IT'S FOURTH and 38 for the nation's number one football enthusiast. And Dick Whittier, the four-year varsity quarterback for USU, is in big trouble.

Up to now the game plan had gone perfectly. USU's impregnable front line had defended Whittier with pugnacious and unbudging loyalty, bringing USU two titles in four years. Week after week the unsung pugilists of the offensive line did the thankless dirty work in that no-man's land between the lines, and USU won big combining the talents of its crafty quarterback with a cagey and seemingly airtight wall of protection. In 1968 they brought USU its first championship in eight years, edging Minnesota, 43-42, in the frantic November title game, after having squandered a big early lead. Four years later the quarterback with the same old line captured national laurels again. This time, though, it wasn't nearly as close, as the veteran USU team humbled an inexperienced South Dakota squad, 63-32, for the national crown.

But now, it's a new season and the big point spreads run up in the past don't help much, especially when you have to play the game every week. And suddenly, the team that everybody rubberstamped "dynasty" after the landslide win in last year's title game looks like it's coming apart at the seams. Whittier -- who didn't seem to age at all in his first four seasons -- is beginning to feel the wear and tear of the constant ruse and deception of winning football. The question you hear today is "Can the old boy do the job any more -- is he a big enough man for it?" Ever since that big victory in 1972 (and there were signs of it even before that) USU has shown signs of faltering -- especially in the line.

YOU CAN ALWAYS tell how good a team is by the performance of its front wall. And with USU that protection is even more important, because the U.S. quarterback, while a crafty signal caller, just isn't much more than mediocre when it comes right down to natural ability. Without his line to shield him from outside pressure, he simply is not a championship quarterback.

Well, USU hasn't gone very far into the new season and its front wall is already showing signs of crumbling. The protective pocket that insulated the USU signal caller so effectively from the opposition in the past is being overrun, and Whittier, accustomed to sitting back in the cup of insulation thrown up by his underlings, is being blitzed to death. With the protection broken down, the U.S. leader is being forced out of the pocket, and he is scrambling like mad to avoid being cornered.

To compensate for his crumbling protection, Whittier has been forced to abandon his accustomed game plan. As he scrambles around in his own backfield, he's had to make some hasty improvisations in his offensive stance. And as each play brings the eager tacklers closer, Whittier digs deeper and deeper into his bag of trick plays in an attempt to elude the pursuit. But Whittier, as crafty a veteran as he is, is running out of tricks.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST roadblocks to solving the problems of USU's crumbling football dynasty is what to do with the offensive line. To return to the unchallenged dominance USU enjoyed in '68 and '72 the team must rebuild the offensive protection. And already the house cleaning has begun. The old-line veterans have been forced out and replaced by transfers from Army and Harvard.

But those who are being replaced aren't leaving quietly. And some have indicated that behind-the-scenes politicking by Whittier, not the erosion of natural abilities in the line, is the real reason for USU's decline. One blocker who was cut complained that Whittier berated him for his suggestions in the huddle and indicated that the USU quarterback was a totalitarian when it came to calling signals. "He told me 'You're not following the game plan,'" the ex-starter said. "He said 'Everyone's in step but you.' Right after that I was gone."

Internal dissension seems to be on a definite upswing among the USU ranks. And on the field the situation gets worse and worse. Now that his pocket has broken down, Whittier is being harried more intensely than ever. And he is scrambling for his life. A setback like this could not only scuttle the season, but it could ruin his career as well. With each new play, the ends and tackles close in a little more on the U.S. Quarterback. And it seems only a matter of time before he will be sacked behind his own line.