Walter Hammerwold, Staff Writer
USC quarterback Matt Leinart claims he has only vague memories of the Trojans’ last trip to Strawberry Canyon in Berkeley. “I try to forget about that one,” he said Tuesday. “It was a great game with a great finish. But that game’s a long way away now. “All I remember is we didn’t get it done.” If the Heisman Trophy winner sounds brief, there’s good reason. Cal rattled the then-first-year starter into three interceptions and held the Trojans scoreless on two of three overtime possessions to walk away with a 34-31 victory. USC rallied twice in the second half, from a 21-7 halftime deficit and a three-point deficit late in the game. But the Trojans fell apart in overtime, losing a fumble on the goal line in the first overtime period and missing a 39-yard field goal in the third. The game remains the lone blemish on Leinart’s record and cost the 2003 Trojans, who went on to win the Associated Press share of the national title, a chance to play for the BCS championship. “That loss is always going to be with me,” Leinart said. “But I try not to think about that game.” The Trojans have run off 31 consecutive victories since that loss, including a 28-14 victory over Michigan in the 2004 Rose Bowl for a share of the national title and a 55-19 rout of No. 2 Oklahoma in the BCS title game at the Orange Bowl last season. But Cal has remained the biggest thorn in USC’s side. The Golden Bears have dominated the past two games statistically, even if their win-loss total is 1-1. “They’ve got a great coach, a great offensive line,” Leinart said. “For whatever reason, they’ve played us tough the last couple of years.” The Golden Bears came the closest to knocking off the Trojans last season, reaching first-and-goal late in the fourth quarter at the Coliseum before falling, 23-17. With three games left in the Trojans’ season, they might be the biggest threat the 2005 Trojans have left. The teams meet 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Berkeley.
“We do know it is a difficult place to play and they have a great crowd that gets the team fired up and inspired,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “We have come to learn to expect that, and hopefully we will be up to the task and we will put together a great football game and a great plan that will give us a chance to win.” Understanding that Cal has had success against the Trojans dynasty is easy. But pinpointing the reason why is not. Although the Golden Bears have made great strides since Jeff Tedford took over a 1-10 program in 2002, they have only once entered the game with a team that on paper could contend with USC. Cal’s 2004 team had the talent and experience to match the Trojans. The Golden Bears won all of their regular-season games except for that meeting and were narrowly edged out of the Rose Bowl by Texas in the final BCS standings. But the 2003 team that defeated USC finished 8-6 after being picked near the bottom in the Pac-10 Conference’s preseason poll. This year’s team has fallen out of the Associated Press rankings after starting the season 5-0 and reaching the top 10. Close losses to UCLA, Oregon State and Oregon — each by seven points or less — have dropped the Golden Bears from Rose Bowl contention to contending to keep from finishing in the bottom half of the Pac-10.
“Two years ago we had a veteran team and last year we were a veteran team,” Tedford said. “This year we are pretty young.” What has made the difference for the Golden Bears against the Trojans might be the mentality Tedford has instilled in them. Since taking over the program, Tedford has had success changing the culture at Berkeley from one of losing — Tedford’s first year was Cal’s first winning season since 1993 — to one of confidence by mastering team psychology and crafting a game plan to fit the makeup of his program. The Cal teams that USC has faced under Tedford have lacked the same sense of fear many of the Trojans’ opponents have shown. Tedford stressed that most of the players who helped beat the Trojans two years ago have graduated from the program. But the lesson they left likely resonates with the current team. “They’re a confident team,” Carroll said. “They were 1-10 the year before he got there. Since then they have done exceedingly well since.”
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