TD in 1999, plus 1 rec, 6.0 avg), the No. 2 tailback and the fastest player in Trojan football history (running for the USC track team this past spring, he was the Pac-10 100-meters champion and twice won a 100 in 10.17, good for No. 5 all-time on Troy's vaunted sprinting list), sophomore Malaefou MacKenzie (15 tcb, 44 yds, 2.9 avg, 3 TD in 1999, plus 4 rec, 6.0 avg), who was second on Troy in rushing in 1997 (332 yards) while starting twice but who redshirted last fall with a knee injury (a hamstring injury sidelined him for the San Diego State, Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona games this season), and senior Jabari Jackson (17 tcb, 45 yds, 2.6 avg in 1999, plus 9 rec, 6.3 avg and 8.0 KOR avg). At times in 1999, more than one tailback is employed, whether in split back formations or as a slot receiver.
Manning the traditional fullback role has been sophomore Charlie Landrigan (9 rec, 6.2 avg in 1999), along with junior Brennan Ochs, who started the 1998 season opener, and redshirt freshman Chad Pierson (1 tcb, -1.0 avg in 1999, plus 2 rec, 8.0 avg and 2.0 KOR avg). Ochs started the first 3 games of 1999 and Landrigan the past 7.
WIDE RECEIVERS---USC's receiving unit literally is in good hands in 1999 with the already-mentioned Soward and fellow starter Windrell Hayes (47 rec, 12.9 avg, 4 TD in 1999), a sure-handed senior who runs precise routes.
He is third in the Pac-10 in receptions (5.9). His 47 catches in 1999 puts him 18th on USC's season reception list. He has 149 catches between his 2 seasons at San Jose State and 2 years at USC. With 71 career grabs at USC, he is tied for 22nd on Troy's all-time pass catching ladder.
Additionally, there are 3 precocious newcomers who are being called upon (all have started at least once in 1999): prep All-Americans Kareem Kelly (team-best 50 rec, 17.3 avg, 2 TD in 1999), the California prep 100 (1999) and 200 (1998 and 1999) champion who started against Oregon State and Arizona and has set USC freshman records for most catches (50, 11th on USC's single season chart) and receiving yards (863, the most by a Trojan since Keyshawn Johnson had 1,434 in 1995), Marcell Allmond (14 rec, 16.6 avg, 2 TD in 1999, plus 17.0 KOR avg), the California prep high hurdles champ in 1998 and 1999 who started at California, and Steve Stevenson (4 rec, 15.8 avg in 1999, plus 13.0 KOR avg), who became the first freshman since Johnnie Morton in 1990 and first true freshman since Randy Tanner in 1984 to start for USC at wide receiver when he did so at Oregon. Kelly, who has had 4 outings with 100 receiving yards and the only Trojan with a catch in every game in 1999, currently is third in the Pac-10 in receiving yards (86.3).
TIGHT ENDS---Veteran Antoine Harris (6 rec, 13.5 avg, 1 TD in 1999) is a 2-year starter who brings good hands (31 career grabs) and blocking ability to the tight end position. Behind him is redshirt freshman Scott Huber (1 rec, 2.0 avg in 1999) and senior Pat Swanson (5 rec, 15.0 avg in 1999), who doubles as the long snapper.
OFFENSIVE LINE---Entering last year, the line was USC's most unsettled offensive unit, as only 1 player with any measurable experience was in the lineup. It's quite different in 1999, as all of last fall's starters are back and they're all upperclassmen, although there has been some shuffling of positions. Further, injuries have resulted in 5 different starting units in USC's 9 games in 1999. The veteran is rough-and-tough senior right tackle Travis Claridge, who has started all 46 games of his USC career. On track to start all 48 games of his Trojan career, he'd be the first USC offensive lineman to do that since Jeff Bregel (1983-86), but the first ever to do so from the day he stepped on campus (Bregel redshirted his first year).
Claridge was moved to right tackle this year after starting the previous 3 seasons at right guard. He was an All-Pac-10 first team pick in 1998 and is a pre-season All-American this year. He's on the 1999 Outland Trophy "Watch List" (SPORT magazine lists him as the favorite to win the Outland Trophy).
Perhaps USC's most underrated lineman is junior Brent McCaffrey, the returning starter at the all-important left tackle spot. He didn't start against Notre Dame, Stanford or California (but played) while coming off an ankle sprain, so junior Trevor Roberts started in his place (Roberts missed the Arizona State and Washington State contests with a broken wrist suffered at California).
McCaffrey, who worked on his grandfather's Fresno farm as a youngster, was named to the 1999 All-American Farm Team by Successful Farming magazine. Senior Jason Grain, who started 9 times at guard and twice at center in 1998, started the first 5 games of 1999 at guard (this year on the right side) before tearing knee cartilage (redshirt freshman Zach Wilson has started the past 5 games in his place).
Senior Donta Kendrick, who started once last season after transferring from a junior college, emerged as the starting left guard (he missed the Oregon State and Arizona games with an ankle injury, didn't start-but played-at Notre Dame, then missed the Stanford game after re-spraining his ankle, but returned to the starting lineup at California).
Junior Eric Denmon, who started 3 times in 1998, captured the center job (he missed the Oregon State game with a knee injury and didn't start-but played-at Arizona).
Several others with starting experience are also in the mix: junior Matt Welch, who started 10 times at right tackle in 1998 after transferring from a junior college (he also doubles as a tight end in short yardage situations, putting on jersey No. 98, he played a significant amount there at Washington State), senior Matt McShane, an 8-game 1998 starter at center (he started this year's Arizona and Notre Dame games), and sophomore tackle-guard Faaesea Mailo, a 3-game starter in 1996 who is back this fall from a 2-year Mormon mission (he started against Oregon State, Arizona, Notre Dame and Stanford, then missed the California contest with a leg bruise), look for him at fullback in short yardage situations.
DEFENSIVE LINE--USC's strongest defensive unit seems to be the line, as 2 starters return from 1998 (a third 1998 starter is now playing linebacker).
Both tackles are back to serve as anchors up front: beefy junior Ennis Davis (30 tac, 7 for loss, team-high 5 sac, 2 FR, 1 FF, 2 int with a TD, 4 dfl in 1999), who won All-Pac-10 first team honors last fall and is a 1999 pre-season All-American, and senior Aaron Williams (23 tac, 2 for loss, 1 sac, 4 dfl, 1FF in 1999), who started the last 5 games of 1998 (he has been an often-used backup most of 1999, but did start against Stanford, he missed the Washington State game with a neck sprain).
Davis topped the Trojans in tackles for losses (13) last fall, while Williams recovered a team-best 4 fumbles. Davis is on the "Watch Lists" for the 1999 Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
Sophomore Ryan Nielsen (37 tac, 4 for loss, 1 sac, 1 FR, 3 dfl in 1999), who started the 1998 opener, has started all but the Stanford game of 1999 for Williams. Also seeing action, especially in short yardage downs, is freshman Bernard Riley (5 tac in 1999), a 1998 prep All-American.
Manning the end spots, now that junior Sultan Abdul-Malik has moved to linebacker, are a pair of juniors--Matt Childers (19 tac, 5 for loss, 3 sac, 2 FF, 3 dfl in 1999), who redshirted last season after transferring from Kansas State and has started all of 1999 except the California, Arizona State and Washington State games (he was out with a shoulder sprain), and Shamsud-Din Abdul-Shaheed (18 tac, 5 dfl in 1999), a 7-game starter (5 at end, 2 at tackle) in 1998 and the starter versus California, Arizona State and Washington State in 1999--on one side and a pair of sophomores--Lonnie Ford (21 tac, 8 for loss, 3 sac, 2 FF in 1999), who started twice at tight end in 1998 (he caught a touchdown) but was moved to defense this past spring and has been the starter in all but the Oregon State game, or Kori Dickerson (12 tac in 1999), the starter against Oregon State who has high jumped 6-8 for the USC track team--on the other.
LINEBACKERS--Talk about a unit that could have been affected by personnel losses in 1999 and the linebacking corps jumps out. After all, unanimous All-American middle linebacker Chris Claiborne, the 1998 Butkus Award winner and Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year who had 312 tackles and 8 interceptions while starting for 3 years, went on to the NFL after his junior campaign (he was a first round pick) and 1998 weakside starter David Gibson moved back to the secondary. But the linebacking play has been superb.
USC's only returning linebacker is junior Zeke Moreno (team-high 96 tac, 5 for loss, 4 sac, 2 int with a TD, 1 FR with a TD, 3 FF, 2 dfl in 1999)...and he's a good one (he was on the 1999 Butkus Award "Watch List").
When injuries struck the spot last year, he stepped in and started 12 times on the strong side. He starts in the middle in 1999. Hard-charging junior Sultan Abdul-Malik (24 tac, 5 for loss, 2 sac, 1 dfl, 1 FR in 1999), who started the past 2 seasons at defensive end, moved this past spring to the strongside linebacker spot, where he starts (he was a linebacker in high school). He also was on the 1999 Butkus Award "Watch List." He led the Trojans in sacks each of the past 2 years (16 in his career).
Markus Steele (83 tac, team-best 12 for loss, 3 sac, 6 dfl, 1 int, 3 FF, 2 FR with 1 TD in 1999), a junior who was a 1998 J.C. All-American, made an immediate impact in fall camp and starts on the weakside. He's upholding the USC tradition of outstanding defensive players wearing the No. 55 jersey, including NFLers Claiborne, Junior Seau and Willie McGinest.
Moreno is third in the Pac-10 in tackles (9.6) and Steele is tied for seventh (8.3). Also seeing action are sophomores Darryl Knight (7 tac, 2 dfl in 1999), who spent a few mid-season games in 1999 playing tight end and started for an injured Steele against Stanford (he missed the Arizona State game while suspended for a violation of team rules), and Henry Wallace (7 tac in 1999) and freshmen Troy Polamalu (11 tac, 2 sac, 2 FF, 1 dfl in 1999), who has sat out the past 4 games with a concussion, and Aaron Graham (4 tac, 1 FR in 1999).
SECONDARY--The secondary is another area that had to be revamped almost totally in 1999, as 3 starters departed. It was a challenge to replace 4-year starting cornerback Daylon McCutcheon, a 1998 All-Pac-10 first teamer and Thorpe Award semifinalist who had 10 interceptions, 46 pass break-ups and 187 tackles in his career, plus 2-year starters Rashard Cook (a 1998 All-Pac-10 first teamer with 218 career stops) at free safety and Grant Pearsall (138 tackles overall) at strong safety.
There's no doubt that junior cornerback Antuan Simmons (49 tac, 6 for losses, 2 sac, 10 dfl, 2 FR with 1 for a TD, 1 FF, 3 int, 3 blk in 1999), a 2-year starter (at rover linebacker and strong safety in 1997 and at cornerback last season), has emerged as an outstanding defender capable of continuing USC's tradition of noted defensive backs. He returned 2 of his picks for touchdowns last fall and made an impact on special teams by blocking 3 kicks. He has 6 career blocks. He's on the 1999 Thorpe Award "Watch List." The secondary got a boost when senior David Gibson (70 tac, 3 for loss, 2 FR, 1 FF, 1 int, 3 dfl in 1999) returned after spending 1998 as Troy's starting weakside linebacker. He's now back at his more natural position, strong safety (he started in 1997 at rover linebacker, a combination linebacker and strong safety). Always around the ball, he is USC's top returning tackler (85 in 1998).
The free safety is junior Ifeanyi Ohalete (73 tac, 2 for loss, 1 sac, team-high 12 dfl, 1 int, Pac-10-high 4 FF, 2 FR in 1999), who started 4 early-season games at strong safety in 1998. Gibson and Ohalete are 1999 USC captains. Sophomore Kris Richard (33 tac, team-high 5 int with 2 TD, 1 FR, 2 FF, 7 dfl in 1999) won the vacant cornerback job in spring ball and has done well. He is tied for 16th nationally in interceptions (0.5, tied for fourth in Pac-10).
Others who see the field include senior Tanqueray Clark (2 tac in 1999), who started versus San Diego State, soph Eric Reese (4 tac, 1 sac in 1999) and freshmen Darrell Rideaux (21 tac, 3 dfl in 1999), a 1998 prep All-American who was the California state 100 champion in 1998, and Kevin Arbet (6 tac, 1 dfl in 1999) at corner and soph Frank Strong (7 tcb, 27 yds, 3.9 avg in 1999, plus 3 rec, 11.3 avg) and junior John Morgan (5 tac, 1 for loss in 1999) at safety. Strong, who was moved from tailback prior to this year's Stanford game, became just the fourth USC first-year freshman to start at tailback when he did so versus California in 1998. Arbet and Morgan are former walk-ons who earned scholarships in 1999.
SPECIALISTS--Sophomore Mike MacGillivray (41.1 avg in 1999) is the returning punter after doing a steady job last fall (37.7 avg in 1998) when he set USC season records for most punts (87) and punt yardage (3,284). He is especially effective as a placement punter, as 51 of his 150 career boots have pinned opponents within the 20-yard line. For the past 4 years, USC could count on Adam Abrams to usually deliver on all placekicks, as he drilled 44 field goals (including 4 that proved to be the deciding points in games) and 117 PATs in his career. He has graduated, so now the Trojans rely on sophomore junior college transfer David Newbury (10-of-17 FG, 34-of-36 PAT in 1999). Handling the kickoff chores and serving as the backup to Newbury and MacGillivray is junior David Bell (0-of-1 FG, 6 tac in 1999), Troy's kickoff man 2 of the past 3 years.
ROSTER ADDITIONS/DELETIONS-Here are some roster updates from the 1999 USC media guide:
STAT NOTES
RANDOM NOTES
When USC hosted Oregon State on Oct. 2, the Trojans played the 1,000th
game in their history. Troy became the 37th Division I-A school to hit
that milestone. Since starting football in 1888, USC has amassed a
671-281-54 (69.4%) record. The winning percentage and victories puts USC
10th among all Division I-A schools.
This might be one of the fastest teams USC has fielded. TB Sultan McCullough (bests of 10.17 in the 100 meters, 20.61 in the 200 meters) won the 100 at the 1999 Pac-10 meet and twice clocked 10.17 last spring to become the fastest Trojan footballer ever. WR Kareem Kelly (10.28, 20.53) won the 100 and 200 at the 1999 California state meet after capturing the 200 in 1998. CB Darrell Rideaux (10.30, 21.03) won the California state 100 in 1998 (he was second in 1999 and third in 1997) and was fourth in the 200 in 1999. TB Miguel Fletcher (10.47, 20.94) was the runnerup in the California state 100 in 1997 and 1998 and in the 200 in 1998. WR Marcell Allmond (13.54 in the 110-meter high hurdles, 37.40 in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles) won the California state high hurdles in 1998 and 1999 (he was sixth in the 1999 intermediates), and also set a National Junior Olympics record in the decathlon in 1999. Other speedy Trojans with track backgrounds include WR R. Jay Soward (10.34), TB Chad Morton (10.74) and CB Eric Reese (10.75). And speaking of track, there are several Trojans who excel in the field portion of the sport. For instance, OL Lucais MacKay (199-7 discus, 61-0 shot put, 217-10 hammer) was second in the discus at the 1999 California state meet, while DE Kori Dickerson (6-8 high jump) placed third in the high jump at the 1999 USC-UCLA dual meet.
When USC head trainer emeritus Jack Ward missed the game at Arizona because of intestinal flu, it was the first game in his 42-year career that he was absent (dating to 1958). He had worked 474 consecutive USC games. Incidentally, 88-year-old Trojan fan Oliver Pellerin hasn't missed a USC game--home or away--since 1945...that's 612 in a row. His late brother, Giles, who died at the 1998 USC-UCLA game at age 91, had seen 797 consecutive Trojan games.
Four Trojans have fathers who played on national championship USC football squads: LB-DE Sultan Abdul-Malik (father, Ed Powell (now Wali Abdul-Malik) was on 1972 and 1974 teams), WR Rocky Brown (father, Dave, was on the 1972 team), OT Derek Graf (father, Allan, was on 1972 team), and OT Brent McCaffrey (father, Bob McCaffrey, was on 1972 and 1974 teams).
Two other Trojans have dads who lettered at Troy in 1970 and 1971: TB Petros Papadakis (father, John) and S John Morgan (father, Mike). And CB Kevin Arbet is the stepson of ex-Trojan (1980-82) Jeff Simmons. Papadakis also has a brother (Taso, 1994 and 1996) who played at USC, as does LB Darryl Knight (Ryan, 1984-87, and Sammy, 1993-96), TB Chad Morton (Johnnie, 1990-93) and DT Todd Keneley (Matt, 1993-96). Two Trojans had cousins who played at USC--WR Kareem Kelly (Rashard Cook, 1995-98) and TE Joe Boskovich (Martin Boskovich, 1993)--and two had uncles who were Trojan footballers: S-LB Troy Polamalu (Kennedy Pola, 1982-85) and OG-C Norm Katnik (John Katnik, 1986-87).
USC has 3 players with first names all pronounced the same but spelled differently--Antuan, Antoine and Antoinne--and 2 of them even have the same last name--TE Antoine Harris and CB Antoinne Harris! CB Antuan Simmons is the third of these homonyms.
Three of USC's 12 opponents in 1999 are coached by former Trojan assistants: San Diego State (Ted Tollner, who also was USC's head coach), Arizona State (Bruce Snyder) and UCLA (Bob Toledo).
Here's a statistical oddity: 3 members of the USC football staff have fathered twins! Offensive line coach Steve Greatwood has 11-year-old twin daughters Tessa and Emmy, director of football administration and facilities Larry Petroff has 10-year-old twin sons Alex and Jason, and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron has 1-year-old twin sons Parker and Cody.
The 1999 season marks the anniversaries of a pair of dramatic USC comeback victories over Notre Dame. It's the 25th anniversary of the 1974 Trojan-Irish game, regarded as one of college football's most incredible comebacks. USC trailed 24-0 late in the first half against a Notre Dame team that sported the nation's top-ranked defense. But then USC scored 55 unanswered points in under 17 minutes to win 55-24 in the Coliseum.
Tailback Anthony Davis scored 4 TDs: on a 7-yard Pat Haden pass just before halftime, a 102-yard kickoff return to open the second half and a pair of short third-quarter runs. Haden also threw 3 scoring passes in the second half, a pair to Johnny McKay and another to Shelton Diggs, and Charles Phillips capped the scoring blitz with a 58-yard interception TD. The victory propelled USC, which then beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, 18-17, to the 1974 national championship. (Interestingly, that Rose Bowl win was dramatic, too. USC trailed, 17-10, with just minutes left. Then Haden teamed with McKay on a 38-yard TD pass with 2:03 to go, and followed that with a 2-point conversion toss to Diggs for the victory.) This year is also the 35th anniversary of the 1964 USC-Notre Dame game. Rod Sherman caught a 15-yard TD pass from Craig Fertig with 1:33 to play to upset the unbeaten and top-ranked Irish, 20-17. USC was down, 17-0, at halftime.
IN THE NFL--USC is always well-represented in the NFL. There were 26 Trojans on 1999 opening day NFL rosters, including players such as LB Junior Seau, OLs Tony Boselli and Bruce Matthews, DLs Willie McGinest and Darrell Russell, WRs Keyshawn Johnson, Curtis Conway and Johnnie Morton, QBs Rob Johnson and Rodney Peete, and DBs Tim McDonald, Jason Sehorn and Mark Carrier. Six NFL head coaches have USC ties (either as former players or assistants): New York Giants' Jim Fassel, Tennessee's Jeff Fisher, Seattle's Mike Holmgren, San Francisco's Steve Mariucci, Washington's Norv Turner and San Diego's Mike Riley.
Six current USC players have relatives with NFL playing backgrounds: C Eric Denmon (cousin, Rod Jones), WR Kareem Kelly (cousin, Rashard Cook), OT Brent McCaffrey (father, Bob McCaffrey, uncle, Mike McCaffrey), TB Chad Morton, (brother, Johnnie Morton, half-brother, Michael Morton), S-LB Troy Polamalu, (cousin, Nicky Sualua), QB Mike Van Raaphorst, (father, Dick Van Raaphorst). Additionally, 4 Trojan assistants (Ken O'Brien, Phil Pettey, Dennis Thurman and Mike Wilson) played in the NFL, while head coach Paul Hackett, Thurman, Wilson and Steve Greatwood were NFL assistants.
ON TV--USC is one of America's most televised teams. The Trojans have appeared on live national, regional or local telecasts 270 times, including all 12 games in 1998 and 1999. In fact, USC had an amazing streak of 111 consecutive games on some form of live television from 1988 to 1997.
ACADEMICS--TB Chad Morton (3.43, sociology) is a leading candidate for 1999 Academic All-American honors. Morton was named a 1999 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete (one of 9 Division I-A seniors), entitling him to an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship (he will be honored at a Dec. 7 dinner in New York City). He was named to the GTE-Academic All-District VIII first team in 1998 and 1999 and has made the Pac-10 All-Academic first team for 3 straight years (1996-98). Among the other top scholars on the 1999 Trojan squad are QB Mike Van Raaphorst (3.70 GPA, broadcast journalism/political science major), DT Todd Keneley (3.74, communication), FB Brennan Ochs (3.27, political science), S Frank Carter (3.19, computer engineering/computer sciences) and TE Scott Huber (3.16). Van Raaphorst is a 2-time (1997-98) Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention selection, while Ochs was an honorable mention pick in 1998. In its history, USC football has produced 22 Academic All-American first teamers (tops in the Pac-10 and tied for fifth in the nation), 20 NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship winners, 11 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes, 4 NCAA Today's Top Six winners, 1 Rhodes Scholar and 1 Academic All-American Hall of Famer.
In the latest NCAA four-year graduation rates (based on scholarship football players entering school in 1989-92), USC graduated more than three-fifths of its players (61%). That figure is well above the Division I-A average for that period (52%) and within range of the overall USC student body four-year rate of 67%. If the 1999 pre-season USA Today/ESPN football poll had been based on the current NCAA four-year graduation rates, USC would rank fifth. Here's a look at the Top 5 (and Troy's other Top 25 opponents):
| 1. | Notre Dame | 78% |
| Penn State | 78% | |
| 3. | Virginia | 75% |
| 4. | Nebraska | 63% |
| 5. | USC | 61% |
| 8. (T) | UCLA | 58% |
| 11. | Arizona | 55% |
| 12. (T) | Division I-A average | 52% |
| 21. | Arizona State | 38% |
SCOUTING UCLA-UCLA, under fourth-year head coach Bob Toledo, broke a 3-game losing streak with a dramatic 23-20 overtime win over then-Pac-10 leading Washington at home last Saturday. The Bruins, suffering from youth and injuries, ranks in the Pac-10's bottom 3 in all offensive and defensive categories, including ninth in both total offense (334.8) and total defense (446.1).
UCLA has used several quarterbacks, most recently redshirt freshman Ryan McCann (16-of-34, 47.1%, 184 yds, 0 TD, 0 int in 1999), who filled in admirably when redshirt freshman starter Cory Paus (95-of-197, 48.2%, 1,336 yds, 7 TD, 9 int in 1999) went out with a broken collarbone against the Huskies.
Among the top receivers are sophomore FL Freddie Mitchell (33 rec, 13.5 avg in 1999, plus 17.4 KOR avg and 7.0 PR avg), senior SE Danny Farmer (27 rec, 20.6 avg, 3 TD in 1999) and senior SE Brad Melsby (21 rec, 12.0 avg, 3 TD in 1999).
Three tailbacks are the leading rushers: senior Keith Brown (98 tcb, 421 yds, 4.3 avg, 5 TD in 1999), sophomore DeShaun Foster (94 tcb, 316 yds, 3.4 avg, 6 TD in 1999) and junior Jermaine Lewis (59 tcb, 208 yds, 3.5 avg, 1 TD in 1999, plus 19.7 KOR avg).
Top defenders are senior SS Joey Strycula (65 tac, 3 int, 10 dfl in 1999), soph MLB Robert Thomas (61 tac in 1999), soph OLB Ryan Nece (55 tac, 1 int, 1 FR, 1 blk in 1999) and senior LC Ryan Roques (41 tac, 4 int, 9 dfl, 1 FR in 1999, plus 6.9 PR avg and 22.2 KOR avg), who is tied for 16th nationally in interceptions (0.5, tied for fourth in Pac-10). UCLA is getting strong play from PK Chris Griffith (13-of-18 FG, 24-of-24 PAT in 1999), who is tied for 17th nationally in field goals (1.4, first in Pac-10), and P Nate Fikse (41.3 avg in 1999), both freshmen.
HACKETT SAYS--"Getting a victory has been a long time coming. It's a marvelous feeling to be able to play a second half and a fourth quarter the way we did at Washington State. We know we can play the first half of games that way, so it's nice to play a second half like that and come out with a victory. The turning point of the game was the goal line stand, when they had 7 chances inside the 10. That was as superb a performance as our defense has had all year. For Washington State to get that many opportunities at the goal line and to come up with no points is just dramatic. Add in the way we ran the football and the play of John Fox, and there were a lot of things to be real positive with and to build on from here We've waited a long time for this UCLA game. We all remember that game a year ago. Certainly, the 8-game losing streak to the Bruins is known by everyone throughout the country. It's time for us to change that streak. We've been pointing to this game for a long time. We have some momentum from the Washington State win and John Fox is getting some confidence. And our defense continues to play very well. We know UCLA is an excellent team that has had some rough games and some very close games like us this year. We're looking forward to a full Coliseum. Although we've had a rough year, our fans have stood behind us all year and been marvelous. We know they'll bring that 12th man to the Coliseum. Frankly, we can't wait."
GAME PROMOTIONS-USC's senior football players will be introduced before the game and will enter the field through a tunnel formed by approximately 150 former Trojan players A bronze plaque honoring late Los Angeles Times sportswriter Jim Murray will be unveiled in the peristyle end of the Coliseum After the game, the winning coach will be presented with the Jim Murray City Championship Trophy from the Los Angeles Times The defending national champion USC men's water polo team will be featured at halftime during the Team Tribute The USC women's basketball team will be saluted during the Team Spotlight Junior QB Mike Van Raaphorst, a broadcast journalism/political science major with a 3.70 GPA, will be recognized during the Academic Salute The Stop Cancer organization will present a check to the USC Norris Cancer Center and the UCLA Johnson Cancer Center.
USC-UCLA WATER POLO-The defending NCAA champion USC men's water polo team hosts No. 1-ranked UCLA this Saturday (Nov. 20) at 10 a.m. in the McDonald's Swim Stadium on campus.
INJURY UPDATE--OUT: S DeShaun Hill (back), DE-LB Jason Steen (neck), TB Petros Papadakis (foot), LB Mike Pollard (knee), WR Troy Garner (knee), TE Joe Boskovich (knee). DOUBTFUL: QB Carson Palmer (collarbone), OG Jason Grain (knee). QUESTIONABLE: OT-OG Trevor Roberts (wrist). PROBABLE: WR R. Jay Soward (hamstring), TE Antoine Harris (hamstring), FB Chad Pierson (concussion), WR Marcell Allmond (shoulder), DT Aaron Williams (neck), DE Matt Childers (shoulder), LB-S Troy Polamalu (concussion).
USC IN NCAA/PAC-10 STAT RANKINGS
| NCAA | PAC-10 | |||||
| USC NAME | CATEGORY | AVG | RANK* | RANK** | ||
| R. Jay Soward | Punt Returns | 12.8 | 18 | 2 | ||
| Kris Richard | Interceptions | 0.5 | 16T | 4T | ||
| USC | Turnover Margin | +0.7 | 16T | 3 | ||
| USC | Passing Offense | 273.9 | 19 | 4 | ||
| Kareem Kelly | Receiving Yards | 86.3 | -- | 3 | ||
| Windrell Hayes | Receptions | 5.9 | -- | 3 | ||
| Mike Van Raaphorst | Total Offense | 198.6 | -- | 4 | ||
| David Newbury | Field Goals | 1.0 | -- | 4T | ||
| Chad Morton | Scoring | 7.2 | -- | 4T | ||
| Chad Morton | Rushing | 91.4 | -- | 5 | ||
| Mike MacGillivray | Punting | 41.1 | -- | 5 | ||
| Windrell Hayes | Receiving Yards | 75.5 | -- | 5 | ||
| USC | Punt Returns | 10.3 | -- | 2 | ||
| USC | Rushing Defense | 132.7 | -- | 2 | ||
| USC | Pass Efficiency Defense | 116.8 | -- | 2 | ||
| USC | Scoring Defense | 25.2 | -- | 4 | ||
| USC | Net Punting | 37.0 | -- | 4 | ||
| USC | Total Defense | 378.7 | -- | 5 | ||
| USC | Scoring Offense | 28.6 | -- | 5 | ||
| USC | Total Offense | 395.6 | -- | 5T |
*Top 25 only
**Top 5 only
RED ZONE PRODUCTION
GAME USC OPPONENT
HAW 7 of 8 (TD, TD, TD, TD, FG, 0 of 0
TD, failed 4th, TD)
SDSU 3 of 4 (TD, failed 4th, FG, TD) 1 of 1 (TD)
ORE 5 of 7 (TD, FG, TD, TD, 6 of 7 (TD, FG, TD, FG, miss FG,
miss FG, TD, miss FG) TD, FG)
OSU 2 of 3 (TD, TD, failed 4th) 3 of 3 (TD, TD, TD)
ARIZ 1 of 1 (TD) 2 of 4 (miss FG, failed 4th, TD, TD)
TOTAL 18 of 23 12 of 15
15--TD 3--failed 4th 8--TD 2--miss FG
3--FG 2--miss FG 3--FG 1--failed 4th
ND 3 of 3 (TD, TD, FG) 5 of 7 (miss FG, lost fumble, FG,
TD, TD, FG, TD)
STAN 3 of 7 (TD, TD, lost fumble, 3 of 3 (TD, TD, TD)
miss FG, FG, miss FG, INT)
CAL 0 of 0 1 of 3 (miss FG, interception, FB)
ASU 2 of 2 (TD, FG) 4 of 6 (TD, TD, TD, lost fumble, miss FG, TD)
WSU 4 of 4 (TD, TD, FG, TD) 2 of 3 (TD, failed 4th, TD)
TOTAL 30 of 39 (76.9%) 27 of 37 (73.0%)
23--TD 3--failed 4th 20--TD 5--miss FG
7--FG 2--miss FG 6--FG 2--failed 4th
1--interception 1--lost fumble 1--interception 2--lost fumble
AVERAGE STARTING FIELD POSITION
| GAME | USC | OPPONENT | |
| HAW | 41-yard line (15 drives) | 20-yard line (14 drives) | |
| SDSU | 39-yard line (14 drives) | 28-yard line (13 drives) | |
| ORE | 34-yard line (19 drives) | 25-yard line (18 drives) | |
| OSU | 26-yard line (13 drives) | 30-yard line (15 drives) | |
| ARIZ | 27-yard line (13 drives) | 27-yard line (14 drives) | |
| ND | 24-yard line (13 drives) | 40-yard line (14 drives) | |
| STAN | 35-yard line (17 drives) | 23-yard line (15 drives) | |
| CAL | 22-yard line (18 drives) | 34-yard line (16 drives) | |
| ASU | 24-yard line (15 drives) | 36-yard line (16 drives) | |
| WSU | 25-yard line (12 drives) | 30-yard line (14 drives) | |
| TOTAL | 30-yard line (149 drives) | 29-yard line (149 drives) |
MIKE MacGILLIVRAY PUNTS
| GAME | PUNTS | WITHIN 20 | 50+ YARDS | ||
| HAW | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| SDSU | 4 | 1 | 0 | ||
| ORE | 6 | 2 | 0 | ||
| OSU | 6 | 1 | 0 | ||
| ARIZ | 8 | 6 | 5 | ||
| ND | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| STAN | 5 | 2 | 0 | ||
| CAL | 11 | 3 | 3 | ||
| ASU | 9 | 2 | 2 | ||
| WSU | 7 | 1 | 2 | ||
| TOTAL | 63 | 19 | 13 |
DAVID BELL KICKOFFS
| GAME | KICKOFFS | WITHIN 20 | ||
| HAW | 10 | 7 (including 1 touchback) | ||
| SDSU | 5 | 3 (including 2 touchbacks) | ||
| ORE | 5 | 3 (including 1 touchback) | ||
| OSU | 7 | 4 (including 1 touchback) | ||
| ARIZ | 5 | 1 (including 1 touchback) | ||
| ND | 5 | 2 (including 1 touchback) | ||
| STAN | 6 | 4 (including 2 touchbacks) | ||
| CAL | 1 | 1 (including 1 touchback) | ||
| ASU | 4 | 1 (including 1 touchback) | ||
| WSU | 7 | 4 (including 2 touchbacks) | ||
| TOTAL | 55 | 30 (including 13 touchbacks) |
TWO-DEEP
USC
| SE | 86 | Windrell Hayes (6-0, 205, Sr.) |
| 82 | Kareem Kelly (6-1, 185, Fr.) | |
| 83 | Steve Stevenson (6-2, 205, Fr.) | |
| LT | 68 | Brent McCaffrey (6-5, 275, Jr.*) |
| 72/98 | Matt Welch (6-6, 300, Jr.*) | |
| LG | 70 | Donta Kendrick (6-3, 290, Sr.*) |
| 75 | Faaesea Mailo (6-5, 330, So.) | |
| C | 50 | Eric Denmon (6-1, 265, Jr.*) |
| 61 Matt McShane (6-5, 300, Sr.*) | ||
| 62 Norm Katnik (6-5, 245, Fr.) | ||
| RG | 69 | Zach Wilson (6-4, 300, Fr.*) |
| 78 | Lenny Vandermade (6-4, 270, Fr.) | |
| RT | 71 | Travis Claridge (6-6, 310, Sr.) |
| 72/98 | Matt Welch (6-6, 300, Jr.*) | |
| TE | 81 | Antoine Harris (6-4, 245, Jr.) |
| 84 | Pat Swanson (6-4, 235, Sr.) OR | |
| 85 | Scott Huber (6-3, 255, Fr.*) | |
| QB | 4 | John Fox (6-4, 220, Sr.*) |
| 11 | Mike Van Raaphorst (6-5, 220, Jr.*) | |
| FB | 28 | Charlie Landrigan (6-0, 220, So.*) |
| 34 | Chad Pierson (6-1, 240, Fr.*) OR | |
| 48 | Brennan Ochs (6-2, 230, Jr.*) | |
| TB | 7 | Chad Morton (5-8, 185, Sr.*) |
| 21 | Malaefou MacKenzie (6-0, 210, So.*) | |
| 13 | Sultan McCullough (5-11, 180, Fr.*) | |
| 27 | Jabari Jackson (6-2, 220, Sr.*) | |
| FL | 18 | R. Jay Soward (5-11, 175, Sr.) |
| 89 | Marcell Allmond (6-2, 180, Fr.) | |
| 87 | Matt Nickels (6-1, 190, Jr.*) |
| DE | 25 | Lonnie Ford (6-3, 245, So.*) |
| 92 | Kori Dickerson (6-4, 230, So.*) | |
| DT | 90 | Ryan Nielsen (6-5, 275, So.*) |
| 93 | Bernard Riley (6-3, 295, Fr.) | |
| DT | 99 | Ennis Davis (6-4, 300, Jr.*) |
| 57 | Aaron Williams (6-3, 280, Sr.*) | |
| DE | 52 | Shamsud-Din Abdul-Shaheed (6-4, 250, Jr.*) |
| 58 | Matt Childers (6-4, 260, Jr.*) | |
| SLB | 44 | Sultan Abdul-Malik (6-3, 240, Jr.*) |
| 53 | Armand Holland (6-1, 225, Fr.*) | |
| MLB | 9 | Zeke Moreno (6-3, 240, Jr.) |
| 36 | Aaron Graham (6-2, 220, Fr.) OR | |
| 53 | Armand Holland (6-1, 225, Fr.*) | |
| WLB | 55 | Markus Steele (6-3, 215, Jr.) |
| 17 | Darryl Knight (6-3, 215, So.*) OR | |
| 51 | Henry Wallace (6-2, 210, So.*) | |
| LCB | 6 | Antuan Simmons (5-10, 190, Jr.) |
| 2 | Darrell Rideaux (5-9, 175, Fr.) OR | |
| 26 | Eric Reese (5-11, 200, So.*) | |
| SS | 22 | David Gibson (6-2, 215, Sr.) |
| 47 | John Morgan (6-2, 210, Jr.*) | |
| FS | 31 | Ifeanyi Ohalete (6-2, 220, Jr.) |
| 1 | Frank Strong (6-2, 215, So.) | |
| 47 | John Morgan (6-2, 210, Jr.*) | |
| RCB | 42 | Kris Richard (6-0, 175, So.*) |
| 30 | Kevin Arbet (5-11, 175, Fr.) OR | |
| 23 | Tanqueray Clark (6-0, 185, Sr.*) |
| P | 38 | Mike MacGillivray (5-10, 205, So.*) |
| 37 | David Bell (6-0, 195, Jr.*) | |
| PK | 15 | David Newbury (5-9, 170, So.)-PAT/FG |
| 37 | David Bell (6-0, 195, Jr.*)-KO | |
| SNP | 84 | Pat Swanson (6-4, 235, Sr.) |
| 9 | Zeke Moreno (6-3, 240, Jr.) | |
| HLD | 4 | John Fox (6-4, 220, Sr.*) |
| 31 | Ifeanyi Ohalete (6-2, 220, Jr.) | |
| KOR | 7 | Chad Morton (5-8, 185, Sr.*) OR |
| 18 | R. Jay Soward (5-11, 175, Sr.) OR | |
| 82 | Kareem Kelly (6-1, 185, Fr.) OR | |
| 89 | Marcell Allmond (6-2, 180, Fr.) | |
| PR | 7 | Chad Morton (5-8, 185, Sr.*) OR |
| 18 | R. Jay Soward (5-11, 175, Sr.) | |
| 82 | Kareem Kelly (6-1, 185, Fr.) |
*Used up redshirt year
UCLA
| SE | 83 | Brad Melsby (6-0, 199, Sr.*) |
| 85 | Jon Dubravac (6-4, 209, So.) | |
| LT | 78 | Bryce Bohlander (6-6, 270, Fr.) |
| 63 | Blake Worley (6-6, 290, Fr.*) | |
| LG | 59 | Oscar Cabrera (6-4, 297, Jr.*) |
| 66 | Ed Anderson (6-5, 292, So.*) | |
| C | 74 | James Ghezzi (6-5, 288, Sr.) |
| 59 | Oscar Cabrera (6-4, 297, Jr.*) | |
| RG | 60 | Brian Polak (6-4, 330, Jr.) |
| 74 | James Ghezzi (6-5, 288, Sr.) | |
| RT | 77 | Micah Webb (6-6, 267, Jr.*) |
| 63 | Blake Worley (6-6, 290, Fr.*) | |
| TE | 92 | Randy Hakes (6-4, 245, Sr.) |
| 89 | Gabe Crecion (6-5, 241, Jr.*) | |
| 18 | Mike Seidman (6-5, 246, Fr.) | |
| QB | 4 | Ryan McCann (6-4, 217, Fr.*) |
| 8 | Scott McEwan 6-3, 197, So.*) | |
| FB | 36 | Durell Price (6-0, 235, Sr.) |
| 31 | Matt Stanley (6-3, 231, So.*) | |
| TB | 1 | Keith Brown (6-0, 220, Sr.) |
| 26 | DeShaun Foster (6-1, 210, So.) | |
| 23 | Jermaine Lewis (5-7, 183, Jr.*) | |
| FL | 87 | Danny Farmer (6-4, 212, Sr.*) |
| 3 | Freddie Mitchell II (6-0, 183, So.*) | |
| 25 | Cody Joyce (6-1, 202, So.*) |
| DE | 99 | Kenyon Coleman (6-6, 278, Jr.) |
| 98 | Sean Phillips (6-5, 274, Fr.*) | |
| DT | 96 | Anthony Fletcher (6-4, 292, So.) |
| 64 | Steve Morgan (6-3, 295, Fr.*) | |
| DT | 75 | Pete Holland (6-3, 275, Sr.*) |
| 57 | Kory Lombard (6-1, 275, Jr.*) | |
| DE | 94 | Rusty Williams (6-4, 254, Fr.*) |
| 95 | Santi Hall (6-2, 252, So.*) | |
| OLB | 51 | Tony White (6-1, 236, Jr.) OR |
| 48 | Ali Abdul-Azziz (6-2, 228, Sr.*) | |
| MLB | 8 | Robert Thomas (6-2, 226, So.) |
| 51 | Tony White (6-1, 236, Jr.) | |
| OLB | 47 | Ryan Nece (6-2, 214, So.*) |
| 44 | Marcus Reese (6-2, 216, Fr.) | |
| LC | 33 | Ryan Roques (6-0, 181, Sr.*) |
| 22 | Joe Hunter (5-11, 170, Fr.*) | |
| FS | 21 | Lovell Houston (6-1, 183, Fr.*) |
| 29 | Julius Williams (6-0, 193, So.) | |
| SS | 37 | Joey Strycula (6-0, 189, Sr.*) |
| 2 | Audie Attar (6-0, 196, Fr.*) | |
| RC | 9 | Ricky Manning Jr. (5-9, 170, Fr.) |
| 24 | Paul Nelson (6-1, 193, Fr.*) |
| P | 19 | Nate Fikse (5-9, 180, Fr.) |
| PK | 14 | Chris Griffith (6-1, 194, Fr.*)-PAT/FG |
| 19 | Nate Fikse (5-9, 180, Fr.)--KO | |
| SNP | 58 | Jeff Grau (6-4, 240, So.) |
| HLD | 37 | Joey Strycula (6-0, 189, Sr.*) |
| KOR | 23 | Jermaine Lewis (5-7, 183, Jr.*) |
| 21 | Lovell Houston (6-1, 183, Fr.*) | |
| PR | 33 | Ryan Roques (6-0, 181, Sr.*) |
| 9 | Ricky Manning Jr. (5-9, 170, Fr.) |
*Used up redshirt year
1999 UCLA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (4-6)
| GAME | OPPONENT | RESULT | |
| Sept. 4 | Boise State | W 38-7 | |
| Sept. 11 | at Ohio State | L 20-42 | |
| Sept. 18 | Fresno State | W 35-21 | |
| Sept. 25 | at Stanford | L 32-42 | |
| Oct. 2 | at Arizona State | L 27-28 | |
| Oct. 9 | Oregon | W 34-29 | |
| Oct. 16 | California | L 0-17 | |
| Oct. 23 | at Oregon State | L 7-55 | |
| Oct. 30 | Arizona | L 7-33 | |
| Nov. 13 | Washington | W 23-20 (OT) | |
| Nov. 20 | at USC |













