April 2008 Archives
We hear that USC coach Tim Floyd was unsure whether he wanted Davon Jefferson to return next season. That means he knew Jefferson was leaving, because even with their constant conflicts, all is forgiven in basketball if a player stays.
This was a question posed right after the scrimmage that I thought provided an interesting answer from Pete Carroll.
The Top 10 attendance figures for spring football games played through April 27.
Nebraska - 80,149; Alabama - 78,200; Ohio State - 76,346; Penn State - 73,000; Florida - 61,000; Texas - 43,000; Auburn - 35,000; LSU - 33,624; Texas A&M - 32,000; and South Carolina - 31,125.
Q: Why are scholarship reductions and the cost of USC as a private institution being used as excuses for why the baseball team has hit an all-time low, when other private schools -- such as Rice, Vanderbilt and Stanford -- are all currently highly ranked in the national polls?
Their tuition costs are similar to that of USC, so is it not inherently flawed to say that USC's baseball team is now suffering due to the costs that come from awarding partial scholarships at a private university when other similar institutions are not suffering the same fate?
Answer after the jump.
You probably saw ESPN's mock draft for next season lists USC defensive tackle Fili Moala as the No. 1 pick in next year's draft.
If that's true, here's three thoughts:
1.) Moala should sue Pete Carroll for refusing to tell him where he could have been drafted last weekend. 2.) Moala should immediately purchase a $10 million insurance policy. 3.) Moala might want to tell the coaches he doesn't want to play nose tackle if it lowers his draft stock.
Link to the full draft is after the jump.
USC basketball recruit Malik Story is still being given a chance to academically qualify for NCAA and university admission and could enroll in the fall.
We've comfirmed that forward Davon Jefferson did hire agent Arn Tellem to represent him.
That speaks volumes about his mindset about getting out of USC, if he doesn't even want to see what happens between now and the draft. Even Kevin Love is smart enough to wait. And he might end up with Tellem too in the end.
One postive note: Jefferson was going to class through last week.
It's not confirmed but we hear Will Collins may sign with the Jets while Alex Morrow and Dale Thompson might sign with the Bengals.
Offensive lineman Drew Radovich signed a free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
Taylor Mays is a subject here along with the quarterbacks, of course.
UC Irvine is ranked seventh and 28-10 overall in baseball. USC is 20-22 overall.
You probably have trouble posting comments. We're working on it, I'm told.
We're back answering questions while the new servers try to get their act together.
As we said for several weeks, Davon Jefferson submitted his name to the NBA for the draft.
But here's the news. He didn't even have the courtesy to inform USC of his decision and the school was caught flatfooted while other colleges announce their players' decisions.
We also hear Jefferson's clashes with Tim Floyd were a major reason he decided to leave early.
We switched servers this afternoon, which caused a news blackout and disrupted Answer Monday. But we're back and if you have trouble posting comments, let me know. It's supposed to be easier. Hahahahahaha.
As we said for several weeks, Davon Jefferson submitted his name to the NBA for the draft.
But here's the news. He didn't even have the courtesy to inform USC of his decision and the school was caught flatfooted while other colleges announce their players' decisions.
We also hear Jefferson's clashes with Tim Floyd were a major reason he decided to leave early.
We switched servers this afternoon, which caused a news blackout and disrupted Answer Monday. But we're back and if you have trouble posting comments, let me know. It's supposed to be easier. Hahahahahaha.
Jerseys and shoes seem to fascinate the questioners. As always, this segment is brought to you by Roman Meal bread.
Winners: Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers, Sam Baker, Lawrence Jackson, Fred Davis, Chilo Rachal, Terrell Thomas.
Neutral: Thomas Williams.
Losers: Chauncey Washington, John David Booty, Drew Radovich.
Free agents: Alex Morrow, Dale Thompson, Hershel Dennis, Matt Spanos.
Winner, Part II: Pete Carroll. USC's shaky NFL reputation received a valuable boost.
Loser, Part II: Caesar. Seven of the nation's top 63 players? How many did Stanford have again? Anyone? Anyone?
Winner Part III: Booty is in a great situation going to Minnesota even if he didn't get drafted as high as projected.
Winner Part IV: Chad Kreuter. If you lose by 21 runs, draft day is a good time for it.
Gag of the day: Did Keith Rivers really need one of Matt Leinart's lackeys hanging out with him in Florida?
The baseball team upset fifth-ranked Stanford 10-9 to take one of three games from the Cardinal. USC is now 20-22 overall.
USC led all schools with 10 players selected in the NFL draft. In Pete Carroll’s seven years at USC, 42 players were drafted by the NFL, including 11 in the first round.
Tailback Chauncey Washington was picked in the seventh round by Jacksonville (where the running backs coach is former USC assistant Kennedy Pola).
Pete Carroll said right before the draft he thought Washington would be taken in the third round. And many thought his 4.35 time in the 40 on Pro Day increased his stock. Such is the fickle world of predicting draft picks.
It's been fairly quiet so far, with John David Booty slipping to the fifth round, where he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings. Linebacker Thomas Williams also went in the fifth round, to Jacksonville.
John David Booty was selected at pick No. 137 in the fifth round by Minnesota. Thomas Williams was drafted No. 155 by Jacksonville in the fifth round. USC now has nine players taken in the NFL draft.
In Friday’s feature for the Daily News, we wrote about the chances of a good showing for USC in the draft, mainly because of the strong character of the senior class. A lot of these players were considered ``quiet,’’ but also let their play speak for itself. Never a bad thing.
The Day 1 result (seven players selected in the first two rounds) should finally bury the disappointing 2006 draft, when only two players were selected in the first round and rehabilitate USC’s image that maybe NFL teams were wary of Trojans (reinforced by Dwayne Jarrett’s second-round pick and poor rookie season).
One player worth noting from the first round was offensive tackle Sam Baker. It seemed like NFL teams lowered his status and by Pro Day, he took some snaps at center in a bid to raise his stock.
But he got sterling reviews from the USC coaching staff and tackles were a hot commodity in the first round. So that expected slip to the second round never happened.
The past two Saturdays resulted in 21-run losses for the baseball team. Stanford scored 25 straight runs en route to a 26-5 victory on Saturday. That followed last week's 23-2 loss to UC Santa Barbara.
Think Sedrick Ellis is excited to be back with Ed Orgeron, who's the defensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints?
Here's what he said about the reunion on his conference call today.
``One thing about that guy is that you know what you’re going to get with him. You’re going to work and he’s going to make you a better football player. You’re not going to stay the same – you’re always going to get better with Coach Orgeron. I’m looking forward to getting back in a system with him where I can work and get better as a football player and never stay the same. This is really exciting. I’m kind of at a loss for words.''
With seven picks in the first two rounds, it begs the question: How did USC lose two games last season? Caesar might have some explaining to do.
USC's seven picks in the first two rounds were the most in school history. Previously, USC had five players taken in the first two rounds in 1968 and 2006. Sedrick Ellis was selected seventh and Keith Rivers ninth. The last time USC had two top-10 picks was in 1990.
Terrell Thomas was the last pick of the day - No. 63 overall. He went to the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
Fred Davis was just selected with the 48th pick by the Washington Redskins. If you're keeping score, six USC players have been drafted. No UCLA player has been drafted yet.
USC now has five selections in the first 39 picks. Chilo Rachal, a guard, was a surprise this early in the second round. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers at No. 39. Rachal left school after his junior year to address family issues. Pete Carroll originally didn't think Rachal would leave early, but he did.
Lawrence Jackson was just selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 28th pick. That means four players have been selected in the first round - Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers, Sam Baker and Jackson - the most in the Pete Carroll era.
Sam Baker - who was figured to be a second-round pick - was selected No. 21 in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons made a trade with the Washington Redskins to get the pick.
Sedrick Ellis will be reunited with former teammate Reggie Bush, in addition to his former line coach Ed Orgeron.
The Bengals take Keith Rivers with the 10th pick. His agent is David Dunn. Carson Palmer's agent is David Dunn. They will both be Bengals.
Hi. This is Jill Painter, and I'll be posting draft stuff today for Scott Wolf. I'm using Scott's logon for now, so even though it has his name on the posts, I'll be posting draft stuff.
Tackle Sedrick Ellis was selected with the No. 7 pick by the New Orleans Saints, who traded up to get the pick from the New England Patriots. Linebacker Keith Rivers was selected No. 9 by the Cincinnati Bengals. Both figured to be top-10 draft picks and both were. No suprises there.
Sedrick Ellis was reunited with his former defensive line coach, Ed Orgeron, when the Saints selected him with the seventh pick.
Will Keith Rivers go seventh? Ninth? Thirteenth? Or is he ``overrated,'' as Petros Papadakis said. Time for the draft.
One knowledgable NFL source who spoke to many teams the past couple weeks believes Sedrick Ellis will be drafted ninth by the Bengals and Keith Rivers will go 13th to the Panthers.
Q: Why is John David Booty so underrated and criticized? He is tough and doesn't complain, if he had Reggie Bush and Lendale White, he too would have a championship.
A: Any quarterback who followed Matt Leinart would be criticized unless they won a national championship. I believe Booty did receive more criticism than he deserved, especially because he played with a broken finger against Stanford. If Leinart had the same receivers, it would have been interesting to see how different his stats would be. It was an incredible advantage for any QB to have Reggie Bush and LenDale White (and Mike Williams).
An alert reader sent a picture of the Viva Sanchez T-shirts. Two things to remember. Mark Sanchez had nothing to do with this shirt. it was produced by an outside vendor. This was clearly a lapse on the athletic dept.'s part for not monitoring the merchandise.
We hear he's likely to be a third-round pick with teams in need of a backup QB showing the most interest.
Pete Carroll after having a few days to digest the scrimmage:
``Mark (Sanchez) took every snap against the first-team defense and he didn't even blink. It was really impressive.''
The Cowboys and the Jets are showing the most interest in Lawrence Jackson right now.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez said last week's decision to name him the starter made a ``big difference'' in his performance last week in practice and the final scrimmage.
``My dad always told me it would be like this,'' Sanchez said. ``That everything would change. Even going to class would change.''
This is similar to the way Matt Leinart felt when he was named the starter in 2003.
Don't be surprised if tailback Hershel Dennis signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent after the draft.
Someone was not monitoring what was being sold inside the Coliseum at the scrimmage. And they just made our loyal readers at the compliance office very happy.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_9047152
Several of you asked why the Coliseum scrimmage was shown at TrojanTV if Pete Carroll said he did not want other schools to watch the scrimmage. So I asked him.
``It was shot from ground level, you can't see anything from there,'' Carroll said. ``You can't study it like a regular game film.''
Hmmm, $100 a year for a ground level scrimmage view?
Pete Carroll said this afternoon he did not expect tailback Joe McKnight to face any further academic problems after he dropped a class a couple weeks ago. McKnight was ineligible for the last part of spring drills.
``He should be fine,'' Carroll said.
We never addressed this before but fullback Alfred Rowe did not participate in spring practice to concentrate on improving his grades after he sought reinstatement before the spring semester.
Defensive tackle Christian Tupou's hand is in a cast because of chipped bone in his hand, according to Pete Carroll.
Answers on USC disbanding German dept. and Marc Tyler.
Q: Was Aaron Corps performance in the Huddle his best of the spring? Did any of his work during the spring practices even come close to his Huddle performance.
A: Corp was fairly conservative until the final scrimmage although he did complete 7 of 8 passes for 80 yards in the second scrimmage. But he did not remove the shackles until the final scrimmage and looked like a different quarterback. He was clearly behind the other two QBs until that final scrimmage.
Quite a few USC players got their Pacific-10 Championship rings sized for the pinky instead of their ring fingers. It's a generational thing.
Why is it better to play offensive tackle than offensive guard. According to nfldraftscout.com, Chilo Rachal is the third-best guard in the draft. Sam Baker is the sixth-best tackle.
But Baker is projected as a second-round pick while Rachal is considered a third-round pick.
Pete Carroll wanted to scoreboard for Howard Jones Field. After an initial request was turned down within the athletic dept., a phone call was made and a donor kicked in $16,000 for the scoreboard along with an additional $4,000 for his name on the board (of course).
A reader asked where I thought USC players would be drafted this weekend. So here you go.
Sedrick Ellis 1st round
Keith Rivers 1st round
Lawrence Jackson 2nd round
Fred Davis 2nd round
Sam Baker 2nd round
John David Booty 3rd round
Chilo Rachal 3rd round
Terrell Thomas 4th round
Chauncey Washington 5th round
Thomas Williams 6th round
Drew Radovich 7th round
Alex Morrow Free Agent
Dale Thompson Free Agent
Matt Spanos Free Agent
Tailback C.J. Gable said he weighs about 210 pounds after dropping down to 180 following groin surgery last fall. Gable started last season at 220 pounds and said he would like to get close to that for next season.
``I’m trying to put it back on,’’ he said. ``I’m just happy I can practice without pain.’’
USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson said he hears he might go between the 25th-35th pick in the NFL draft.
Is USC's tuition too high to compete in sports?
Here's another question.
Q: What was the benefit of having Mustain run the scout team last season if it prevented him from learning the SC offense? I know he was not eligible to play, so that is not what I am asking. It would make more sense for the future of the program if he had been in a position to learn the SC offense rather than having about 10 practices to somehow master it or prove himself.
Answer after the jump.
Here's a reader question.
Q: Why has Pete Carroll been so adamant that people "should not read too much" into Sanchez being named the starter in the spring and that his starter status ends with fall camp? Why did he not say the same thing when Leinart was named the starter in the spring of 2003 over Cassel? Why was the starter status for Leinart considered permanent then but not for Sanchez this time around?
Answer after the jump.
USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson told Fox GameTime Live he does not plan on watching Saturday's NFL draft.
``I'm going to have my phone on, and have someone else in charge of answering it. You don't want to get a false call and get your hopes up. I won't be watching the draft or I may check in on it every once in a while. I'm going to have my family over, they're going to be watching it. I'm actually going to be playing (the video game) Rock Band with my brother and a couple other people.''
Here's how the offensive line depth chart looks today.
Left tackle: Charles Brown
Left guard: Jeff Byers
Center: Kris O'Dowd
Right guard: Zack Heberer or Thomas Herring
Right tackle: Alex Parsons
And here's how I suspect it would look if there was actually a game.
Left tackle: Charles Brown
Left guard: Jeff Byers
Center: Kris O'Dowd
Right guard: Zack Heberer
Right tackle: Butch Lewis
The main difference is that I inserted Lewis into the lineup. He was not listed as a starter on the official depth chart, but he also was recovering from knee surgery, for part of the spring.
Wide receiver Randall Carroll is frequently described here as a soft commitment because he is also talking to UCLA. The latest I hear is that Carroll does favor USC right now despite giving equal time to UCLA. But I also hear he might start looking at schools outside Southern California too. But for now, we'll give USC a half-Euro lead in our rankings.
The blogging glitches prevented this feature last week. We might continue this feature past this week if the readers like it.
Matt Meyer was one of USC's top recruits and driven enough to graduate early and enroll for the spring semester. But during the first part of spring practice, he was described as a ``fish out of water,'' by those inside the program.
But slowly, he began to demonstrate a grasp of what was going on. Whether that means he could play next season is debatable. But at least he has a head start on the other freshman linemen who arrive in the summer.
A band member emailed today regarding the fact the band is no longer allowed to play at UCLA. With their permission, I felt it was worth everyone reading.
Here's our end-of-spring tailback rankings.
Stafon Johnson €€€* (3.5 euros)
C.J. Gable €€€ (3 euros)
Joe McKnight €€€ (3 euros)
Allen Bradford €€** (2.75 euros)
Broderick Green €€* (2.5 euros)
Marc Tyler €€ (2 euros)
One caveat: Wherever Broderick Green is ranked, he adds a unique factor with his size and strength. So he might get more carries just because of short-yardage situations.
Did anyone else hear Michael Wilbon say on ESPN this afternoon that Isiah Thomas was a better coach than Tim Floyd?
Time for questions. It might be difficult to post, so don't worry if it posts twice. And if it doesn't post, I'll answer your question when we supposedly get the server-transition fixed next week.
Here's where you watch some spring scrimmages.
Florida ESPN
Missouri ESPNU
Texas Tech NFL Network
Pittsburgh NFL Network
USC TrojanTV
It's the post-spring quarterback rankings. Things got tighter in the final week, in our opinion, and Aaron Corp made huge strides at the scrimmage. We're going to rank the running backs later today.
Mark Sanchez €€€** (3.75 euros)
Mitch Mustain €€€* (3.5 euros)
Aaron Corp €€€ (3 euros)
Former USC defensive tackle Manuel Wright, who was waived by the New York Giants earlier this month, is now with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bodog.com seems to think the Patriots might take Sedrick Ellis or Keith Rivers with the seventh pick. It's the first draft choice in their ``odds'' that lists both players.
Here's their odds on the Patriots' pick:
Keith Rivers 9/5
Sedrick Ellis 5/2
Leodis McKelvin 4/1
Branden Albert 3/1
Ryan Clady 7/1
Other 9/5
The NFL Network has a show called NFL's Top 10 that creates lists for different subjects. An upcoming show lists the top 10 coaches who should stay in college football. Who made the list? Caesar.
USC's band will no longer be allowed to perform at UCLA in any sport, and vice versa, according to sources. This flies in the face of the original explanation following the basketball game at Pauley Pavilion that the band would be allowed to perform if USC used its ticket allotment for it.
Apparently, the current spin is that the opposing bands caused problems during women's basketball games.
Naturally, football is exempt from the ban.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith sent another message to Dwayne Jarrett on Monday.
``You know, the party session is actually over. This is the NFL," Smith said. "You make plays. You're here to play football. You do the party scene at your own discretion, but on Sundays, we're here to play football. If you can't play football, you won't be playing with the Carolina Panthers or any NFL team.''
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2008-04-21-943441332_x.htm
Here's some scrimmage crowds:
Nebraska 80,149
Ohio State 76,346
Penn State 73,000
Missouri 26,322
Team chemistry, TrojanTV and the word ``charade'' are on the topic list.
Questions abound on Norm Chow, UCLA basketball and of course, the QB situation.
Were you one of the 22,000 at the scrimmage? Or one of the 17,000? Or one of the 14,000? You tell us what you think the crowd was.
Then again, maybe it wasn't worth the week's delay to answer some questions.
We're getting our sea legs back, which reminds us, our faithful sponsor Roman Meal stuck with us even during last week's crisis.
Here we go, brought to you by CaesarTV.com,. where the servers always work and we never show 23-2 baseball games.
Looks like we're back on the air (so far). It's been brutal but the first order of business today is answering all those questions from last week.
Here's the latest on Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson.
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8997119
At least one USC fan received an email on Friday afternoon asking them to wear pink to the USC-Washington women's basketball game on Feb. 10? That's not Feb. 10, 2009. It's two months ago. Better late than never I guess.
Tight end Jordan Cameron of Ventura College and BYU was academically accepted by USC last week and will be able to enroll in the fall. Cameron is expected to line up at wide receiver or H-back because he is more of a receiving tight end right now.
UC Santa Barbara recorded its first baseball sweep of USC in school history, highlighted by a 23-2 victory over the Trojans on Saturday. USC is 19-19 overall.
So far, Carson tight end Morrell Presley's the only commitment we heard attended UCLA's junior day.
USC quarterback Mitch Mustain on his thoughts for next season.
``I didn't come here to be the backup.''
While in blogging limbo, there was a crazy stat we were unable to post. The offensive line missed 14 assignments in last Saturday's scrimmage. That was the scrimmage before the one at the Coliseum. Usually, it misses less than five.
After a quiet spring, wide receiver Brandon Carswell showed why he was a scout-team sensation last fall with his 55-yard touchdown reception that pretty much him running all the way across the field and past the defense.
Then again, if you follow coachspeak, it happened against the second-team defense. Or does that only matter when it's the quarterback?
Those of you who actually care about the Lexus Gauntlet might start getting a little nervous following the tennis teams' swoon against UCLA on Friday. it's now 47.5-37.5 with track and field and rowing the next big events.
Here's the rankings off the scrimmage.
Aaron Corp €€€€
Mark Sanchez €€€*
Mitch Mustain €€€
Now we know Corp's performance will not affect the depth chart right now, but previously we speculated how it would make things interesting if Corp lit it up in a scrimmage. I guess he demonstrated his ``big-play ability'' that Steve Sarkisian said he needed to improve earlier in the spring.
Here's the stats from the final scrimmage.
Aaron Corp on his performance Saturday: ``Maybe this will make it tougher in the fall.''
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8988534
USC commitment, tight end Morrell Presley and another top Trojan target, defensive end Devon Kennard, not only attended the Trojans scrimmage at the Coliseum. They also attended UCLA's Junior Day.
We hear Presley might be checking his options after seeing USC's youth at tight end.
Aaron Corp was the star quarterback of the scrimmage, completing 13 of 16 passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Pete Carroll was quick to point out it occurred against the second team, but other quarterbacks in past seasons did not tear it up like this against the second team.
``He had a couple situations where he made the wrong read and made the play anyways,'' Carroll said. ``He was relaxed.''
Aaron Corp is playing the best among the quarterbacks, with a 16-yard TD pass to Damian Williams. Mark Sanchez was intercepted by Luthur Brown, which set up a field goal for the white team (reserves), which leads 10-7. Sanchez threw a long screen pass to Damian Williams that was the biggest gain of the half and he threw an 8-yard TD pass to C.J. Gable.
It's been an extremely frustrating week with the inability to post because of a server switch. Hopefully, it will be solved soon.
USC forward Taj Gibson said he will go home this weekend and decide whether or not he turns pro.
USC quarterback Aaron Corp on whether he will enjoy the same luxury as Mark Sanchez when he and Matt Barkley fight to be the starting QB one day.
``Matt’s a great player,’’ Corp said. ``It’s just a matter of proving I belong. When Matt comes, it’s going to be competition again.’’
New graduate assistant Kris Richard is not allowed to coach during spring practice. It's because he was hired too late in the semester to be accepted by USC's graduate school and attend classes. Meanwhile, former graduate assistant Demetrice Martin is now coaching at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
Mark Sanchez talked to Fox GameTime Live about his car after winning the QB derby.
``I was just driving a '96 Honda Civic and the paint was coming off, it was pretty old. But we just went to a car auction and got another one the other day. I moved up to a 2001 Accord, so I’m big time rolling. It has 300,000 miles on it. It’s a good and perfect for what I need.''
I only use this quote for a reason to wonder why our faithful reader, attorney Nick Sanchez, does not buy his brother a better car? Or as I told him Tuesday at practice. ``Now you don't need to file that injunction to ban Mitch Mustain from being the starter.''
The race might be over for spring, but our rankings continue. Mark Sanchez gets a half-euro bump for being named the starter. It will be interesting to see how everyone performs in Saturday's scrimmage without the pressure.
Mark Sanchez €€€
Mitch Mustain €€*
Aaron Corp €€
There was no mystery that Mark Sanchez would be named the starter, but we hear Mitch Mustain was a little confused Tuesday about the meaning of the announcement and where he stood. Specifically, he wanted to know if it meant he would not have a chance to win the job in the fall.
And it wasn't hard to see his disappointment with the decision.
``I don’t think it’s closed. We’ve got a lot of time,’’ he said. ``I feel like I’ve done everything I could. They were fairly set on a decision at the end of spring.’’
Did Mitch Mustain make a mistake transferring to USC?
``I want to play at a big-time place and I feel I can. USC is one of the biggest,’’ Mustain said. ``I feel the benefits if you get the job would far outweigh it. I’ll always feel it was the best place.’’
Some reaction to the announcement:
Mark Sanchez: ``I've got to remember it's a on-going competition. (I can relax) a little bit. I don't have to try too hard.''
Mitch Mustain: ``I feel like I've done everything I could. They were fairly set on making a decision at the end of spring.''
Caesar: ``Without question, he’s been ahead,’’ Carroll said of Sanchez. ``He’s had a decisive advantage. It has to do with his command of the offense and things we can call. Mitch and Aaron (Corp) are still battling the installation.
``Mark has earned it. It will be interesting to see how he deals with it.’’
Here's my appearance on today's Petros-Money show, complete with phone outage. Link is after the jump.
We checked again today and hear forward Davon Jefferson intends to pro. We first wrote this a couple weeks ago. This is not an official decision but we want to let you know where things stand right now.
We're posting while we can here. Which brings us to the news that Taylor King decided to announce he was transferring to Villanova. USC was interested and started recruiting him after he left Duke.
My question was why? When King dropped USC from his list in high school, all I heard about was how unpopular he was with his club teammates. And a year later, he would bring even more baggage and upset team chemistry even more.
But USC liked his outside shooting. That's all that matters in the cynical world of college basketball. At least King wasn't a 21-year-old freshman.
No, we have not been away, but our servers are pretty much worthless, which I'm sure you experienced if you tried to post a comment. An improvement is expected, but we all know what that means around here.
We're going to try to answer every question today, as usual.
Things were fairly even in the scrimmage, even though Mitch Mustain received only one series with the first unit.
Mark Sanchez €€*
Mitch Mustain €€*
Aaron Corp €€
Cornerback Shareece Wright made four straight plays in the scrimmage, ending with an interception. Also, Mitch Mustain one series against the first-team defense resulted in a touchdown.
Taylor Mays was not cleared to play in Saturday's scrimmage after suffering a mild concussion.
``I needed a week,'' Mays said. ``I'll be back Tuesday.''
Mark Sanchez was asked Saturday if he feels he is the frontrunner in the quarterback competition.
``Definitely. Of course,'' he said.
I usually discount spring scrimmage stats. Even Matt Leinart put up some poor numbers in these exercises. But I noticed Mark Sanchez's numbers the first two scrimmages are nearly identical.
Last week: 9-15 106 yards 0 TD 0 INT
This week: 9-17 97 yards 0 TD 1 INT
It could be the coaches are keeping the offense conservative with a new quarterback. Or maybe USC's offense will be solid but not spectacular next season.
Perhaps because of way Mark Sanchez dominates the snaps with the first team, Mitch Mustain said Saturday he is not concerned about who will start at quarterback.
``I stopped worrying about it,’’ Mustain said. ``I don’t know what they’re looking for or planning on.’’
Freshman quarterback Aaron Corp said he still considers himself part of the quarterback race.
I think the media has tried to make it Mark and Mitch. I’m trying to get in there,'' Corp said.
Tailback Joe McKnight dropped a class Friday and fell below 12 units, which means he is ineligible for the remainder of spring practice. He will be able to make up the class in summer school.
Neither quarterback enjoyed a stellar day as Mark Sanchez and Mitch Mustain each threw an interception. Mustain worked just one series with the first unit.
``It was hard on them,’’ USC coach Pete Carroll said.
Aaron Corp did fine at the end of the scrimmage.
But because no one stood out, nothing changed in the quarterback depth chart.
``That last drive I made a mistake (an interception) but I felt pretty good honestly,’’ Mustain said. ``The series with the (first unit), I felt good about.’’[EP
Mustain threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to David Ausberry. He later was intercepted near the end zone by Shane Horton. Sanchez said he also felt pretty good.
``Without that one (interception), I think I had a pretty good day,’’ he said. ``It was a little miscue on my part and David (Ausberry). It was a bummer. I blew it on the throw. Overall, I’m taking care of the ball and moving the club.’’
Here's the unimpressive scrimmage stats
Passing
Sanchez 9-17 97 yards 1 INT 0 TD
Mustain 9-18 112 yards 1 TD 1 INT
Corp 7-8 80 1 TD 0 INT
Rushing
Tyler 3-18
B. Green 7-35
Bradford 5-30
Gable 4-50
S. Johnson 6-9
Receiving
Ellison 3-45
Ausberry 3-35
Williams 3-41
Turner 3-43
R. Johnson 2-25
Patterson 2-34
Green 2-25
Carswell 1-11
INT
Wright
Horton
Scoring
Ausberry 12 pass from Mustain
Carswell 11 pass from Corp
FG Buehler 47
Carswell 58 punt return
Gable 7 run
FG Congdon 28
9 penalties, 2 turnovers
Tackles
Kevin Thomas 6
Marshall Jones 5
Mike Morgan 5
Matthew Jordan 5
Shareece Wright 4
Sacks
D. Harris, Matthews, Cushing, Washington
USC free safety Marshall Jones' little brother, Malcolm, was offered a scholarship by Stanford. He will be a junior at Oaks Christian High School next season and plays tailback and linebacker.
Daily News columnist Tom Hoffarth tries to put things in perspective, again (hint: It's the second-to-last item).
http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2008/04/nothing_more_to.html
Here's the latest rankings.
Mark Sanchez €€€
Mitch Mustain €€*
Aaron Corp €*
I mentioned to Caesar the word ``charade'' yesterday in waiting to name a starter when it's obvious who will start based on playing time in practice.
Cary Harris and Shareece Wright are starting at cornerback right now with Kevin Thomas coming in for nickel situations. Thomas intercepted three Mark Sanchez passes last week and is trying to fight for a starting spot by the time training camp starts. Josh Pinkard is practicing part-time as he comes back from knee surgery.
What does it mean when Mitch Mustain says he had a good day? No interceptions? Nope. More reps with the first team? Nope.
It means less hesitation running plays and finding receivers.
``I didn't really hesitate at all today,'' he said after Thursday's practice.
The true test will come during Saturday's second scrimmage.
One player we have not mentioned in spring is freshman defensive end Trey Henderson, who redshirted last season. He is being tried at defensive tackle and defensive end and this week seemed to hold his own. There's quite a bit of shuffling going on with the defensive line. USC coach Pete Carroll calls it part of the information-gathering process.
But it's also part of the post-Sedrick Ellis era. Here's something to consider: Ellis did not come off the field when the Trojans played their nickel defense. If USC played Virginia tomorrow, the nose guard (whoever it is) would go to the sideline, Kyle Moore slips inside and Clay Matthews plays end. It's a new era.
Here's an interesting position switch that could have ramifications for next season.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_8885258
Unlike the quarterback race, a starter is not expected to be named until the fall.
``It’s wide open,’’ USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``There’s no need to do anything now.’’
Caesar said freshman tailback Broderick Green enjoyed his best practice of the spring. Green and Marc Tyler are playing catchup against the other four backs, who are more experienced.
Mitch Mustain enjoyed one of his best days and neither he nor Mark Sanchez threw an interception. Mustain said he knew it was a good day because he didn't hear much from the coaches after plays. There was a little mix up after practice when Pete Carroll said Mustain and Aaron Corp would get more snaps with the first team than in the first scrimmage.
This differed from offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian's comments Tuesday. But Sarkisian said Thursday the reps would remain about the same, depending on how many plays Saturday's scrimmage actually went.
Last night, someone showed me some game tickets from the 1929 season. The face value was $3.50 but the tickets were stamped with a reduced price of $1.50. More interesting was the ticket also said ``men's section,'' on them.
Perhaps one of our history buffs can elaborate on what that meant?
I also saw some vintage patches that had the score of the games, such as a 1930 patch that said ``USC 74, California 0.''
As we mentioned Tuesday, Mitch Mustain is not scheduled to receive more snaps with the first team Saturday than he did in last weekend scrimmage. Does that prevent a possible strong showing to muddy the waters? Or is just a fact that the QB derby is over and there is no sense in wasting reps for a reserve?
Here's an email I received today: ``At 9:30 a.m., Gate 7 of the stadium will open and the first 2,000 fans
through will receive a free coupon for a hot dog during the game.''
Oh wait, that's for Florida's scrimmage. Not USC. Of course.
USC assistant coach Bob Cantu is a candidate for the University of San Francisco job.
When tailback Joe McKnight did not practice Tuesday, Pete Carroll said it was an ``academic day.'' But sources said McKnight missed a tutoring session and was not allowed to practice as punishment. McKnight will practice today.
Just to recap, O.J. Mayo is taking two classes (eight units) and needs to pass both to meet the six-unit minimum requirement. If he does, USC will not be penalized any APR points.
The USC guard is headed home to West Virginia where he is expected to make a public announcement. And what about class? Well, remember he only needs to pass six units to keep USC from getting docked APR points. Mayo is scheduled to have a press conference Tuesday at USC.
We also hear Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson are also currently attending classes.
``I am so thankful for the fans and alumni at USC and around the nation that have been so supportive of me and my teammates throughout the season. I’d like to express my appreciation to my coaches and teammates for their support in one of the most important decisions I’ve ever made. I will be entering the 2008 NBA draft. I am going to finish the semester here at USC and then focus on preparing for the NBA draft.
``Attending USC has been such a great experience for me and has really helped prepare me for my next step in life.’’
O.J. Mayo will announce tonight he is going pro. He has not signed with an agent yet but is expected to.
USC commit Randall Carroll did not attend UCLA's junior day last weekend, but that is not surprising because he already visited a few weeks ago. We still rate him as a soft commitment and some feel he might even be looking at other schools besides the Trojans and Bruins.
OK, here's the latest rankings, which reflect performance rather than the coaches' decision on the race.
Mark Sanchez €€€ (Three euros)
Mitch Mustain €€* (2.5 euros)
Aaron Corp €* (1.5 euros)
It's time to answer questions. One per person please. Unless you have another men's swimming question.
USC sent out an email to general season-ticket holders this week informing them that tickets to the season-opener at Virginia are not available ``due to limited quantities.''
I almost decided not to include a link to this article, but I didn't think anyone would believe that a 2009 mock draft would have Rey Maualuga as just the No. 31 pick and just the third USC player selected. If only they saw the NFL scouts and coaches at Pro Day that wished Maualuga came out this year.
http://profootballexperts.scout.com/2/743015.html
For two weeks I resisted the constant temptation to say the quarterback competition was a charade although anyone who reads this blog probably figured out what direction the ``derby'' was taking. But it seems foolish to act like anything is up for grabs right now as Mark Sanchez clearly is the No. 1 quarterback.
Here's some facts for those following this race:
Sanchez got six series with the first team during Sunday's scrimmage. Mitch Mustain got two.
Sanchez practiced exclusively with the first team Tuesday. Mustain split time with Aaron Corp with the second team.
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said he did not anticipate giving Mustain more time with the first team during USC's next scrimmage on Saturday.
We will wait for the official word from Pete Carroll, of course. When (not who) he announces the starter is the only mystery left right now.
``Mitch (Mustain) has big-play capability but there’s a lot of things he needs to improve on. Aaron (Corp) needs to improve his big-play capability.’’
-- USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
Safety Taylor Mays and tight end Anthony McCoy sat out practice because they had concussion-like symptoms following their collision during Sunday's scrimmage.
A relatively mistake-free practice Tuesday, at least from an interception standpoint.
``When you start to mature as a quarterback, you realize you don't have to go out of your way to make a big play,'' Mark Sanchez said. ``You really make a concerted effort to be efficient.''
New Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson is the brother in law of presidential candidate Barack Obama. Robinson coached at Brown the past two seasons.
The rule that prevents football coaches from going out on the road recruiting in the spring is a big nuisance to USC coach Pete Carroll, but I wouldn't call it the The Carroll Rule. We hear the rule was actually pushed by SEC coaches, unhappy with some of Alabama coach Nick Saban's recruiting methods.
Another reader question gets answered by Pete Carroll.
What could be interesting is whether Mitch Mustain gets more reps with the first team in the next scrimmage.
Mark Sanchez €€€
Mitch Mustain €€€
Aaron Corp €€
Answer Monday turned into Answer Tuesday. This won't happen when we switch our servers to CaesarTV.com.
Former USC quarterback Rocky Hinds is currently attending classes at UNLV but is no longer playing football. He is not listed on the Rebels' current roster.
Did you know the hardest hit at yesterday's scrimmage occurred when Cole Cameron, the Superbaby, tackled Nico Sanchez, the nephew of Mark Sanchez?
This segment is brought to you by the movie, ``.500,'' the story of the USC baseball and volleyball teams.
Everyone loves to compare schedules. Here's the SEC schedule. One game stands out immediately: Georgia plays at Arizona State on Sept. 20.
This installment is brought to you by CaesarTV, which promises no reception problems, no fees and no shortage of quarterback discussions.
It's that time of the week, brought to you by Caesar's favorite TV show, the properly canceled ``John from Cincinnati.'' Apparently, he liked it better than HBO's original idea, ``Jim from Stanford.''
USC recruit Leonard Washington, a 6-foot-6 forward from Lake Charles, La., met NCAA entrance requirements and will be eligible to enroll for the fall semester. Washington originally signed with USC in 2006 but was academically ineligible. He spent the past year attempting to gain his eligibility.
USC used quite a bit of shotgun today, a few days after practicing it extensively. The offense also used a ``silent count'' when snapping the ball. This is a way to keep the defense off balance, because they are so used to the offensive snap count from practice. It sometimes got the best of the offensive, which had several false starts.
And is it time to express concern about the run defense? USC allowed five runs more than 20 yards.
That annual scrimmage stat farce, the kickoff return touchdown, is back. Once Joe McKnight got through the first 20 yards on his return against scout-team players not really into the drill, everyone pretty much gave up trying to tackle him and he jogged toward the end zone. And it's been that way in spring scrimmages for years. But in the stat sheet, it reads ``100 yard'' return.
One difference in USC's nickel defense is that when Clay Matthews comes in at defensive end, Kyle Moore moves inside to tackle and the position filled by Christian Tupou/Derek Simmons/Averell Spicer comes off the field.
Mitch Mustain said he would give himself a C+ after two weeks of spring practice. Mark Sanchez said he would give himself a B+/A-.
``I had a pretty good first half but I could have had a better second half,'' Mustain said. ``There is a noticeable difference (between first and second string defenses).''
``I was real conservative and played smart and we had no penalties,'' Sanchez said. ``That was the key. The first couple passes, nothing was open, and threw it away. The second play, I threw it away.''
Mitch Mustain threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Ronald Johnson on his first pass of the scrimmage, so that got things off to a rousing start for him. He also threw a 35 yards touchdown pass to Johnson.
It should be noted, because the coaches will look at this, that Mustain went against the second-team defense. When he went against the first team in the second half, it was much more difficult.
But he did give everyone something to think about.
Mark Sanchez struggled a little on the first series but then was very solid after that. Aaron Corp was OK.
``It was hard on Mark in the first sequence, then he got command,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``Mitch was the beneficiary of those two big bombs. He's got them in him.The No. 2 defense gave up those two bombs.''
Here's the main scrimmage stats:
Passing
Sanchez 9-15 106 yards 0 TDs 0 INT
Mustain 7-9 137 yards 3 TDs 0 INT
Corp 4-8 51 yards 1 INT 0 TDs
Rushing
Gable 3-52
Bradford 4-84 (long 73)
Havili 1-3
Tyler 7-36
B. Green 7-35
S. Johnson 1-5
McKnight 1-21
Receiving
Johnson 4-113 2 TDs (long 70)
Ausberry 3-43
Carswell 2-38
Williams 2-15
Goodman 2-14
Patterson 2-16
McKnight 2-9
McCoy 1-34
Scoring
Havili 3 run (Buehler kick)
R. Johnson 70 pass from Mustain (Congdon kick)
Erickson 12 return blocked punt
Goodman 10 pass from Mustain (Houston kick)
Buehler FG 32
R. Johnson 31 pass from Mustain
McKnight 94 kick return
Bradford 2 run (Houston kick)
Bradford 73 run (Buehler kick)
Defense
Campbell 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble
Tupou 4 tackles
Matthews 3 sacks
Simmons 2 sacks
Ellison 1 forced fumble
L. Brown 3 tackles
Penalties
8 (3 offense, 4 defense, 1 special teams)
Turnovers
3 (1 int., 2 fumbles)
Plays: 78
USC offensive lineman Sam Baker did some drills this week at center for the first time for NFL teams. He is projected to be selected in the first three rounds. Offensive lineman Chilo Rachal is expected to be picked in the third or fourth round.
Margin of defeat in NCAA Tournament: 14 points
Margin of defeat for three teams that advanced to Sweet 16 or further: 18 points.
Five of six teams lost by 10 points or more.
Maybe it is Conference USA, which had one win the College Basketball Invitational (Tulsa) and another playing in Monday's national championship game (Memphis).
New Cal coach Mike Montgomery might have some image problems with Bears fans after coaching at Stanford for 18 years, but USC also got into the conversation at his first press conference.
``Much will be said about his longstanding ties with our rival, Stanford,'' Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour said. ``Frankly, I am far more concerned with the fact that his daughter (Anne) played volleyball at USC than I am him having a minor affiliation with that school across the Bay."
It's the final pre-scrimmage rankings. Each quarterback rebounded the past couple practices but the question is whether we'll see a noticeable difference in a full-blown scrimmage. What would happen if Aaron Corp dominated and the other two struggled? Some serious spin control. That's what.
Mark Sanchez €€*
Mitch Mustain €€*
Aaron Corp €€
Linebacker Malcolm Smith is practicing almost exclusively with the first string this week thanks to a little bit of luck.
With Rey Maualuga sitting out to rest a strained hamstring, that means Luthur Brown moves from weakside linebacker to middle linebacker. And with Kaluka Maiava already out following wrist surgery, that leaves Smith as the main guy at weakside linebacker.
``I'm a lot more comfortable than I was last season,'' Smith said.
My Daily News colleague Tom Hoffarth pulls no punches in this USC-related post.
http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2008/04/arbo_buries_the.html
Looks like there could be a bigger role for the shotgun.
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8818134
If the quarterback competition is a foregone conclusion, perhaps the only obstacle before engraving the depth chart might be the scrimmages, with the first one on Sunday.
``Here comes the midterm,'' quarterback Mark Sanchez said.
Quarterback Mitch Mustain said he will assume the job remains open.
``I feel like it is until I hear otherwise,'' he said.
Robert Stock hit a three-homer in the ninth inning and Tommy Milone has 14 strikeouts as the Trojans lead the Bruins 6-0 in the top of the ninth.
Freshman quarterback Aaron Corp said he made strides in his arm strength following some tutoring from USC pitching coach Tom House.
``I’m using my hips and shoulder differently,’’ Corp said. ``There’s more pop in my throw. (House) worked with (New Orleans Saints quarterback) Drew Brees to get more torque.’’
Corp admitted he arrived at USC with a weak arm, but said he figured it would change once he lifted weights. Instead, a new delivery is making the difference.
``I knew I didn’t have a strong arm,’’ he said. ``I didn’t realize it was a mechanical thing.’’
Mitch Mustain and Mark Sanchez threw interceptions although Sanchez's pass went through Anthony McCoy's hands. Aaron Corp had a 28-yard TD run. Corp also ended practice with an 18-yard TD pass to Garrett Green on Shareece Wright, who was called for pass interference on the play.
Maybe some dramatic performances in scrimmages will shake things up. Otherwise, it's fizzling out despite the interceptions.
Mark Sanchez €€*
Mitch Mustain €€
Aaron Corp €
USC linebackers Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing along with safety Taylor Mays were named to the Playboy preseason All-American team.
``It’s definitely cool. I realize how prestigious it is,’’ Mays said. ``I actually forgot it was in the preseason. I thought they honored you at the end of the season.’’
Mark Sanchez: ``Things were more fluid. The first unit is starting to feel things better with me out there and we're in sync.’’
Mitch Mustain: ``We got away from being so structured. The stuff we did was fairly simple. I liked just being able to cut loose.’’
Marc Tyler broke off a big run, as did Broderick Green and Allen Bradford. Malcolm Simmons intercepted a pass and David Ausberry made some nice catches, taking advantage of Damian Williams' absence. Travon Patterson also emerged.
Steve Sarkisian said he is not concerned about interceptions right now, however, Pete Carroll's noted a couple times that there have been quite a few thrown this spring.
Two more interceptions for Mark Sanchez today, one on a tipped pass by Derek Simmons, but overall Steve Sarkisian said it was the quarterbacks best day. Why? Maybe because Mitch Mustain worked exclusively with the second team in an effort to make things easier for him. So much for the competition.
Aside from the interceptions, Sanchez did make a few nice reads on plays. Aaron Corp also played better with the second team. No interceptions for Mustain, who led the second unit to three scoring drives.
``I wanted to slow things down (for Mustain),'' Sarkisian said. ``He did a nice job. Mark recognized some pressure and turned a possible bad play into big plays.''
An NFL coach who attended Pro Day offered some observations on USC.
His observations: ``They are average at quarterback, average at wide receiver, the offensive line is young. The defense looks good. The front seven looks strong. The secondary might be an issue.''
This involves a recruit and concerns a repeated question that he might not be coming in the fall.
A familiar face showed up for Pro Day: Former USC cornerback Eric Wright, who is currently with the Cleveland Browns.
Quarterback John David Booty weighed in on the Mark Sanchez-Mitch Mustain quarterback derby.
``If I had to say, it would be Mark,'' Booty said.
Former USC linebacker Josh Tatum is spending the week visiting practices and hanging around his friends. Tatum, who is attending City College of San Francisco, said he is being recruited by Miami and Tennessee. But he also said he is talking to USC about a return next season.
He said he had no hard feelings regarding his acrimonious departure last summer.
``I learned my lesson the last time,'' he said. ``I had some grade problems. That's why I didn't transfer to Miami. My grades weren't good enough. I'd love to come back to USC.''
The baseball team beat UC Riverside and San Diego on consecutive nights to improve its record to 3-10 against Southern California teams.
A little delayed by the hectic events of Pro Day. Mark Sanchez remains the leader but at this rate, we'll be ranking in American dollars instead of Euros soon if the performances don't improve.
Mark Sanchez €€ (2 Euros)
Mitch Mustain €* (1.5 Euros)
Aaron Corp € (1 Euro)
Somehow, I think this ``experience is everything'' theory currently being espoused by the coaches will undergo a revision when Matt Barkley goes through his first spring practice at the position.
It's not always as important as people like to think. Two years ago, Winston Justice benchpressed 225 pounds 38 times and had a 39-inch vertical leap, only three inches less than Keith Rivers' impressive effort Wednesday. But Justice weighed 320 pounds. A sure-fire first-round pick, the consensus makers and NFL scouts said that day.
Justice ended up being picked in the second round.
Walk-on kicker Brad Smith, who transferred from Davidson, made a 57-yard field goal at Pro Day. Unfortunately, only two NFL teams stuck around to watch him and Troy Van Blarcom conclude the day's events.
Punter Tom Malone was luckier, because the punters were allowed to go at the start of the day. Smith's day got worse when he crashed his bicycle when a car cut in front of him across the street from campus. He suffered scrapes on his hip, leg and arms but said he was OK.
Some players, like Lawrence Jackson and John David Booty, did not run 40 times because they were previously timed. Booty only showed up to throw Wednesday.
These were the electronic times that we listed in the first entry. The NFL teams also hand-time the players and then reach a different time than what is announced.
For example, Fred Davis ran a 4.6 on his first 40, but was announced at 4.7. Alex Morrow ran a 4.86, but was announced at 4.93. Sam Baker was timed at 5.3, but announced at 5.45.
There was a strange moment at Pro Day. Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Tim Krumrie put the linemen through a ``handfighting’’ drill, where the players had to knock his arms off themselves until they almost dropped from exhaustion.
``I’m still light-headed,’’ defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis said afterward.
USC coach Pete Carroll was not aware of the drill and angrily told an organizer he was not happy about it.
``That won’t happen again here,’’ Carroll said.
Unlike past years, quite a few a players helped themselves at Pro Day. It might be because this senior class was mature and there were not any underclassmen participating, except Chilo Rachal.
Sedrick Ellis improved all of his combine performances, improving his vertical leap from 26 inches to 30. He dropped his 40 time from 5.3 to 5.0 and he did 36 reps on the bench press.
Keith Rivers ran two good 40 times and also had a 42-inch vertical leap. John David Booty completed several deep balls, his biggest question mark, to former UCLA receiver Freddie Mitchell and former USC wide receiver Jason Mitchell.
Other players, like Alex Morrow and Dale Thompson, also increased their stock.
One player who did not seem thrilled at the end of the workout was Terrell Thomas, who did not want to discuss his performance.
Here's the 40 times of some former USC players at Pro Day, including Kareem Kelly.
Here's the 40 times. A lot of guys improved their draft stock, including John David Booty, who threw about 80 passes.
Regarding the quarterback derby, I'm told by people within the program the only real difference between Mark Sanchez and Mitch Mustain is that Mustain might hesitate on some plays. That is perfectly natural, because he's running the offense for the first time and in his first few practices.
Something I find interesting is that when a quarterback redshirts (at USC), it doesn't really help them much because they spend so much time on the scout team and so little time running the actual offense.
I guess my only question is with these factors, why not wait until training camp to choose a starter? Or does nothing change by then either?
Here's my story for today's paper, which has Pete Carroll's most emphatic comments to date about who would start. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8776624
It will interesting to see if the scrimmages do anything to fly against the theory that experience is the primary factor in choosing a starter.
USC women's basketball received a commitment from Christina Marinacci, a 6-1 junior from Foothill High in Santa Ana. She averaged 21.5 points and 11.7 rebounds this season.
Former USC defensive line coach Ed Orgeron returned to campus for Pro Day. He is currently an assistant with the New Orleans Saints after being fired as the head coach at Mississippi following last season.
Orgeron said he liked working in the NFL.
``We haven’t had an academic meeting yet,’’ he joked.
A big day today for cornerback Kevin Thomas, who intercepted two passes during practice.
``I could have had four,'' Thomas said.
Thomas said he is healthy after redshirting last season with a shoulder injury.
Just so we're on the same page, every day that all the quarterbacks struggle helps Mark Sanchez, because he has more experience. Like I always said, Mitch Mustain (or Aaron Corp) has to be better than Sanchez to win the job. So the status quo helps the incumbent.
Damian Williams sprained his ankle and will be out for a few days. Stanley Havili strained his groin and took the day off. Rey Maualuga has a pulled hamstring that is limiting him.
On the recovery front, Butch Lewis and Zack Heberer participated in about half the practice while Vidal Hazelton also returned. Brian Cushing participated in 7-on-7 drills and Kaluka Maiava did some light work.
Mark Sanchez threw two interceptions and Mitch Mustain threw two in practice. Kevin Thomas picked off both of Sanchez's passes as the QB derby spiraled downward another day. Mustain threw a 40-yard TD pass to Ronald Johnson near the end and Aaron Corp had a 30-yard bootleg TD run.
If John David Booty had a sixth year, the QB competition might be over right now.
``I was just playing reckless, that hurt me,'' Mustain said.
``It was ugly,'' Sanchez added. ``It wasn't our sharpest day.''
"I'm watching film of last year's practices and I see the difference. I think I'm growing in decision making."
-- USC quarterback Mark Sanchez
We hear that even within the program, people are unsure if forward Taj Gibson will stay or return next season.
It's always difficult to write about whether someone will turn pro or not. But a source said today forward Davon Jefferson is leaning toward turning pro even though he knows he could use another year (or two) in college.
The Big East Conference hired Terry McAulay, a game official in the NFL for the past 11 years, as coordinator of football officiating. He was a collegiate football official and worked the 1998 BCS title game.
Imagine another conference making a similar hire . . . oh, never mind.
Two bowls in the works that did not become affiliated with the Pac-10.
The proposed Congressional Bowl in Washington, D.C., signed an agreement with the Atlantic Coast Conference for 2008 and has plans for the second contracted team in 2008 (pending NCAA certification) to come from Air Force, Army or Navy.
Another proposed bowl at St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field was submitted to the NCAA's certifying board last week. Tentatively named the St. Petersburg Bowl, the proposed game matches teams from the Big East Conference and Conference USA on Dec. 21, 2008.
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