J J Young

With the attention in USC's practices this week focused on stopping Oregon State's wishbone running offense today in the Coliseum, someone finally asked Coach John Robinson about the Beavers' passing game. "If we don't stop their running game, we won't have to worry about their passing game," he said. "They gained 667 yards running against Pacific. Why would anyone throw the ball when you're gaining 667 yards running?"

California has apparently fallen apart. The Golden Bears, losing their third game in a row, were routed by Arizona State, 41-0, Saturday night in a Pacific 10 game at Tempe, Ariz. California, which opened its season with a 27-25 victory over UCLA and then won its next four games before losing to Washington, 24-23, has lost its last three games by a combined score of 117-21.

Oregon State and Wyoming, both celebrating the start of their 100th year in football, played at Laramie, Wyo., and in the end it was the Beavers enjoying the anniversary after coming from behind to win, 27-16. After a scoreless first half, Wyoming took a 10-0 lead in the third quarter, but Oregon State scored 27 points in the fourth quarter.

Flannel shirts, grunge bands, bell bottoms . . . wishbone offense. It's the 1970s all over again in the Great Northwest, and Saturday the Oregon State Beavers almost knocked the UCLA Bruins into another time zone. No more flashbacks, please. The Bruins escaped with their Pacific 10 Conference lives, skipping town with a 20-17 victory because some kid missed a game-tying field goal by inches, if that much.

Rob Johnson probably will miss his first quarterback start for USC in 29 games today when the Trojans play Oregon State, Coach John Robinson said Friday. After a 20-minute practice at the University of Oregon in Eugene, 45 miles from here, Robinson said he didn't believe the right ankle Johnson sprained in last Saturday's 22-7 loss to Oregon had healed sufficiently for Johnson to play. "Unless there's a real change overnight, we'll probably start Brad (Otton), Robinson said.

Monday, practice was late, after weightlifting, rather than the reverse. Tuesday, things were normal. Wednesday, breaks were taken during drills with the offense, and Bjorn Merten trotted onto the field to kick field goals, as though drives had been stopped. Thursday, normally 12 practice periods of five minutes each in T-shirt and shorts, became 14 periods of six minutes each in shoulder pads that were expected to be used.

College football forecast: Nebraska will improve its postseason bowl record since New Year's Day of 1987 to 1-7. . . . UCLA wide receiver J.J. Stokes will make a spectacular catch on opening night against Tennessee, and an NFL scout will say he was crazy not to have made himself available for this year's draft. . . . Michigan running back Tyrone Wheatley will get hurt, and an NFL scout will say he was crazy not to have made himself available for this year's draft.

Nobody can con Stanford Coach Bill Walsh into believing in the Stanford football team the way Bill Walsh can. The leader of Stanford's football fortunes had himself convinced that the Cardinal was going to knock Oregon out of the Rose Bowl last weekend. That conviction even brought a couple of unhappy thoughts for Walsh. Oregon Coach Rich Brooks is a close friend. And, as Walsh told a reporter, "My gosh, I'm about to put USC into the Rose Bowl."

Once they were true believers in the wishbone, back when Bob Field was coaching under Bear Bryant at Alabama and Terry Donahue under Pepper Rodgers at Kansas and UCLA. Bryant won national championships with the wishbone and Rodgers went to bowl games with it, gaining yardage in chunks, piling up points and calling on the pass only in times of duress. Field, UCLA's defensive coordinator, and Donahue, his boss, cut their coaching teeth on the multiple offense. Now they would not consider using it.

Thanks to three more touchdown catches in another record-breaking game by Johnnie Morton, USC finally broke the .500 barrier Saturday and beat Oregon State, 34-9, before 44,363 at the Coliseum. The Trojans have won two games in a row for the first time this season and improved to 3-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference and 4-3 overall, going into next Saturday's game at Notre Dame. And Notre Dame was a major topic of conversation after Saturday's game. "Notre Dame . . .