SB Nation - Garrett Green

USC Football News and Notes 12/14 - Emerald Bowl Prep, Team Banquet and C.J. Gable News

Paragon SC — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:59 -0000

So, the team is back at it this week as they go into bowl prep.

A couple of interesting story lines are taking shape as the season comes to a close.

I noted yesterday that Safety Josh Pinkard is out for the Emerald Bowl because of a knee injury. That makes things very interesting as Pete Carroll will now be giving us a small glimpse into the future as to what players may have a role in 2010.

With Pinkard out, sophomore T.J. Bryant, who has been the nickel back, probably will start. But redshirt junior Shareece Wright and redshirt freshman Brian Baucham also are in the mix.

Wright, a projected starter, is expected to be available for the game after sitting out the regular season because he was academically ineligible.

Baucham, who was ahead of Bryant coming out of training camp, returned to practice Sunday after missing several weeks because of a foot injury related to a September motorcycle accident.

I am not really sure as to just how effective Wright will be after not playing for almost four months. His loss really became apparent in the second half of the season when SC's defense started to struggle. I was not pleased that Wright did not take his classwork seriously...his not being on the team really changed the dynamic of the defense.

The question I have for everyone is academically eligible does Wright deserve to play or should he wait for spring ball? Wright definitely should not start but should he see some playing time? Playing in a bowl game to me is privilege not a given. I know he is talented but is missing the regular season enough of a punishment? It is a fine line but what is the message that needs to be sent?

T.J. Bryant already has some playing time under his belt but we really have not seen anything of Baucham after his motorcycle accident...will he be game ready?

- - -

Last night USC held their Team Banquet and handed out a number of awards...

Sixth-year senior Jeff Byers was named offensive lineman of the year, while Christian Tupou and Jurrell Casey shared defensive linemen of the year honors. Senior quarterback/wideout Garrett Green was recognized as special teams player of the year. And, for the third consecutive year, Green also won the Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award for having the highest GPA on the team.

The night wasn't lacking thrills. Cedric the Entertainer performed standup comedy and linebacker Marquis Simmons led a rendition of "Lean on Me" -- along with the tear-jerking presentation of Johnson's award by Jake Olson.

Here's a look at the full list of winners from the 2009 USC football awards ceremony on Sunday night:

Most Valuable Player: Wideout/punt returner Damian Williams

Most Inspirational Player: Tailback Stafon Johnson

Linemen of the year: Center/guard Jeff Byers (offense); defensive tackles Christian Tupou and Jurrell Casey (defense)

Special teams player of the year: Quarterback/wideout Garrett Green

Service team players of the year: Center Michael Reardon (offense); linebacker Marquis Simmons (defense)

Player of the game versus Notre Dame: Tight end Anthony McCoy

Player of the game versus UCLA: Tailback Allen Bradford

Jack Oakie "Rise and Shine" Award (year's biggest hit): Safety Taylor Mays

Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award: Quarterback/wideout Garrett Green

Bob Chandler Award (underclassman with outstanding athletic ability, academic achievement and character): Defensive tackle Christian Tupou

John McKay Award (underclassman with the most competitive spirit): Linebacker Devon Kennard

Courage Award: Cornerback Josh Pinkard

Co-Lifters Award: Offensive lineman Jeff Byers, safety Will Harris, safety Taylor Mays

Recognition of the 22 graduating seniors

The awards for Stafon Johnson, Garrett Green and Damian Williams are no surprise.

Speaking of Garrett Green...

Garrett Green has been cleared to hold on placements despite a torn ACL in his right knee.

How cool is that! He definitely deserves it. He has probably been the most under the radar player on this team over the past few seasons. It sucks that he won't have a bigger role on kick returns like he has had but at least he will get a chance to have a hand in his final game as a Trojan.

- - -

So, what about C.J. Gable?

No player has been as much as an enigma as Gable has during his time at USC.

He had the hot hand before going out with an abdominal injury and he had a pretty good season in 2008 until he saw the bench after putting the ball on the turf against ucla and Penn St. At times his attitude has been questioned in the press but that is hard to really know. He made some statements in the past that probably put him in the doghouse but this season he has been completely off the radar.

Last season there were some rumblings that he might go pro but he stuck it out...

But with the season almost over the questions are now being asked...will he stay or will he go?

Gable is one of several draft-eligible Trojans underclassmen who must decide by Jan. 15 whether to go pro or return to school. Unlike many of the others, Gable has played only a bit role this season after being a major contributor a year ago.

Gable started all but one game last season and tied for the team lead with 10 touchdowns. This season the redshirt junior has no starts and just 21 carries as Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford have shared most of the workload.

"It’s been frustrating," Gable said Sunday after USC’s second practice in preparation for the Dec. 26 Emerald Bowl. "Anybody would be frustrated. … Why would you play if you don’t care whether you get in or not?

"I care because I want to play. But I can’t do anything about it but keep on doing what I’m doing, which is work hard and let everybody see what I can do."

Gable made quite an impression Sunday, when, according to USC coach Pete Carroll, "he was the best guy on the field." But being a good practice player — and a good soldier after complaining about playing time last season - hasn’t translated into a greater role during games.

We have heard how great players have performed in practice only to see them disappear when game time comes around so I am not taking Gables strong performance as nothing more than just a snapshot in time.

Personally, I think he goes pro. SC will still have a glut of running backs, four off the top of my head, and that is before LOI Day where SC is in the mix for a couple of more top RB's

Here is a little more for the DN...

After rushing for 617 yards on 107 carries with eight touchdowns last year, Gable has been buried behind Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford in the running back rotation during his redshirt junior season, causing him to contemplate whether he'll return to play for the Trojans in 2010 or explore his value in the NFL draft in April.

"(In the past) I've always been basing my decisions off anger, but now I'm thinking clearly," said Gable, who has seen action in 11 of 12 games, but has rushed for only 98 yards on 12 carries with no scores.

"The most important thing is graduating. I've learned that football isn't everything. There is life after football. It's been difficult, but I just get in a rhythm in practice and I forget that I'm not playing anymore. I don't talk about it unless somebody brings it up."

Gable needs three more classes to graduate, but intends to sit down and talk with coach Pete Carroll following the Dec. 26 Emerald Bowl against Boston College in San Francisco about his future prospects.

"Allen is coming back too, but it also depends on who they might bring in," Gable said. "The only thing I know I'll benefit from by coming back is that I'll graduate. But (this year) they were better than me. The best man won the position."

Gable's mature approach hasn't been lost on Carroll, especially following the Trojans' second practice in as many days since a 21-17 loss to Arizona on Dec. 5.

You know Carroll is going to try and get him stay...but he may be in the same as Mark Sanchez. He can take those three classes and be done next semester so his commitment in my eyes is fulfilled...he has no obligation to stay once he has his degree...

It should be interesting.

USC Senior Weekend Story Lines...

Paragon SC — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:00:41 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Browse more photos »

With tomorrow's final regular season game at home against Arizona there a re number of story lines that we need to keep an eye on...

Who Staying and Who is going?

Stanley Havili is going to stay...

Several USC juniors will consider making themselves available for the NFL draft after the Trojans play a bowl game later this month.

Fullback Stanley Havili said Wednesday he would not be among them.

"I need to come back," he said.

Havili, who suffered a midseason shoulder injury that sidelined him for two games and slowed him for two more, surprisingly was projected by the Sporting News last month as a possible late first-round pick in the April draft.

Havili was unmoved.

"I have a lot of developing to do," he said. "I need to show parts of my game that I haven't been able to show yet."

Obviously Havili is the best fullback we have. But he has some injury issues in his career so he needs to get as much experience as he can before making the jump. He has all the tools, blocking, receiving and big capability but there have been a few time that he has had trouble holding onto the ball at critical moments.

Havili's returning for another year gives Matt Barkley a little more stability as he settles into his second year as the starter.

The bigger question on offense will be Damian Williams...

USC's regular-season finale against Arizona on Saturday will be the last Coliseum appearance for Trojans seniors.

It might also be receiver Damian Williams' final home game.

"I've kind been like, 'Wow. It could be,' " the fourth-year junior said Monday. "But right now, I'm just focusing on getting through the season. After the bowl game, we'll sit down and make some decisions."

Last January, Williams had considered making himself available for the NFL draft, especially after quarterback Mark Sanchez decided to turn professional.

But Williams returned and has been the Trojans' most dynamic player. He has caught 50 passes, six for touchdowns, and also has returned two punts for touchdowns.

Williams, though, has suffered several injuries, including a hamstring strain that slowed him against Oregon and a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him against Stanford.

So Williams, who will graduate this month, again will consider entering the draft.

DWill is in the same boat as Mark Sanchez was last year. He is set to graduate so he technically can move on. The question is is he ready?

There is no question he can make plays...he is/was the favorite target of both Barkley and Sanchez and he has been the #1 receiver on this team the past couple of seasons. When he wasn't in the dynamic of this offense changed considerably. This is a hard one to call, though I think he is gone. Being slowed by injury and having a true freshman QB running the offense may have decreased Williams' production this season but there is no question he can play. I think his draft evaluation will be the determining factor.

What about Everson Griffen?

USC junior defensive end Everson Griffen says he’s not thinking about the 2010 NFL Draft.

At least not yet.

Griffen, who has been projected by various draft sites as possible first or second round pick should he forgo his senior season, said he will evaluate his options after the season.

"I really don’t know yet," said Griffen, currently third in the Pac-10 in sacks (8). "We still have two more games left. Let’s focus on the last two games and I really haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll talk it over with my family but right now I’m just focused on these last two games and see where I’m at and then go from there."

Griffen has been the most puzzling player on this team.

He is a tremendous talent but his head and drive have always been questioned. Jethro Franklin has done a great job at getting his head screwed on straight but not without some lapses (see the Notre Dame game). SC has some decent depth at DE but it is hard to let such a tremendous talent, albeit still a little raw, leave before it is fully developed.

Joe McKnight commented this last week...

USC junior tailback Joe McKnight is leaning toward returning for his senior season.

McKnight, who is closing in on 1,000 yards, hasn’t completely made up his mind but said if he had to make the decision "today or tomorrow" he would come back to school.

I haven't heard an update on this, so I will assume that he is staying...

Anyway more later...

- - -

Here are some links...

Coach Carroll on Garrett Green - TrojanWire

Joe McKnight gets another opportunity to shine against Arizona -- latimes.com

USC defense shows Jekyll-and-Hyde personality - LA Daily News

USC's potential newcomers could make sudden impact - LA Daily News

USC defense faces challenge in Foles - The Orange County Register

Preview: Arizona at USC " The Trojan Empire

Week 14 Game Matchup: Arizona Wildcats VS. USC Trojans | All Pac 10

Taz-mania: LSU 66, Louisiana-Lafayette 58

Jrlz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:04:19 -0000

Tasmin Mitchell had the game we've been waiting for. 26 points, 10 rebounds. It's his first double-double of the season. He was 3-4 from the arc, and 5-5 from the line.

The Storm Warren double-double count now stands at 4 following a brilliant 18-point, 16 rebound performance. Storm also added two swats.

Bo Spencer did not start, but he did play, and he did score 14 points.

This is where the good news ends. Where's our other scorers?

After a great first three games, Dennis Harris has been shut down the past three. He gained just 2 points and 1 rebound this week. Garrett Green? 0 points, 1 rebound. Eddie Ludwig? 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal. We need consistency out of our centers.

Zach Kinsley didn't attempt a shot today, and therefore produced no points. He did, however, gather 3 rebounds and a steal.

Chris Bass managed to grab 5 points, 2 boards and 4 assists before fouling out. Dotson grabbed 1 point, 2 rebounds and an assist.

Here's a few numbers:

8- the number of points scored by LSU players not named Mitchell, Spencer or Warren.

5 of 12- our record from behind the arc. Not too bad.

2 points, 3 rebounds, 0 blocks, 1 steal- The combined production of our top 3 centers, Harris, Green and Ludwig. They combined to go 1-7 from the field.

So yeah. We've got work to do.

Who's ready for some basketball?

Jrlz — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:48:24 -0000

I just realized that I haven't heard a single word on this blog about the upcoming basketball season that's starting in just three days.

LSU is perhaps the most underhyped returning SEC champion ever, and frankly, there is very little buzz or hope this season. Why is that?

Worries about this season (in order):

DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH

We have only ten scholarship players this season. One of them is Malcolm White, a transfer player from Ole Miss. Due to transfer rules, he has to sit out this season. That leaves us with just nine scholarship players eligible to play this year. Two of them, SG Aaron Dotson and PF Eddie Ludwig, are true freshmen. Another two, C Garrett Green and C Dennis Harris, did not play at all last season due to injury and redshirting respectively. That leaves us with just five scholarship players that got ANY playing time last year.

And then we got this news. SG Alex Farrer will miss at least six weeks with a kneecap injury. He was supposed to be a starter. That means that we'll we playing the first six weeks of the season with just 8 scholarship players, only 4 of whom received any playing time last year.

Trent Johnson has padded his roster with walk-ons. Last year, we only had one, SG Zach Kinsley. This year, we have four: Kinsley, SG Chris Beattie, PG Daron Populist and F Taylor Jacobsen. Believe it or not, these guys will be asked upon to play REAL minutes. Get used to seeing Zack Kinsley and Chris Beattie, because with just one SG, the freshman Dotson, they could be seeing five to ten minutes per game.

So, with four walk-ons, which one will be the fan favorite? My vote goes to 5-10 Daron Populist, but that's up to the fans. The walk-ons will be counted on to produce more than garbage-time minutes and a restaurant.

Depth Chart vs. La. Monroe PLZ

PG: Bo Spencer/ Chris Bass/ Daron Populist

SG: Aaron Dotson/ Zach Kinsley/ Chris Beattie (Farrer injured)

SF: Tasmin Mitchell/ Taylor Jacobsen

PF: Storm Warren/ Eddie Ludwig

C: Garrett Green -or- Dennis Harris/ Eddie Ludwig

Of the twelve players left, only two of them are proven. One, of course, is Tasmin Mitchell. Mitchell will probably move to his more natural position, Small Forward. The other is Bo Spencer, who takes over as the main perimeter threat for LSU with the departure of Marcus Thornton.

The rest of our players are unknowns. Chris Bass will continue to get minutes as Bo's backup, and with the lack of SGs, his role will increase. Storm Warren is a magnificent athlete with wild potential, but his rawness was painfully obvious last year. He could be very dangerous if he's matured as a player, and we'll find out if he has quickly, because he's our starting Power Forward.

Garrett Green got some playing time as a reserve in 07-08. Back injuries knocked him out of last year. Unfortunately, we really don't know if he's fully recovered yet. Even if he's 100%, we really don't know how good he is either. The good news is that he's tall (6' 11") and big (230 lbs, which isn't huge but 40 lbs better than his backup, Dennis Harris.)

Dennis Harris is an unknown as well. Trent Johnson decided to redshirt him last year, which tells me he just wasn't ready to play last year. Hopefully he is ready this year, and so is Garrett Green. Regardless of who starts, both will receive big minutes (15-25 per game each).

Neither of the two freshman, Dotson and PF Eddie Ludwig, were big-time pickups a la Kentucky's John Wall, but we'll be counting on both of them to produce.

Expectations couldn't be lower right now. The question is: does Trent Johnson get a pass this year? Right now, Tiger fans seem to be understanding of the situation, but knowing LSU fans, that will change if the losses start coming.

I'll say this: It might not be a fun season, but the experience our young Tigers will gain from it will benefit the team for years to come.

Of course, we could wind up having a great season anyways. Who knows?

Evening Links

Paragon SC — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:04:09 -0000

Just some housecleaning from some things over the past few days...

Marc Tyler could be out for the year - OCRegister.com

USC center O'Dowd takes note of freshman quarterback Barkley's growth - LA Daily News

Joe McKnight alone atop TB depth chart - OCRegister.com

Scout.com: DG on PX - Pac 10 Things We Learned in Week 6

The logic behind the new nickel - OCRegister.com

Trojan great Leon Clarke passes
I apologize for being a little late on this

The value and versatility of Garrett Green - OCRegister.com

Allen Bradford steps into new offensive role for USC -- latimes.com

Some Basketball Notes...

USC's Stepheson: 'I knew I was in a better situation for me' - Mike DeCourcy - Sporting News

SLAM ONLINE | " USC ‘09-10 Preview

Notes from Kevin O'Neill's presser- OCRegister.com

Washington notes 9/17 - Barkley still sidelined, the Carroll Sarkisian relationship and do we have a new punter?

Paragon SC — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:30:14 -0000

There is no question that Steve Sarkisian has changed the attidude of the football program at the University of Washington. It is hard to believe that UW had fallen so far in what appears to be a short amount of time. Sarkisian had the unenviable task of trying to rebuild the program after Ty WIllingham left Washington dead in the water.

Sarkisian's time under Pete Carroll gave him the building blocks to go out and make a name for himself, so when the opportunity opened at UW he jumped at the chance. UW fans see a remarkable difference in the program now. UW played LSU tough and they beat Idaho snapping a 16 game losing streak so it is safe to say that the program has some life but it has a long way to go.

This weekend Sarkisian, and former USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt, will take all that they have learned under Pete Carroll and see just how they match up.

So, the big question is who has the advantage this weekend?

Is it Carroll? The old addage being Carroll may have taught Sarkisian everything Sarkisian knows but Carroll did not teach Sarkisian everything Carroll knows...

Or is it Sarkisian? Itching to beat his former program to prove he belongs...

Regardless, while both Carroll and Sark have a strong mutual admiration for each other this is about football and even though there will be some familiarity out there that is about where things will stop. And trying to over analyze it is pointless...

"I think we have to be very careful over-analyzing -- I think you can easily get paralysis by analysis," Sarkisian said. "When you start digging too deep into this thing and try to look three or four steps down the road, that's where you can get yourself in trouble. Ultimately, we've got to do what we do well that fits with what they are doing. They're a different football team than they have been. They've got different coordinators. We have to attack them accordingly. The bottom line is we have to do what we do well. If we go too far beyond that, and try too hard, that's where we can get all screwed up."

(FYI: All donations to the Paralysis by Analysis Foundation should be sent care of the Pac-10 blog.)

Sarkisian and Holt spent a large part of their careers working with Carroll. It would be fair, in fact, to say he is their chief mentor. They have spent hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of hours together breaking down film, evaluating players, game planning, talking Xs and Os philosophy, writing poetry about winning forever and just shooting the bull.

So it's not hard to imagine each party will try to climb in the other's head in order to take a few photos.

Of course both coaches will try to look for familar tendencies afterall that is waht LSU didwhen they prepared for their game at Washington...they simply looked a bunch of USC tape to map out their scheme. Not Surprising...but in the end talent will win out and SC is loaded with it.

UW has some talent on offense. Stud QB Jake Locker, talented (if not thin skinned) running back Chris Polk and the impressive James Johnson at wide receiver offer UW some weapons to put some points on the board. UW did move the ball pretty well against LSU which has a pretty defense; unfortunately UW's offensive line is little suspect so I would expect SC to get some penetration to force Locker to make some hurried throws.

On Defense UW has some issues with a beat up defensive line, though they do OK against the run, and an abosolute sieve in the secondary which gave up 350 yards in passing (400+ in total offense) aganst Idaho. I am sure Nick Holt will turn it around but he has his work cut out. Holt does not get any help from Quinton Richardson who has guaranteed a win on Saturday.

The USC players and coaches are aware of Richardson's comments...

Washington cornerback Quinton Richardson guaranteed a Huskies victory over the Trojans, according to The Daily Herald of Everett, Wash.

USC coach Pete Carroll said his players are aware of it, but he won’t use it as bulletin-board material.

"Those guys know. I heard them talking about it," Carroll said. "I can tell them, ‘Don’t listen to this’ or ‘You didn’t hear that,’ but they’re going to hear it and see it.

"That’s never been something I’ve ever engaged in in terms of motivation. … That’s not the kind of stuff we want to be motivated by. Does it work sometimes? Yeah, it does. But I don’t operate with that."

Does that mean that SC will target Chris Polk just like you know they did DeSean Jackson instead?

Like I said, in the end talent wins out. UW is still rebuilding and getting comfortable in the new system. But don't expect this to be a boatrace...that has never been Pete Carroll's style and if USC has a comfortable lead as they head into the forth quarter I don't see Carroll rubbing Sark's face in it so I don't see SC covering the spread.

- - -

Kiffin compare USC in 2004 to Florida in 2009...

Interesting comments from Lane Kiffin-

Lane Kiffin stayed on his Florida-is-the-greatest tact during Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference. "Maybe the best ever," he called the Gators, who host Kiffin and the Volunteers on Saturday afternoon.

The anointing is important, especially given that Kiffin helped coach another team-of-the-decade candidate—the 2004 USC Trojans. That team featured a pair of eventual Heisman winners (Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush) as well as a receiver that caught a touchdown pass per game (Dwayne Jarrett). The defense, led by Shaun Cody and Lofa Tatupu, led the nation against the rush and ranked third in total defense. It forced 38 turnovers and allowed 20 or more points just three times.

Florida likely has a dozen games left this year, but it's easy to sketch the arguments. USC's big-play capabilities and solid offensive line give it the nod with the ball. UF's experienced and fast defense gives it the slight edge there. Florida covers kicks better; USC's Bush gets the nod over Florida's Brandon James as a return man.

Who wins? A shame they'll never play. But the debate is a good one. Thanks to Lane for making it mainstream.

That was some USC team!

- - -

Here are a couple of nice articles on Joe McKnight...

USC's Joe McKnight, a former John Curtis standout, makes big move - NOLA.com

USC's McKnight grows up off, on the field - OCRegister.com

- - -

Barkley Still Out...

Matt Barkley did not throw on Wedsnesday. That is the third stright practice that he was not able to throw fueling speculation that it could be Aaron Corp getting the nod. No decision has been made and that is fine, like I have said in the past.

CFT has an interesting, if not a smug, take on things...

The fact of the matter is that exactly who starts at quarterback is the least important question revolving around the Trojan football team. Unless, of course, you're one of those worshiping at the altar of golden child Matt Barkley.

If you are, don't be ashamed. Pete Carroll is kneeling right there with you.

If Barkley's wing isn't solid enough to make a go of it on Saturday, so be it. Aaron Corp, who was Carroll's previous golden child, will be just fine. Perhaps even better.

Then, let's say Corp, who sustained a small crack to his left fibula on Aug. 10, isn't able to play for whatever reason, that would open the door for Mitch Mustain. You remember him. He went 8-0 as a starter as a true freshman at Arkansas in 2006.

We're not trying to be disrespectful to Washington, but Garrett Green could start against the Huskies and USC would still roll to victory.

Yeah, Well...

This one is interesting...

Barkley was sidelined for only one game as a four-year starter at Santa Ana's Mater Dei High.

In the 2005 Southern Section Division I quarterfinals against Colton, Barkley suffered a broken collarbone. The injury ended his season, forcing him to sit out the Monarchs’ semifinal loss to Loyola.

"The feeling that you can’t do anything, that you’re helpless was just terrible," Barkley said Tuesday.

Barkley’s injury came courtesy of a hit delivered by future USC teammate Allen Bradford.

At the time, Bradford was the among the most dynamic two-way players in recent Southland prep history, a senior running back and linebacker for a Colton team that also featured future Trojans cornerback Shareece Wright.

- - -

New Punter?

Well, whatever works...

Mitch Mustain was one of the most sought-after quarterback recruits when he came out of Sprindale (Ark.) High. But since transferring to USC, he has failed to crack the starting lineup.

Now, Mustain is dabbling at a new position — punter. Coach Pete Carroll said Mustain has a chance to earn future playing time at a spot where the Trojans have struggled so far.

"He’s got a really good leg," Carroll said. "It’s going to take him awhile, obviously, to get his timing down and all that. … We’re going to give him a chance to see if he can develop a little bit."

The coaches became intrigued by Mustain’s punting ability when they saw him do it during the team’s walk-through in Columbus last week. He punted as a senior in high school, but only "about five times," according to his former and current teammate, Damian Williams, because Springdale’s offense was so prolific.

Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants!

USC Football News and Notes 9/4

Paragon SC — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:15:15 -0000

Lots of things to address today

Lets start with the defense...

Wes Horton was named starter a defensive end replacing the injured Armon Armstead.

Redshirt freshman Wes Horton has edged out another redshirt freshman, Nick Perry, for the starting spot at defensive end, USC coach Pete Carroll said after practice on Thursday.

Horton will play a key role in the Trojans rebuilding job on the defensive front where USC lost All-Pac-10 tackle Fili Moala, and both ends, Kyle Moore and Clay Matthews.

"Wes will go first," Carroll said. "He just seems like he’s been steadier on every down."

That is some great news for Horton but you will see Perry and Malik Jackson in the game as well. Once again this attests to the depth that USC has amassed. I really wanted to see Armstead on the field but the combination of Horton, Perry and Jackson will give SC a lot of options to play with.

Linebacker Chris Galippo missed practice yesterday to have some fluid drained from his elbow.

I hate this type of "injury" it is one of those things that while looking like a minor issue can turn into a real problem later. The one thing that you want to keep an eye on is that it doesn't become infected...that is when the problems really start. Galippo will start on Saturday so it is nothing to be worried about right now.

I am not completely worried about the defense...regardless of all the new faces there is a lot of experience there as well. Pete Carroll ha always found a way to get the youngsters in so that they cut their teeth. The secondary will be fine even with the loss of Shareece Wright. It will also be interesting to see how SC uses the Nickel Package. You will see a lot of guys get some experience and that only bodes well for the future.

- - -

As for the offense....

I am intrigued by an article that I read the other day on QB coach Jeremey Bates.

USC fans skewered Lane Kiffin on Internet message boards. Steve Sarkisian did not fare much better.

So any USC play-caller not named Norm Chow, it seems, is in for a tough go with the Trojans faithful.

Jeremy Bates is not worried about it.

USC's first-year quarterbacks coach and play-caller plans to tune out whatever criticism might come his way after Saturday's opener against San Jose State and beyond.

"This is a game of entertainment," Bates said Wednesday. "The fans pay a lot of money to go to the games and they're going to have their opinions. . . . But we're focused. We can't deal with distractions and things outside of the building, so we're not going to worry about that stuff."

I guess I am scratching my head as to why anyone would criticize the Barkley move at this point. Aaron Corp has a broken bone in his leg and it affected his ability to use his mobility. If Pete Carroll put Corp out there and he was injured further could you imagine the scorn that we would hear?

Bates comes with a very solid resume' so once again if Pete Carroll trusts him then that is fine with me. I have a hard time understanding why this is even being discussed, we havent even played a game yet can we at least see how Barkley and the offense performs before critiquing the decisions. Regardless of whether or not we agree with the move it would appear that pretty much everyone is on board and that in clude Aaron Corp. Bates is not some no name, he kind of knows what he is doing and regardless of whether or not you supported Kiffin or Sarkisian, Bates has A LOT more experience than those guys. Sure there will be some things that he will have to adjust to from the NFL but it is still X's and O's.

Of course all eyes will be on Matt Barkley but I think we will be fine. He will make some mistakes but that is how you learn and while I am not looking at SJSU as some pushover I would rather Barkley cut his teeh on SJSU than a Pac-10 foe or tOSU.

USC is putting a lot of faith in a true freshman but there is not another program in the country that pull it off with complete confidence the way USC has...

Starting a freshman quarterback has been done before, but it's usually something coaches avoid. UCLA started Cade McNown midway through his freshman season, and USC started Carson Palmer late in the 1998 season. Philip Rivers started at North Carolina State as a freshman and Matthew Stafford, who was Detroit's No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft this year, started at Georgia as a freshman.

In 2007, Oaks Christian product Jimmy Clausen won the starting job at Notre Dame by the second game.

Clausen took over, but he wasn't the answer as the Fighting Irish struggled to a 3-7 record.

Results of freshman quarterbacks are obviously mixed, but Barkley doesn't believe there's pressure on him to make Carroll look good.

"People can say what they want," Barkley said. "I don't think I need to prove anything. With the talent we have, we'll be winning if I just do the minimum."

Carroll's decision to start Barkley over Aaron Corp has become a great debate. Barkley has impressive credentials, but he threw 18 interceptions as a senior at Mater Dei High last season. He's just 18, but Carroll has made it clear Barkley is the guy, injury or no injury to Corp. The Trojans play six of their first nine games on the road to boot.

Barkley appears to be a cool customer but we won't really know until he gets into the game.

Barkley has an air of confidence guided by some deep personal faith and that helps him get through the way he does. Don't get me wrong Barkley is going to get his teeth kicked in from time to time...it isn't always going to be easy but that is a port of growth. Even one Mitch Mustain can attest to that...

Mustain started eight games as a freshman at Arkansas in 2006. So I asked him what Barkley might be in for as he attempts to lead the Trojans this season.

"He’s just going to have to learn to take the bumps," Mustain said. "You’re going to have tough games.
"It’s different when you get to a college stadium. ... People yelling at you -- I mean just crazy stuff that you would never hear in high school. Most stadiums now don’t have tracks so everybody’s a lot closer to you.

"That was one thing, I know for me was one of the first shockers. ... They’re right on top of you yelling [stuff] so you have to deal with that stuff and really learn to be confident and learn to be smooth.

"I think he’ll figure it out."

Until Barkley experiences it for himself he will never understand it...I think he will be just fine.

Speaking of Mustain...this is an interesting piece from Fox Sports. I give him credit, he sure shows a lot of maturity. Garrett Green shows a lot of the same maturity and I think this is a testament to they type of program Pete Carroll runs. When was the last time we heard about a player moping or being disgruntled that could hurt the chemistry of the team?

- - -

Schoarship math?

File this in the "first time I am hearing about this" file

The NCAA concluded a month-long investigation Thursday and determined USC did not violate scholarship limits in football.

Questions were raised over the summer whether the Trojans went over the limit after awarding scholarships to some incoming walk-on players last year.

NCAA rules allow teams 85 scholarships, but there is usually some juggling that takes place when players get hurt and go on medical-redshirt scholarships, which do not count against the limit.

"Everything is fine," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "The NCAA cleared everything."

USC's compliance office was concerned football might be two scholarships over the limit and contacted the NCAA to check into the matter. The Trojans could have potentially lost scholarships with an unfavorable ruling.

Like I said...news to me. At least the compliance office self-reported on something they thought might be wrong.

- - -

Here a few links from the last few days that I didn't get to...

Something Lurks in the Coliseum: USC '09 Season Preview - LAist
Nice preview from our freind Adam Rose

The 2009 Trojans at a glance -- latimes.com

Florida, USC in Rose Bowl -- just not against each other -- latimes.com

The Quad Countdown: No. 3 Southern California - The Quad Blog - NYTimes.com
Southern California needs to replace a ton of talent, but the Trojans won't miss a beat.

For USC, it's Rose Bowl . . . or bust? -- latimes.com
Go ahead, say it.

Pledging their allegiance to USC, UCLA football - The Daily Breeze

The All-USC-UCLA team | ucla, usc, defensive, guys, best - OCR

Pledging their allegiance to USC, UCLA football - The Daily Breeze

Taylor Mays, Jahvid Best make Pac-10 watchable despite Nick Lachey - It's Just Sports

Here are a few Rivals videos...

Allen Bradford and Shareece Wright - Summer '09 - Rivals.com Video

Secondary shake-up for the Trojans - Rivals.com Video

David Ausberry and Joe McKnight interviews - Rivals.com Video

Pete Carroll at San Jose State Presser - Rivals.com Video

- - -

I will have more later today...

USC Scrimmage Notes

Paragon SC — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:30:10 -0000

Seeing that I wasn't there to see it for myself this will be a bit of a rehash from the local papers...

Outside of O'Dowd's injury it looks to have been an average night over all for the offense. I am not really concerned with the defense with the performance they put on last night. Barkley is showing us that no matter how good we think he is he still is not ready to take the helm so it is imperative that Aaron Corp gets healthy.

Barkley's performance...

Here is some of Gary Klein wrote in today's LAT...

On a night when quarterback Matt Barkley struggled to find his rhythm in his biggest showcase to date, USC's offense might have suffered a more long-range setback.

[...]

Barkley remains the front-runner to start the opener unless Aaron Corp returns from a leg injury in time to retake the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.

Corp, who has been out for seven days, threw passes to Carroll before the game but is still unable to run. He was scheduled to have X-rays on the cracked bone in his leg on Monday but will instead have them today.

Barkley, who had looked good in the Trojans' first scrimmage last week, once again took all of the first-team snaps, but he said he was "maybe a little too amped" at the outset.

Barkley's first pass downfield was "the worst throw he's thrown since he's been here. He just chucked it," Carroll said. Under pressure behind the line of scrimmage, he drifted to his right and threw into double coverage, barely avoiding an interception.

Here is Wolf's take...

Quarterback Matt Barkley showed he's not quite ready to be a superstar Monday night as he struggled against a heavy pass rush in USC's scrimmage at the Coliseum.

The freshman completed only five of 18 passes for 109 yards in against the Trojans' first-team defense. He missed his first six passes (with one dropped) but did not throw any interceptions and threw a 34-yard pass to wide receiver Ronald Johnson.

"The defense got after us, no doubt," Barkley said. "I had to throw a lot of balls away. Maybe (playing in the Coliseum was more difficult) and if it was, it's a good thing I got that out of the way."

"He's disappointed," USC coach Pete Carroll said of Barkley. "He knows he didn't do well."

It looks like Barkley is learning to throw it away if there is nothing there.

Barkley absolutely has to lose that superman mentality. This defense knows how to cover receivers and so do other teams that he will face. He can't just chuck and duck and hope for the best. He needs to learn from these performances in order to progress. I have no doubt that he will, but if we are to believe that right now he is starting material as a freshman then he has show some better judgment.

Here is another take from the OCR...

Despite getting good protection, quarterback Matt Barkley struggled to complete passes against the first-team defense. Barkley finished 5 of 18 for 109 yards. Carroll considered it a good test for the freshman from Mater Dei, who’s in line to start the season opener if Aaron Corp doesn’t return in time.

"I liked the way he hung in there," Carroll said of Barkley, who improved after a shaky start. "This defense is capable of covering people like that.

"We felt like he needed to be in a difficult situation to bring him along."

Carroll called Barkley’s first attempt of the night "his worst throw since he’s been here." While rolling out to the right, Barkley tried to force the ball downfield to Damian Williams. Williams had two defenders on him, and Barkley was fortunate safety Taylor Mays didn’t intercept the pass.

"It’s great to go up against a great defense," Barkley said. "It was a little tough at first. But things started to open up after that."

Barkley will figure it out...

Surprisingly, Mitch Mustain actually had a pretty good night last night.

Mustain completed 10 of 15 passes for 114 yards in the first half against USC's second-team defense.

Yeah, I know its against the reserves but those guys are pretty good too...

Flournoy makes a huge impression...

This kid is the real deal!

The star of the scrimmage was freshman wide receiver De'von Flournoy from Birmingham High in Lake Balboa, who caught a pass from quarterback Mitch Mustain, broke two tackles and eluded four other defenders for a 53-yard touchdown.

It was another example of Flournoy's explosiveness after he caught a long touchdown pass during Sunday's practice and caught three passes for 55 yards in the Trojans' first scrimmage Friday. He also caught a 36-yard pa ss from reserve quarterback Garrett Green in the second half and finished with 105 yards receiving.

Flournoy, who might be USC's fastest receiver, seems destined to play this season based on his big-play ability.

I get a different feel about the receivers than I did last season. We know that Williams and Johnson are #1 & #2 but Ausberry is coming on strong and now Flournoy is making a name for himself. I get the feeling that the competiton for playing time is going to really heat up. I didn't get that feeling last year. Patrick Turner was a given and Mark Sanchez got into a groove with Damian WIlliams. We saw a lot of RoJo but I know we wanted to see a lot more. This reminds me a lot of how the running back situation has been the past few years...

The OCR has last nights stats.

Four Star Quarterbacks, Success, Failure, and What Michigan Football can Expect out of Tate Forcier

Maize n Brew Dave — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:33:59 -0000

As a general rule, highly rated quarterback recruits are the crown jewel of any school's recruiting class. Sure you can bring in a #1 Linebacker or a #1 Offensive Tackle, but those guys don't score points and their faces aren't plastered all over ABC or CBS every fall Saturday. Offenses simply don't work without an able bodied/minded signal caller under center.

But high school kids rarely turn out to be the person we thought they'd be coming out of high school. While Dr. Saturday has pointed out on numerous occasions (link no longer available) that a 5* player is far more likely than a 4* or 3* player to make the NFL, for some reason a 5* is far more likely to get himself arrested than a 4* or 3* (from the 2005 class at least). You get your five star flame outs (Ryan Perrilloux) far more often than your #1DC's like Matt Stafford, and you're just as likely to be starting a three star quarterback that you recruited as "insurance" than your four/five star savior.

For Michigan, this is not welcome news. Since the departure of five star rated Chad Henne, Michigan has gone from five star rated Ryan Mallett to no star rated Nick Sheridan to four star rated Steven Threet, back to Sheridan, then to two star Justin Feagin, to Threet, to Sheridan, and now, finally, to four star rated Tate Forcier. Looking at the preceding list, it's easy to disillusioned by the rankings process. Mallett transferred, Threet transferred (again), Sheridan was basically useless, and Feagin is being switched to receiver. As a result, Michigan will be starting a first year quarterback for the second straight year.

Despite Michigan's string of bad luck under center last year, it has failed to temper the enthusiasm of the Wolverine faithful when talking about Tate Forcier's first snaps. While (thankfully) this enthusiasm hasn't gone all Beano Cook, it is palpable when you talk to a Michigan fan. And to his credit, Forcier has done something to stoke that fire. Four passing touchdowns and one running touchdown in your spring game, your first anything against college competition, will get people excited.

Oddly, in watching that video the first thing that jumps out at me is not, OMG Savior!, it's "our defense is going to be baaaaaaaaaaad." But I digress. Watching this video is incredibly reassuring for any Michigan fan who had to sit through or pour over bad video of last year's spring practice. Combined, IIRC, Threet and Sheridan combined for 6 turnovers and no touchdowns via the air in 2008. And that performance was turned in against what proved to be the worst Michigan defense in Michigan history. I'm just saying.

So it's kind of hard to truly judge what we can expect out of Forcier against live competition, you know, the kind that will actually try to tackle him. Last year's quarterback play set the bar very low. But, Forcier seems to have the unique abilities required to run Rodriguez system. Tate showed the ability to throw on the run. Go deep. Scramble out of a sack. Not spike himself. These are good things.

Last year Michigan quarterbacks combined to go an abysmal 165/338 for 1718 yards, 11TD/12INT and a miserable combined QB rating of 95.2. Nick Sheridan's numbers alone make you cringe, a QB rating of 81.1 and a 2/5 TD/INT ratio despite starting a handful of games. If you just threw up a little in your mouth, you're not alone. Say what you want about changing systems, these guys were not and are not good quarterbacks in any system with numbers like that. Last year Forcier's numbers look like a shiny beacon in comparison. 208/326 for 3424 yards, 23/15 TD/INT ratio, 783 yards rushing on 92 attempts, and 12 rushing TDs. But lets break this down a bit.

For context on the competition, Forcier's High School, Scripps Ranch, is a Division II South school in California. Scripps is in the middle tier high school division for California schools with enrollment between 2400 and 1100 kids. The bigger Division I schools have enrollment from 2400 and up [some almost reaching 5000 enrollment]. Scripps is one of the larger Division II schools with enrollment around 2100. So he definitely facing decent competition, he's just not facing a Long Beach Poly kind of talent pool (4600+ kids).

Now, onto the numbers. One thing that jumps out at me is the 2 to 1 TD/INT ratio in 2008. Forcier, if you look at his numbers, had his best season as a HS junior where he was 21/5 TD/INT. But that's two years ago, with different personnel. Last year in 12 games, Forcier had just three games without an INT, and threw 2 picks or more in five games. Tate's playoff numbers were a mixed bag, throwing for over 300 yards in one game, but tossing a combined 5 picks in both play off games he played in. The glass half empty kind of person can take that as Tate wilting under pressure.

But the reality is that's far from the case. Scripps was a good, but not great team last year going 8-4. Their second round bow-out from the DII playoffs was against 12-0-1 Oceanside, the defending state champs, who won their fifth consecutive Division II section title in 2008. Forcier scored both TDs in the loss for Scripps, and a look at the boxscore shows there's not a lot you can do when you give up 28 points in the 4th quarter. Looking at the results, you'll note a couple of games where Scripps gave up 40+ points, including 70(!) to the eventual state champs, Cathedral. FWIW, Forcier was 21/36 for 295 yards, 4TDs and 1INT in the Cathedral game.

What all this means is Michigan is getting a kid who has taken his lumps, knows what it's like to get planted, and has played well against higher levels of competition. Is he the Rich Rod savior we've been hoping for? Chances are we're not going to know for a while. After the jump you'll find the Rivals rankings for every quarterback receiving four stars or higher since 2005, and a few three stars of note. Of this group, over five years, you're only going to find five or six quarterbacks that jump off the page at you. Three of those page jumpers are: Tebow, Bradford, and McCoy. Surprisingly, Bradford and McCoy were three star recruits.

If it seems like things are a little off moving towards 2005, you're right. In '05 Rivals handed out only thirteen four star plus ratings to quarterbacks. In 2009, Rivals handed out twenty five four star plus ratings, nearly double the 2005 amount. In my opinion, this might have something to do with the precipitous drop in production from 4* plus players. When you're handing out high ratings like candy, eventually you degrade the overall effect of that rating. It also explains why I'm nervous about anointing a four star quarterback, even a good one, as a program savior or more modestly as an offensive savior.

So what do these numbers mean for Michigan and Tate? It means we should all cool our jets a tad. Given the number of four and five star flameouts over the last five years, a four star QB is statistically more likely to be a bust than a success. Further, regardless of pedigree, even the best of the best get hammered in year one. Everyone remembers the lumps Chad Henne took as a first year starter, the bad throws, the bailouts by Braylon. And Chad was one of the highest ranked QB recruits in the country at the time. Sam Bradford's been a starter since day one but he got beaten down fairly regularly too. What helped Braford, and what is a major question mark for Forcier, is Bradford's OU defense was AWESOME that year and Bradford often had the opportunity to fix things when he messed up.

Tate's in that middle ground between OMG SHIRTLESS and good, solid prospect. On the negative side, he's shorter than we'd like. He's got good, but not great arm strength. He's shown a propensity, at least at the High School level to throw some picks. On the positive, he has shown great escapability. Great instincts. Good decision making. Has a resume jam packed with awards and MVPS. And an arm that is more than capable of delivering the ball down field and into tight pockets mid field. But all this is conjecture before he plays a single game. So before we all start bringing offerings to his temple, let's allow the kid to show us what he can do in a real game environment.

But here's where the realistic fan in me comes out; it's really hard not to get excited about what he's shown so far. On the basis of his high school career, spring performance, and Rodriguez offense, 2,300 passing yards, 700 rushing yards, 15/9 TD/INT, 6 Rushing TD seems like a reasonable expectation. Juice Williams threw for 3,000 plus last year while running for 700 yards on a bad team. Having seen both players throw, I like Forcier considerably more than Williams as a passer. The rushing numbers will be comparable just because of the nature of the offense. Forcier's going to run the ball. It's a necessity in this offense. So he'll have every opportunity to gain rushing yards.

I may be underselling the passing a tad, but I don't know how well our receivers are going to play this year. They should be a solid group, but there were a lot of dropped and misplayed balls last year. If the receivers play better, I think Tate can get them the ball and my projection would go up from there.

Thoughts?

Here's the list of ranked quaterbacks from 2005 forward. Help me fill in the blanks on these guys if you can.

Rivals.com dual-threat quarterbacks 2009

1Russell Shepard 5* LSU

2Tyrik Rollison 4* Auburn

3Eugene Smith 4* West Virginia

4Kevin Newsome 4* Penn State

5Tate Forcier 4* Michigan

6Cody Green 4* Nebraska

7Nathan Scheelhaase 4* Illinois

8Shavodrick Beaver 4* Tulsa

9Casey Pachall 4* TCU

10Jordan Reed 4* Florida

11Raymond Cotton 4* Ole Miss

Not included – 14 Denard Robinson 4* ATH - Michigan

Rivals.com pro-style quarterbacks 2009

1Matt Barkley 5* USC

2Garrett Gilbert 5* Texas

3Aaron Murray 4* Georgia

4Tajh Boyd 4* Clemson

5Bryn Renner 4* North Carolina

6Richard Brehaut 4* UCLA

7AJ McCarron 4* Alabama

8Tom Savage 4* Rutgers

9Andrew Maxwell 4* Michigan State

10Allan Bridgford 4* California

11Zach Mettenberger 4* Georgia

12Tyler Russell 4* Mississippi State

13Josh Nunes 4* Stanford

14Ryan Mossakowski 4* Kentucky

Rivals.com dual-threat quarterbacks 2008

1Terrelle Pryor 5* OSU – You may have heard of him

2E.J. Manuel 4* Florida State

3MarQueis Gray 4* Minnesota - eligibility issues

4Robert Griffin 4* Baylor - Starter

5Matt Scott 4* Arizona

6Darron Thomas 4* Oregon - Bench

7Curt Phillips 4* Wisconsin

8B.J. Daniels 4* South Florida

9Kody Spano 3* Nebraska

10Jaybo Shaw 3* Georgia Tech - Included for awesome name

Rivals.com pro-style quarterbacks 2008

1Blaine Gabbert 5* Missouri - sorta starter

2Dayne Crist 5* Notre Dame - Bench

3Mike Glennon 4* N.C. State - starter

4Andrew Luck 4* Stanford

5Star Jackson 4* Alabama

6Landry Jones 4* Oklahoma

7Jacory Harris 4* Miami - Starter

8Jordan Jefferson 4* LSU

9Tyler Wilson 4* Arkansas

10Kyle Parker 4* Clemson

Rivals.com dual-threat quarterbacks 2007

1Tyrod Taylor 5* VTech – Starter

2Cameron Newton 5* Florida

3Aaron Corp 4* Southern Cal - Starter

4Stephen Garcia 4* South Carolina - washout?

5Willy Korn 4* Clemson - Starter

6Keith Nichol 4* Oklahoma - Bench/transfer?

7Chris Forcier 4* UCLA - Washout/transfer

8Kodi Burns 4*Auburn

9Josh Nesbitt 4* Georgia Tech - starter

10Logan Gray 4* Georgia

11Kellen Kiilsgaard 4* Stanford

12Bradley Starks 4* West Virginia

Rivals.com pro-style quarterbacks 2007

1Jimmy Clausen 5* Notre Dame - Starter

2Ryan Mallett 5* Michigan – Transfer/Starter

3John Brantley 4* Florida

4Mike Paulus 4* North Carolina

5Peter Lalich 4*Virginia

6Pat Bostick 4*Pittsburgh - Bench

7Jarrett Lee 4* LSU - sorta starter

8Robert Marve 4* Miami-FL - washout/transfer

9Steven Threet 4* Georgia Tech – Sadly, washout/Transfer x2.

10BJ Coleman 4* Tennessee - nothing

Rivals.com: Dual-threat quarterbacks 2006

1Tim Tebow 5* Florida (Football Jesus)

2Demetrius Jones 4* Notre Dame Washout/Transfer – Now a linebacker at NIU

3Jevan Snead 4* Texas – Transfer/Starter at Ole Miss

4Jake Locker 4* Washington – Punching bag/Starter

5Jeremy Ricker 4* Maryland

6Austen Arnaud 4* Iowa State

7Garrett Green 4* Southern Cal - bench

8Sherrod Harris 4* Texas - bench

9Antonio Henton 4* Ohio State – Who?

11Rick Stanzi 3* Iowa – Starter/Manzi

14Adam Weber 3* Minnesota - Starter

15Nate Davis 3* Ball State - NFL

16Todd Reesing 3* Kansas – Marky M says Balla.

Rivals.com Pro-style quarterbacks 2006

1Matthew Stafford 5* Georgia 1DC

2Mitch Mustain 5* Arkansas Washout

3Isiah Williams 4* Illinois Starter

4Josh Freeman 4* Kansas State Starter/washout/NFL?

5Pat Devlin 4* Penn State washout/transfer

6Kevin Riley 4* California sorta starter

7Neil Caudle 4* Auburn bench

8Chris Smelley 4* South Carolina sorta starter/washout

9Zach Frazer 4* Notre Dame washout

10Tyler Lyon 3* Arizona Bench

11Greg McElroy 3* Alabama – Starter (sorta)

12Sam Bradford 3* Oklahoma (Heisman winner)

Rivals.com Pro-style quarterbacks 2005

1Mark Sanchez 5* Southern Cal - NFL

2Jonathan Crompton 4* Tennessee - sorta starter

3Harrison Beck 4* Nebraska

4Derek Shaw 4* Arizona State

5Willie Tuitama 4* Arizona - One Time Stater/washout

6Rob Schoenhoft 4* Ohio State - bench

7Joe Cox 4* Georgia - bench?

8Arkelon Hall 3* Washington St.

9Domenic Natale 3* Michigan State

10Sean Canfield 3* Oregon State

11Bill Stull 3* Pittsburgh - starter

12Evan Sharpley 3* Notre Dame - Graduated

14Dustin Sherer 3* Wisconsin - sorta starter

15Colt McCoy 3* Texas - Starter Heisman Candidate

Rivals.com: Dual-threat quarterbacks 2005

1Ryan Perrilloux 5* LSU - Washout of spectacular fashion

2Jake Christensen 4* Iowa - Washout

3Ike Whitaker 4* Virginia Tech - Washout

4Josh Portis 4* Florida - ?

5Kyle Reed 4* California - ?

6Chase Daniel 4* Missouri - NFL?

7Jimmy Johns 3* Alabama - Proveyor of Fine Powdered Products

10Zac Robinson 3* Oklahoma State - Starter

Spring Ball is Underway...who wants to play Quarterback?

Paragon SC — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:21:04 -0000

There is obviously a ton of questions going into spring ball. There was a lot of movement in the off-season in regards to the coaching staff. Some coaches were promoted from within the coaching ranks while others were recruited to join SC’s staff.

On the personnel side of the ball the defense is pretty much all new faces while the offense returns just about everyone except at the QB position…that’s kind of a big deal and changes are already being made for the better in the players eyes.

...the quarterbacks praised new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates and shed no tears over the departure of former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.

"It's certainly been a good change," Mitch Mustain said. "It's a lot different the way (Bates) and Sark did things. They are polar opposites. We'd all agree it's for the best."

Specifically, Bates simplified the offense by making it easier to understand some of the pass protections and eliminating some excess terminology.

"If anything, things make more sense with the changes he made," Aaron Corp said. "They are worked a little different than before and help out the running backs and offensive linemen.

Change is always good…we wish Steve Sarkisian the best but SC moves on.

There are going to be a lot of new faces and schemes going forward. With new offensive and defensive coordinators and a new quarterbacks coach its not hard to see how things couldbe different next season.

All eyes are the QB competition as Mustain, Corp, Green and Barkley look to win the starting job. Barkley even opened up spring ball as he was the first QB to take snaps.

Carroll and new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates did not hesitate to throw Barkley into the fire. The freshman took the first snaps during the team scrimmage portion of the workout.

Barkley, who graduated early from Santa Ana Mater Dei High, said he was "having a blast out there." He completed his first pass, struggled with a few others -- "some of my throws were kind of iffy" -- but generally impressed.

That's fine, I can see how that might make the competiton a little more fierce with the kid opening up the scrimmage but make no mistake this is going to be a battle between Mustain and Corp. One of these two is going to lead SC next year so whole I get the symbolism of Barkley getting the first snaps this is all about who is going to replace Mark Sanchez.

Obviously Mark Sanchez announcing his intent to forgo his last year of eligibility in order to make himself available for this years NFL Draft took many by surprise. So for those who want to fill those shoes now is the time they get to show the coaching staff if they are ready. Its going to be a long process by itself but when coupled with a new QB coach and a new OC there will be a lot to work through.

The moment Mark Sanchez announced he would forgo his fifth year of eligibility and enter the 2009 NFL draft, the seeds were planted for a captivating quarterback competition. The combatants take the field for the first official spring practice Saturday striving for the starting spot.

Not to place undue pressure on Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain and Matt Barkley, but consider the following: Sanchez threw 34 touchdown passes in helping the Trojans to their seventh consecutive Pac-10 title and 11-plus-victory season. No other school has done that.

I certainly don't think its impossible, but I also don't expect spring ball to give us as many answers as we have been used to getting this early in the past. Pete Carroll is used to having the QB selection locked up by the time spring ball ends but even he isn't sure that will be the case this year.

I am not prepared to give any of the four an edge this early in the process...that includes Barkley who comes from a system at Mater Dei that is similar to that of USC. Mustain and Corp have the most experience under center in the system but that's not enough one of them really have develop and excel in all aspects of the game in the coming months.

I think Jeremy Bates will be an important cog in the machine here. He clearly has the experience and by giving his undivided attention to the QB's we could see some real development of the talent that we have on the roster.

The other thing going for the offence is that the rest of the offensive side of the ball is returning and that will be a big deal with the new QB having some seasoned vets to help move things along.

Nothing is perfect but with all the talent SC has on the roster it will help soften the blow of losing Sanchez...its just going to take time.