This Game Has Personal Touch

The road to a winning season for USC bends through Corvallis, Ore., this weekend, and Oregon State Coach Mike Riley--the Trojans’ offensive coordinator last season--stands smack dab in the middle of the street.

An upset of USC would be monumental for the 3-6 Beavers, who haven’t beaten the Trojans since 1967 and have a 10-game losing streak in the Pacific 10 Conference.

It would also be devastating to a USC coaching staff that Riley was so recently a part of--a coaching staff that took a big step toward turning the corner Saturday with a 45-21 victory over Stanford. With that, USC has a 5-4 record with Oregon State and UCLA remaining.

Mixed emotions? Riley can take it.

Back in 1983, he was the secondary coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League.

His father, Bud Riley, was coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Winnipeg and Hamilton played Oct. 1, and Winnipeg won, 34-19.

On Oct. 7, Bud Riley was fired.

The Winnipeg game had been his last.

“They were having a rough time and we went in and played them,” Mike Riley said. “So I’ve seen that. I’ve seen the negatives. I don’t think I dwell on those things.

“Our business has strange things happen. There are pressures outside, but I look more at the personal side. There are all sorts of outside elements we cannot control.”

The personal side this weekend will include a visit with Coach John Robinson, a man Riley counts as a friend and mentor, along with the other coaches and the Trojan players.

“I have relationships with the players at USC and have such respect for John, and such appreciation for getting to work for him,” Riley said. “I have many friendships there, but we’ll try to beat them all the same.”

USC might have finally found its offense against Stanford with the injection of speed brought on by Chad Morton’s switch from safety to tailback, and cornerback Daylon McCutcheon’s dramatic dabbling on offense.

Only a little more than a year ago, Riley was the offensive coordinator who was bailed out of a bad spot by Morton.

In fact, it was against Oregon State.

With Shawn Walters and Delon Washington out because of suspensions, Morton was in the midst of a three-game stint as a part-time tailback.

He broke a 73-yard touchdown run and finished with 143 yards in a performance he all but repeated Saturday against Stanford, rushing for 109 yards with a 69-yard carry the first time he touched the ball.

“Oh, I was reminded,” Riley said. “I got to watch a little bit of the game because we played at night. Gosh, that Chad Morton. Chad’s first run had a very big impact on the game.

“It was against OSU that he played tailback for us last year. He went crazy. I think people up here still think Chad Morton is one of the best backs they’ve ever seen.”

Morton and McCutcheon are the two best backs on USC’s team, anyway.

“I think the staff did a great job of pinpointing the issue and putting in plays,” Riley said. “Those are two special athletes. Very versatile. They can do things anywhere on the field.”

So while Hue Jackson, the Trojans’ new offensive coordinator, thanks his lucky stars Robinson and the defensive coordinator let Morton and McCutcheon switch sides, Riley now looks for ways to slow them.

His thoughts about USC’s future are overshadowed by his own task.

“Most of the time, you’re spending your time just trying to get prepared for the game,” he said.

After a 3-2 start that included three-point losses to Stanford and Arizona State, Oregon State has lost four games in a row--to UCLA, Washington, California and Arizona.

The Cal game looked as if it could be Oregon State’s chance to break through for a conference victory, but the Beavers were shut out instead, 27-0.

“It’s eluded us,” Riley said. “We had one big collapse this year when we went to Cal and just didn’t play. Up to that point, the team came out and had an opportunity to win every game.

“At Arizona, if nothing else, we just needed to come on the field and play, and we did that. But I don’t want to be comforted in a loss. . . .

“Injuries have played a part in us not being exactly where we’d like to be, but for the most part we’re making progress in the program.

“This is a real project, and in the process we have to look at the bigger picture.”

Part of looking at the bigger picture is not watching the struggles of his former team too closely.

“I have so many positive feelings for that group,” Riley said. “In coaching, you never want the people you care about to go through hard times. I’m also kind of swamped by our own rough times. But I know the strength of those people. I know they’re battling away.”