USC Football
visited *loading* times
USC Football Notebook:
A year ago, Taylor Mays was a confident if not wide-eyed freshman pressed into service as a starting free safety when USC played its second game of the season against Nebraska.
When Mays faces the Cornhuskers again Saturday, this time he figures he'll know what he's doing.
Mays started the final 12 games of the 2006 season after Josh Pinkard was lost with a knee injury and not only became the Pacific-10 Conference Co-Freshman of the Year, he was named All-America second team by The Sporting News.
"It's crazy," Mays said after Thursday's practice. "It's night and day. Now I feel like I know where I'm at on the field, like I'm able to understand the offense and I'm able to make more plays on the ball, be more around the ball, and have a lot more confidence when I'm out there."
The emergence of the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Mays enabled Coach Pete Carroll to have Pinkard play more of a role at cornerback. That plan went awry when Pinkard again injured a knee and was lost for the season.
"You look at Josh out there and know he's on your team - that gives you some confidence seeing that animal next you," Mays said. "So that affects us, but at the same time, he's still with us. We've got to do it for him."
Addition or subtraction?
The loss of Pinkard isn't as drastic as it might appear at first glance, Carroll said, despite the fact the junior might be the team's best all-around player.
"Josh hasn't played in two years now," Carroll said. "So as much as I hate the fact that he's not with us, he only played three quarters of a game last year. Cary (Harris) has had a great preparation for this year (at cornerback) and he played all of last season. He's a legitimate starter and good player for us. We don't miss as much as we don't get the addition of what Josh could bring.
"Really, this is where we've been for the last couple years."
Skill set
Carroll made it clear what the emphasis of USC's defensive game plan will have to be on Saturday.
"We have to stop Marlon Lucky," the coach said of the former North Hollywood High star who has rushed for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the first two games. "He'll control the game if we don't get after it in the running game. They would like nothing more than to do that."
At the same time, Nebraska (2-0) has completed passes to 14 different receivers in two games. Quarterback Sam Keller has thrown for 451 yards and two touchdowns, though he has been intercepted three times.
Updates
Linebacker Brian Cushing (sprained ankle) ran during practice Thursday and will suit up for the game. Carroll hopes the junior can see some playing time. Clay Matthews will start. . . . It was still up in the air who will start at offensive right tackle. It will be either sophomore Charles Brown, who started against Idaho, or senior Drew Radovich. Carroll said both would play. . . . Sophomore C.J. Gable will start at tailback but is not expected to return kickoffs. That duty goes to sophomore cornerback Vincent Joseph, with freshman receiver Ronald Johnson backing him up.
USC Tackles New Challenges
Just two weeks ago, the Southern California football program was in wonderful shape -- a dynasty in the works.
Now, with allegations of NCAA violations surfacing against a pair of All-Americans and another player arrested for investigation of sexual assault, the program is under intense scrutiny.
"Without a doubt, we've been put into a light that challenges us," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "Time will sort things out. We'll see how everything comes out. No question, people will be wondering about the program a little bit."
Carroll has led the Trojans from uncharacteristic mediocrity to unprecedented success since he was an unpopular choice to succeed Paul Hackett following the 2000 season.
USC's 48-4 record the past four seasons represents one of the most impressive runs in NCAA history.
Crowds upward of 90,000 attend home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The recruiting classes are rated among the country's best every year.
Even the last-minute Rose Bowl loss to Texas that ended a 34-game winning streak four months ago seemed to be nothing more than a minor glitch in the big picture.
But now, controversy. Perhaps success breeds this kind of attention. Past national champions like Clemson, Miami, Washington, Florida State and Ohio State have been targets of allegations that resulted in investigations.
Carroll isn't shying away, although he realizes the school's image has been tarnished for now. He was emphatic concerning the effort made to inform players and their families about what can go wrong.
"We've been all over this," he said. "We're trying to inform and educate better than anybody in the country. We have to send the message so clear. It's about creating a conscience with the players first.
"It starts all the way back to junior day, the first day we bring future recruits on campus. We start talking about what this all means, what this is all about, and it just goes on throughout."
Even so, Carroll said, he's ultimately responsible as the head coach.
"I'm not going to make excuses for any part of this," he said. "I'm not going to point the finger at somebody else. I'm the one who has to continue to get this done. I've got to do a better job."
The troubles began April 23, with allegations concerning the living arrangements of Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush's family near San Diego, and other charges that could be deemed as extra benefits.
Bush, who passed up his final year of eligibility to turn pro, was taken by the New Orleans Saints with the second pick in last weekend's NFL draft.
Carroll said he spoke with Bush and his parents several times about NCAA rules and outsiders who might entice them.
"I don't know that there is something wrong," the coach said. "You might not realize a person is trying to get after you. We have to do better with all the family members. It's not just the parents -- it's aunts, uncles, cousins.
"I'm disappointed any time someone can get to our family members and take them down the wrong path. We just have to keep hammering it home. College programs don't need these kinds of associations."
The Pac-10 and NCAA are investigating. Should Bush be ruled ineligible, forfeitures are a possibility. And should it be determined he was ineligible in 2004, the national championship USC won that year could be impacted.
"With the little bits of information I have, no, I'm not worried about that one bit," Carroll said. "I'm confident that's not where this is going."
David Swank, a member of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions from 1990-99, said those kinds of punishments happen occasionally.
"It just depends on the nature of the violations," said Swank, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma. "You have violations of individuals providing extra benefits to athletes; allegations are made that have no basis in fact. I have no idea where this fits.
"It's pure speculation what penalty might flow from this. It depends on whether a serious violation can be proved. It takes a while to conduct an investigation. These things don't happen overnight."
Three days after the Bush allegations surfaced, redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez, a possible successor to 2004 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Matt Leinart, was arrested after a female student accused him of sexual assault. He was released on $200,000 bail.
Carroll said he was shocked, and couldn't speculate as to Sanchez's availability next fall. Sanchez is listed second on the depth chart, behind John David Booty, who underwent back surgery March 31.
"Hopefully the truth will come out and it will be clear what Mark's status is," Carroll said.
Sanchez is scheduled to appear in court May 17.
"Obviously, this is a very difficult time for the Sanchez family, but they have confidence that facts surrounding this matter will come to light and Mark's good name will be cleared," attorney Leonard Levine said in a statement issued this week.
Finally, questions arose last weekend concerning the living arrangement of wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who will be a junior next fall. USC officials are investigating whether an upscale apartment Jarrett shared with Leinart violated NCAA rules.
Carroll said he's hopeful Jarrett won't miss any playing time next season.
"I don't know how it's all going to play out. I'm hopeful that's not going to be the case," the coach said.
There have been previous problems under Carroll's watch, but the kind of things that go on at many schools.
Cornerback Eric Wright was arrested in March 2005 at a campus apartment by officers investigating reports of an assault. No charges were filed, but Wright left school amid possible disciplinary action and transferred to UNLV.
Linebacker Rey Maualuga was arrested Nov. 1 for allegedly punching a man at an off-campus party. He sat out the first half of the game against Stanford the following weekend as punishment.
Maualuga agreed this week to perform community service and attend anger management classes to resolve one count of battery.
Eleven former USC players were chosen in the NFL draft last weekend, but several went lower than anticipated, including Bush, Leinart, offensive tackle Winston Justice, running back LenDale White, safety Darnell Bing, and offensive guard Fred Matua.
Perhaps a few were overrated.
"I think people get caught up in this mock draft thing," said Gil Brandt, a longtime executive with the Dallas Cowboys who's now a senior analyst and draft guru for NFL.com. "You have people who mean well, but are probably not as knowledgeable as they should be."
Brandt said Justice, Bing and Matua would have been better off staying in school for their final year of eligibility.
USC Football now a Year-Round Obsession
Everybody loves game day. Flagpoles get kicked, cardinal-clad fans enjoy bacon-wrapped hot dogs while tailgating and the Coliseum becomes turbocharged with the adrenaline of tens of thousands of football fanatics.
Apparently, there's love to spare, because it's the middle of April and the other football season is providing just as much excitement as the fall - for better or worse.
The second season starts with recruiting, which turns every casual fan into the Nostradamus of high school football. Suddenly, Joe Random from across the hall takes a break from his essay on the relationship between Homer's "Iliad" and MySpace to tell you why C.J. Gable is going to be the next Troy Polamalu. The information flood caused by Web sites such as www.scout.com and www.rivals.com ensures that USC's football pulse will never flatline.
These recruiting sites are refreshed constantly to show which recruits have made their decisions, which are enrolling in the summer and which ones are already being proclaimed "The Next Reggie."
As we welcome our newest Trojans, we also take part in the annual exodus of our elite players to the NFL Draft. This all comes with the added creepy bonus of grown men salivating over shirtless men running 40-yard dashes. USC's Pro Day had a larger attendance than most basketball games, which is both awe-inspiring and absolutely embarrassing. The joy of every Reggie Bush juke, hop and burst is whittled down to tenths of seconds and a couple bench press reps, and we consume every bit of it.
This year, the NFL Network aired footage from the league's combined workouts in their entirety for the first time. I know this because the hours of coverage prevented me from doing any actual work, and trust me, you haven't truly experienced football until you've seen A.J. Hawk trip over himself during a shuttle drill.
Then, of course, there's Trojan Huddle, the annual spring scrimmage where all our prognostication can either pan out or blow up in our faces. If you were clamoring on and on about how Ryan Powdrell was going to be an impact player on offense, then you've earned bragging rights for the summer. If you were like me, however, and you thought Whitney Lewis was finally going to make an impact, it's back to the message boards.
Pete Carroll's magical run over the past four years has created a passionate thirst for football on campus that absolutely cannot be quenched. I came to this school knowing the team was good and that games would be fun. I'll leave knowing entirely too much about Matt Leinart's nightlife and all the celebrity mayhem that comes along with it.
But is all this good? Is it healthy to have an undying desire to find out if Scott Ware will pan out as a potential seventh-round steal like Matt Cassel a year ago, and if Jamere Holland's track speed will translate on the football field next season? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that there's any change on the way.
If an NFL scout has a higher opinion of Darnell Bing than the majority of analysts, they will know about it.
If Mark Sanchez jams his finger on an Xbox controller in his apartment, they will hear about it.
If LenDale White gets his picture taken at a party, they were probably behind it.
They are USC football fans, and they just can't get enough. The season ended more than three months ago but football is still in the air, and you have them to thank (or blame, depending on your opinion).
Me? I'm just trying to find out if Jovan Bush has signed a letter of intent yet.
Pinkard faces surgery
USC cornerback Josh Pinkard is the latest Trojan facing surgery this spring to repair a sports hernia that has bothered him for the past six weeks.
Pinkard said he will undergo surgery April 18 for the injury and is expected to be out about two months.
"It will affect me as far as not getting reps in the offseason and being in the flow of things but I'll still come back and play for the season," Pinkard said.
The hernia has hindered Pinkard during spring practice but he has attempted to practice anyway. After playing safety and cornerback last season, Pinkard said he will play cornerback next season, especially because he is the Trojans' most experienced player at that position.
"I feel like it's my natural position now," Pinkard said. "I'm getting better like I thought I would be, even though I've been sore."
With Pinkard hurt and Terrell Thomas recovering from torn knee ligaments, sophomores Kevin Thomas and Cary Harris receive most of the playing time. Thomas intercepted two passes in last week's scrimmage at the Coliseum.
Reed hopeful: Tailback Desmond Reed said he was upset by Internet speculation that he would not play next season. Reed stretched a nerve in his knee when he tore ligaments against Notre Dame and there is no time table for his return.
"There's a slight chance I might not play but I'm not sure," Reed said. "I'm very surprised people are saying I won't be back. But I read on the Internet before I had my surgery that I already had three operations. I think I'll be back."
Out for spring: Offensive guard Matt Spanos and tight end Gerald Washington will miss the remainder of spring to concentrate on academics. Washington also has a pulled hamstring. Spanos' departure is significant because he was the starting guard for the first time in his career.
Defensive tackle Travis Tofi is also out for the rest of spring with a sprained foot. Linebacker Dallas Sartz (shoulder) practiced Friday but said he would not participate in Sunday's scrimmage. Linebacker Clay Matthews is also doubtful with a sore groin.
Leinart And Bush Among Finalists For Sullivan Award
Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, Duke's high-scoring guard J.J. Redick and Winter Olympics bust Bode Miller are among 10 finalists for the Sullivan Award, given annually to the nation's top amateur athlete.
The 2005 winner will be announced April 12 in New York. Bush and Leinart helped Southern California win back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005. USC played for a third straight national title in January but lost to Texas and quarterback Vince Young, who is also a finalist for the award. In 2005, Bush won the Heisman after gaining an electrifying 2,890 all-purpose yards, outdistancing Young in the voting. Leinart won the 2004 Heisman, and was also a finalist for the Sullivan Award. Young rushed for 200 yards and three scores, including the game-winner, in the 41-38 win over USC in the Rose Bowl. The three players are expected to be among the top picks in the NFL draft in April. Last year, Miller became the first American man to win the overall World Cup title since 1983. He went into Turin as the most hyped athlete in the games. But he went 0-for-5 in his quest for a medal, quickly turning into a huge disappointment. Miller downplayed his failures on the Olympic stage in Turin, saying, "It's been an awesome two weeks," Miller said. "I got to party and socialize at an Olympic level." Redick, the All-American and 2005 ACC player of the year, set the league scoring mark Saturday. He passed Wake Forest's Dickie Hemric and now has 2,590 career points. The other finalists are: Seimone Augustus (women's basketball); Kerron Clement (track and field); Steven Lopez (taekwondo); Chellsie Memmel (gymnastics); and Laura Wilkinson (diving). The last five winners of the award have been Olympians. Paul Hamm, the gold-medal winning gymnast in Athens, won last year. The award is named after James E. Sullivan, the founder of the Amateur Athletic Union based in Orlando, and has been presented annually since 1930.
Nick Holt Returns To USC Football Staff As Defensive Coordinator And Defensive Line Coach
Nick Holt, who was the head football coach at Idaho the past 2 seasons and previously was an assistant at USC, has returned to the Trojan program as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, USC head coach Pete Carroll announced today.
"It's nice to have Nick back," said Carroll, who had doubled as USC's defensive coordinator the past 5 seasons. "He's an outstanding coach with great enthusiasm and fire. He's knows our system well and was using it at Idaho. A good part of his background has been working with the defensive line, so he'll contribute greatly there. And having him serve as the defensive coordinator will free me up and make us a much more efficient staff."
Holt replaces Jethro Franklin, who took an assistant's job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Holt spent the previous 2 seasons (2004-05) as the head coach at Idaho, going 5-18. The Vandals were 3-9 in 2004 and 2-9 in 2005.
He originally joined the Trojan staff in January of 2001 and spent 3 seasons (2001-03) as the linebackers coach. In 2002, linebacker Matt Grootegoed was an All-Pac-10 first teamer. USC played in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl, 2003 Orange Bowl and 2004 Rose Bowl.
He was the defensive line coach at Louisville for the previous 3 seasons (1998-2000). In 2000, the Cardinals were fourth nationally in rushing defense (79.9), set a school record for sacks with 50 (second in the nation) and were second nationally in turnovers with 38. Louisville appeared in a bowl game each season (the 1998 Motor City Bowl, 1999 Humanitarian Bowl and 2000 Liberty Bowl).
Holt, 43, came to Louisville after 8 seasons (1990-97) at Idaho. He was in charge of the defensive line for the first 5 years and then was the linebackers coach the final 3 seasons. He also served as the defensive coordinator for the last 4 of those seasons. His 1994 unit topped Division I-AA in run defense (and was fifth in 1995).
He began his coaching career in 1986 as an assistant at St. Mary's High in Stockton (Calif.). He then was a graduate assistant at UNLV in 1987 before becoming the Rebels' linebackers coach the following 2 seasons (1988-89).
He lettered 4 years (1981, 83-85) at linebacker for Pacific. He was an All-American honorable mention selection in 1985, when he also earned All-AP West Coast and All-Pacific Coast Athletic Association notice. He was Pacific's MVP in 1985 and a team captain as a junior and senior.
He earned his bachelor's degree in political economics from Pacific in 1986.
He played football and baseball at Bellarmine Prep in San Jose, Calif.
He was born Oct. 15, 1962. He and his wife, Julie (who was the head women's basketball at Nevada Reno, Pacific, Gonzaga, Idaho and Los Angeles Harbor Junior College), have 2 sons, Nick, 13, and Ben, 9.
His maternal grandfather was Clarence "Buster" Crabbe, USC's first All-American swimmer (1931) who was a 1931 NCAA freestyle titlist and 1932 Olympic gold medalist (he won a bronze in 1928) before starring in Hollywood as Tarzan, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.
Prep All-American Wide Receiver Vidal Hazelton Signs With USC
High school All-American wide receiver Vidal Hazelton of Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., signed a letter of intent with four-time defending Pac-10 champion USC, Trojan head coach Pete Carroll announced today.
The 6-3, 200-pound Hazelton becomes the 25th player to join USC's 2006 recruiting class, giving the Trojans what many national recruiting publications have listed as one of the nation's top classes for the fourth consecutive year.
"All along, we counted on Vidal being a big factor in the strength of our recruiting class," said Carroll. "It's taken a while for everyone to come together on this decision, but we're pleased for him and his family that it is finalized. We expect him to play a big role on our team and to compete for playing time right away."
Hazelton was a 2005 Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star Dream Team, ESPN 150, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, EA Sports All-American third team, U.S. Army All-American Game participant, Super Prep All-Mid Atlantic Offensive MVP and Prep Star All-Atlantic choice as a senior wide receiver and defensive back at Hargrave. He had 41 receptions for 942 yards (23.0 avg.) with 13 TDs in 2005.
As a junior in 2005 at Moore Catholic High in Staten Island (N.Y.), he caught 39 passes for 784 yards (20.1 avg.) with 17 TDs, ran for 240 yards with 4 scores and posted 38 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions for TDs.
