Preparing for the Heartbreak Kids

After taking three days off, top-ranked USC returns to practice today to begin preparations for Saturday’s home opener against Colorado State.

USC (1-0), which defeated Virginia Tech in the Black Coaches Assn. Football Classic on Aug. 28, is playing Colorado State for the first time.

Colorado State (0-1), a member of the Mountain West Conference, is coming off a dramatic 27-24 loss to Colorado on Saturday.

Playing in front of a record crowd at Colorado’s Folsom Field, the Rams had the ball at Colorado’s one-yard line with 30 seconds left. With three seconds remaining, quarterback Justin Holland pitched the ball to running back Tristan Walker, who was stopped by safety J.J. Billingsley as time expired.

Holland passed for 403 yards, all in the final three quarters.

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Colorado State has never defeated a team ranked higher than No. 4.

In 1994, the Rams upset fourth-ranked Arizona, 21-16, at Tucson.

USC is 11-3-1 against Mountain West Conference teams. After Colorado State, the Trojans play Brigham Young, another Mountain West member, which defeated Notre Dame on Saturday.

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The game against Colorado State is expected to draw a near-sellout crowd. USC has won 15 consecutive games at the Coliseum.... Offensive lineman John Drake (foot), tight end Alex Holmes (calf) and defensive lineman Frostee Rucker (toe) are among the players expected to work out today after sitting out practices during the off week.

-- Gary Klein