Locals

No. 21 USC (8-5 last season) at Hawaii (0-12)

* Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. PDT Saturday at Honolulu, Fox Sports West 2.

* Story line: All the Trojans need to remember is the lesson of their Sun Bowl loss to Texas Christian and take care of business against the Rainbows, whose 18-game losing streak is the longest in the nation.

* USC update: It’s time for everyone to see how much better quarterback Carson Palmer is as a sophomore. One snag could be offensive penalties, which dogged the team throughout training camp. Defensively, the young secondary will be tested against Hawaii’s four-receiver sets--especially with standout freshman Darrell Rideaux out because of a sore back.

* Hawaii update: Coach June Jones is bringing the run-and-shoot to Hawaii, but may not have the personnel to run it the way he’d like. Quarterback Dan Robinson shouldn’t be dismissed: He passed for 328 yards against Michigan last season. But defense was a problem. A 27-6 loss to Arizona in the first game wasn’t so awful. But injuries piled up, and over the last four games, Hawaii gave up 45, 51, 47 and 48 points.

* Edge to USC: The Trojans’ overwhelming advantage in speed and athleticism should easily overcome the enthusiasm accompanying Jones’ debut as coach, as well as any lopsided penalty statistics.

* Line: USC by 27.