Trojans look sharp

Steve Guiremand

Monday, Dec. 24, 2001 | 9:48 a.m.

It has been three long years since USC has made it to a bowl game. But the Trojans, who face Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl on Tuesday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium, say they learned a valuable lesson in their 28-19 loss to TCU in the 1998 Sun Bowl.

"We found out that you can't take any team lightly like we did against TCU," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "We really didn't sharpen up the week prior to the game and have our best practices like we have had out here. Hopefully, that will be an advantage for us coming into this game."

USC (6-5), which was a 16-point favorite in El Paso before getting run over by LaDainian Tomlinson & Co., is favored by just a field goal this time against the Utes (7-4), who won the 1999 Las Vegas Bowl, 17-16, over Fresno State.

"They're very good on defense," Palmer said. "I compare them a lot to Washington's defense. They're real big and physical. There's no real weakness. They're just a bunch of big guys who can make plays."

First-year Trojan head coach Pete Carroll said he's just as impressed with Utah's offense. The Utes, led by a veteran offensive line that features all-conference tackle Doug Kaufusi, powerful senior left guard Ed Ta'amu and all-Mountain West conference running back Dameon Hunter, ranked 12th nationally in rushing offense (218.9 yards per game).

"They have the ability to wear teams out," Carroll said. "Their backs are huge, and their offensive line is physical. They can punish a defense and eventually get you so tired, they start breaking off big runs."

USC's defense, led by All-American safety Troy Palamalu and freshman All-American defensive tackle Shaun Cody, started slowly but came on strong in the final half of the season. The Trojans finished the regular season with a convincing 27-0 shutout of crosstown rival UCLA, limiting the Bruins to 28 yards rushing and 114 yards in total offense.

"USC is coming into this game on a roll," Utah coach Ron McBride said.

And on a mission not to get embarrassed again in only its second bowl game in six years.

"I think we underestimated TCU," senior cornerback Antuan Simmons said. "We were out partying and having too good of a time and it showed during the game. We vowed not to let that happen again. Vegas is fun and everything, but we're here to win the game.

"It was embarrassing to get spanked by TCU on national television. We did it once, we're not going to do it again."

Kaufusi has continued to practice with the Utes ...

Running back Dameon Hunter needs 112 yards to become Utah's most prolific single-season rusher and McBride said he'll try to help Hunter break the record if the opportunity arises. Carl Monroe holds the mark with 1,507 yards in the 1982 season. "It depends on the situation, but yeah, we want him to get it," McBride told the Salt Lake Tribune. "Getting that record would be a big statement for Dameon and the offensive line." ...

USC head coach Pete Carroll said it is "a long shot" that starting middle linebacker Michael Pollard will play.

Pollard, who is second on the Trojans with 81 tackles and is a good run stopper, twisted his knee in practice when his cleats got stuck in the soon-to-be-replaced Rebel Park turf. Junior Aaron Graham will likely start. Pollard, who didn't dress for Sunday's workout, insists he will play.