Soward Is Hardly Showstopper Against Ducks

EUGENE, Ore. —  USC receiver R. Jay Soward, best known for big plays and spectacular returns, was all but blanked Saturday against Oregon.

He had three catches for nine yards, no punt returns, and one kickoff return for 10 yards.

“I’m stopping myself,” Soward said, not wanting to give all the credit to Oregon’s defense.

Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti gave the defense credit.

“I think our defense gave an outstanding effort. I was really pleased with our special teams coverage as well, shutting down R. Jay Soward,” Bellotti said. “I don’t know if he had any positive yards, but that is awesome because he is a great athlete.”

The USC offense let the defense down on Saturday, but Soward said he doesn’t see friction as a result.

“I’ve never seen that,” he said. “We don’t have anybody telling the defense they’re not doing their job or anybody telling the offense that. We always stand by each other and encourage each other.”

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Starting quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst completed nine of 12 passes for 116 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but Carson Palmer played more.

Palmer finished 10 for 19 for 179 yards.

“Numbers don’t matter, any time you lose,” Van Raaphorst said. “Numbers are nice to look at when you win. When you lose, it doesn’t matter.”

Coach Paul Hackett said the move was partly the game plan and partly a response to Palmer’s mobility in the pocket.

“It’s Coach’s team,” Van Raaphorst said. “He does it the way he wants to deal with it.”

Tailback Chad Morton says everyone outside the team worries more about the quarterback rotation than the Trojans.

“Nobody cares anymore,” he said. “I don’t mean it in a bad way, but that’s a media thing about who’s going in. We don’t really care. We’re going to back up whoever’s in there.”

Said Soward: “The two guys, the only difference is Carson has a stronger arm and can move out of the pocket. They are the same plays. There’s no reason we shouldn’t execute with either quarterback in the game.”

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Kicker Adam Abrams, two of five on field-goal attempts against Oregon, was eight of 11 this season before Saturday, with those misses coming in one game.

“The first snap was a little low,” he said. “The second, of course, it’s harder. Things start going through your head. I’m usually good at blocking that out, but sometimes it sneaks through.”

This time, Oregon sneaked through for a victory.

“I’m lost for words,” receiver Mike Bastianelli said. “It’s frustrating. You kill yourself with penalties. . . . [The missed field goals] killed us, but we lose as a team. It’s not Adam’s fault.”

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USC cornerback Daylon McCutcheon had three tackles and made some nice plays against Oregon’s passing attack but he struggled with leg problems and missed several plays during the second half.

“I don’t know what it was, I had a knot or cramp in my calf, it bothered me the whole game,” McCutcheon said. “The one play that I stayed down on, [when he was attended to by USC’s trainers in the second quarter] I twisted my ankle a little. But, that really didn’t bother me as much.”

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On Oregon’s final possession, the Ducks were aided by a personal foul penalty against Trojan linebacker Chris Claiborne, which gave Oregon a first down at the USC 30 with 1:30 remaining.

“I made a terrible mistake, that was my penalty,” said Claiborne, who was double-teamed throughout the second half. “It was through frustration. I let my frustrations get the best of me.”