Peete Has Measles, May Miss UCLA Game : USC Would Have to Go With O’Hara, Marinovich at Quarterback in Rose Bowl Decider

USC’s Rodney Peete is suffering from the measles, and Coach Larry Smith said his quarterback’s status is uncertain for Saturday’s game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl.

Smith said he learned late Wednesday afternoon that his senior quarterback, regarded as a strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy, has the measles, not the flu, as originally believed. If Peete is unable to play, he will be replaced by Pat O’Hara, a redshirt sophomore who has had limited playing time this season.

It has been estimated that about 30 USC students have come down with the measles, and Smith said his players were inoculated for the disease Tuesday night.

He added that he didn’t know that Peete had the measles at the time.

Smith would not reveal Peete’s whereabouts, saying only, “He’s under a doctor’s care.”

But Peete said in a statement: “I’m feeling a lot better, and if things keep progressing as they are I hope to be out there on Saturday. Whether I’m there or not, I’m very confident the team will play well and Pat O’Hara will do a great job. I’m sorry to have alarmed or worried anybody and I appreciate everyone’s concern.”

Peete missed practice sessions Monday and Tuesday, when it was believed he had the flu. Smith didn’t seem especially concerned at the time, saying that Peete has had only 3 practice days each of the last 3 weeks.

He won’t be practicing the rest of the week, though, and if he can’t play, undefeated USC’s prospects of beating UCLA and earning the Rose Bowl bid would seem to be at least slightly diminished. Peete is the focal point of USC’s offense.

Smith, although uncertain about Peete’s availability, sounded optimistic when he said: “The worst is over. He’s just getting his strength back now.”

Smith said he talked to his quarterback, who told him: “Coach, don’t worry about it. I’ll be there.”

In addition to Saturday’s game being a showdown for a Jan. 2 appearance in the Rose Bowl against Michigan, Peete and UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman were expected to have their own showdown as, reportedly, the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy.

“My No. 1 concern is Rodney and his health,” said Smith, who added that he isn’t changing his offensive game plan in the absence of Peete.

“This is something we have to be good enough as a team to overcome,” said Smith as he talked to reporters after practice. “We’re a team first, although Rodney is a very valuable component of our team. If we have to play O’Hara, we have a lot of confidence in him.”

He also said that O’Hara’s backup, highly regarded freshman Todd Marinovich, would play “if that’s what it takes to win the championship.”

Marinovich was expected to red-shirt this season with only 2 games plus a bowl game left on the schedule. The Trojans (9-0 overall and 7-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference) will be in a bowl game even if they lose to the Bruins (9-1, 6-1). Arrangements have already been made with the Sugar Bowl in that event.

O’Hara has appeared in 3 games this season and has completed 5 of 7 passes for 61 yards without a touchdown.

The former Santa Monica High School star played the final 13 minutes last Saturday, when USC routed Arizona State at Tempe, Ariz., 50-0.

He completing the only 2 passes he threw for 36 yards in leading the Trojans on 2 late touchdown drives.

O’Hara didn’t want to be interviewed but he had a prepared statement: “I don’t know the extent of Rodney’s illness, but if it comes down to me playing on Saturday, I’m prepared to go out and do my best. I just found out today that I might have to start.

“I don’t know for sure if I will, but I’ll prepare to play, just like I do every week. It’s an exciting opportunity if it comes about. Playing in a game like this one is what I came to USC for.”

It was practice as usual Wednesday, with O’Hara and Marinovich taking turns at quarterback. O’Hara, 6 feet 3 inches and 195 pounds, a heavily recruited quarterback while in high school, was passing sharply.

If Peete is unable to play, O’Hara will have a role similar to UCLA’s Norman Dow in 1966 and USC’s Dean Schneider in 1949.

Gary Beban, a future Heisman Trophy winner had a broken ankle before the USC game in 1966. Therefore, USC was heavily favored.

Dow, a senior, who had never started, led UCLA to a 14-7 victory, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run.

In 1949, Schneider, a fourth-string quarterback, was promoted mainly because of injuries. He threw 2 touchdown passes as USC upset a Red Sanders-coached UCLA team, 21-7. The other USC quarterbacks at the time were Jim Powers, Wilbur Robertson and Frank Gifford.

Smith, asked to assess O’Hara, said: “We felt that in the third week of practice, he really came on and established himself solidly as the No. 2 quarterback.

“And I think as the season went on he did the same type of thing. I think it was fortunate we’ve got him in for about 30, or 40 plays in the past 2 games. That’s a real plus for him and he seems more at ease.”

As for the possibility of Peete not playing, Smith said the team has overcome injuries at other positions, adding, “It really kind of tests your courage, unity and everything else. We just have to pull together and be ready to play with or without him.”

Smith said he talked to USC officials who told him they didn’t think there was an epidemic of measles on campus, but students, who hadn’t been inoculated, were advised to do so.

Erik Affholter, Peete’s primary receiver, said he had confidence in O’Hara, noting that the sophomore quarterback has a strong arm.

“I don’t think everybody is shocked by it (Peete’s illness),” Affholter said. “It’s just something that brings everybody a little closer together.

“We just have to take it day-by-day, but I believe he’ll play. He’s our leader on offense and we’re all praying he’ll get up out of that bed, but if he doesn’t, we’ll just have to go about business.

“I talked to him last night and he wasn’t feeling good at at all. But if there is any way he can play, he will.”

Asked if he ever had a star quarterback become ill during the season, Affholter said: “Yes, it happened in high school and they made me play quarterback. It was the worst experience of my life. I threw an interception on my first pass.”

Asked to evaluate O’Hara, Affholter said, “Pat has a great arm. He can throw the ball as hard as Rodney can. But he’s not as polished as Rodney.”

Quarterback is one of the few positions where USC doesn’t have experienced reserves.

Peete has been USC’s starting quarterback since late in the 1985 season when he was a redshirt freshman.

He has set 16 school records and has completed 63.5% of his passes this season for 2,240 yards and 17 touchdowns. In last season’s UCLA game, which USC won, 17-13, Peete completed 23 of 35 passes for 304 yards, a career high at the time.

And he threw the winning, 33-yard touchdown pass to Affholter in the fourth quarter.

So how does UCLA prepare for USC now?

Earlier in the day, when it was still a rumor that Peete had the measles, UCLA co-defensive coordinator Tom Hayes was asked about the situation.

“We’ve prepared for 4 years for Rodney Peete,” he said. “We don’t know anything about O’Hara.”