USC Answers Come Sooner Than Hoped : Trojans: Schedule gives them no break against No. 13 Oklahoma.

NORMAN, Okla. — Winless since the middle of last season, USC could probably use a game against, say, Cal State Fullerton.

The Trojans’ schedule makers, however, weren’t so obliging.

After opening the season with a 31-31 tie against San Diego State two weeks ago, extending their winless streak to seven games, the Trojans will play Oklahoma here today at Memorial Stadium, where the Sooners have not lost a nonconference game since 1985.

With another two weeks off before they open Pacific 10 Conference play against second-ranked Washington on Oct. 3 at Seattle, the Trojans would benefit greatly from a victory over the 13th-ranked Sooners.

It would go a long way toward erasing the doubts that were raised when USC, coming off its worst season in 35 years, squandered a 21-7 halftime lead against San Diego State.

“If our team can go in there and perform the way we think we can, and we can get the results we think we can, this game can act as a rocket booster, really set us off,” Coach Larry Smith said. “I think this is all we need.”

The Trojans’ opening game left a couple of questions unanswered:

--Is USC’s offense as good as it showed against San Diego State’s lightly regarded defense?

Led by quarterback Rob Johnson, the Trojans piled up 443 yards against the Aztecs, but it was against a defense that was 103rd among the nation’s 107 Division I-A colleges last season and doesn’t seem much better this year.

San Diego State gave up 561 yards during a 45-38 victory over Brigham Young last week. Cougar quarterback John Walsh passed for 380 yards and five touchdowns.

And as well as Johnson played, completing 20 of 33 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns, he lost two costly fumbles, leading to two Aztec touchdowns.

He was sacked five times.

“Our offense is going to be challenged a heck of a lot more this week,” Smith said.

--Is USC’s defense as bad as it showed against San Diego State’s highly regarded offense?

The Trojans gave up 24 third-quarter points against San Diego State and avoided losing only when Aztec kicker Andy Trakas missed field-goal attempts of 30 and 55 yards in the last 54 seconds.

“We had control of the game and we came out in the second half and, in the third quarter, slipped back into the syndrome of a year ago--making mistakes (and) playing tentatively,” Smith said. “The big thing is to get our defense to play four quarters of football.”

Marshall Faulk ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns against the Trojans, who have given up an average of 227 rushing yards, 409 total yards and 28.6 points during their winless streak.

Oklahoma is averaging 244.5 yards rushing, 504 total yards and 47.5 points during season-opening victories over Texas Tech, 34-9, and Arkansas State, 61-0.

The leader of the suddenly pass-happy Sooners, who have abandoned the option attack that sustained them through more than two decades, is junior quarterback Cale Gundy, who has completed 27 of 36 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.

Gundy passed for a school-record 329 yards during a 48-14 victory over Virginia in the Gator Bowl last December, then broke that record when he passed for 341 yards against Texas Tech, completing 22 of 28 attempts.

“The thing we tried to improve on was to be a more aggressive offense, and to do that you have to rely on your quarterback more,” said Larry Coker, Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator. “Certainly, Cale’s taken advantage of that.”

The Sooners, though, still have a capable running attack, led by Kenyon Rasheed, a 5-foot-11, 245-pound senior fullback, and junior tailback Earnest Williams. Williams ran for 116 yards in 11 carries against Arkansas State.

“They’re going to run right at you and try to hit you in the mouth,” Smith said of the Sooners.

Defensively, Oklahoma has only three starters back from a unit that was the best in the Big Eight last season against both the run and the pass and gave up an average of only 13 points.

Still, the Sooners are fourth in the nation in total defense this week after yielding only 73 yards against Arkansas State.

GAMES TO WATCH: No. 12 Nebraska, seeking revenge for a 36-21 loss at home to Washington last season, travels to Seattle to face the No. 2 Huskies today. C8