Cumulative Spring Stats (all 4 Scrimmages)

I attended the Trojan Huddle last Saturday and will provide a bit of commentary based on what I saw in the key competitions...

Quarterbacks:
Matt Barkley 43-of-66 (65.2%) for 562 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT
Aaron Corp 43-of-69 (62.3%) for 543 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Mitch Mustain 20-of-36 (55.6%) for 182 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT

Corp should be the starter if the Trojans had to play today but during the final scrimmage he threw 3 very bad passes that should have been intercepted (all three were dropped by DBs). Corp has very quick feet and doesn't hesitate to pull down a pass when a receiver is covered and gain 7 or 8 yards before the defense can react. My question is how will his lanky 6'4", 205 pound frame hold up when he gets hit by an Ohio State Buckeyes defensive player. Corp also did not look good throwing the ball down the field. He doesn't appear to have great arm strength.

Barkley clearly possesses great arm strength and a more sturdy frame (at about 6'3", 220 pounds). The young freshman needs to realize that he can't gun throws through defensive backs though. Its only a matter of time before Barkley is the starter at USC. The only way Corp will hold him off is to win early and win often.

Mustain reminds me of John David Booty (they are about the same size and appear to have the same mentality). I'm not sure I can clearly evaluate Mustain's play as he was throwing to third string receivers most of the scrimmage. Overall I'd say he is between Barkley and Corp in just about every way - arm strength, running ability, understanding of the offense. It seemed as if he lacked the same level of confidence displayed by Barkley and Corp though.

Running Backs:
Curtis McNeal 36 carries for 218 yards (6.1 ypc) and 2 TDs
Marc Tyler 27 carries for 121 yards (4.5 ypc) and 1 TD
Stafon Johnson 24 carries for 56 yards (2.3 ypc) and 1 TD
C.J. Gable 10 carries for 45 yards (4.5 ypc)
Stanley Havili 7 carries for 45 yards (6.4 ypc)
D.J. Shoemate 4 carries for 19 yards (4.8 ypc)

Stafon Johnson didn't play much during the final scrimmage and couldn't get a block when he did carry the ball. CJ Gable broke a 45-yard run for the only running highlight of the day. Coach Carroll said that Curtis McNeal may have been the offensive MVP of the spring going into the final scrimmage. But McNeal had a rough day, gaining just 7 yards on 8 carries. McNeal was slammed to the turf several times by the defensive and limped off the field at one point. Marc Tyler looked great running between the tackles and will be a threat if he gets much play time this fall. DJ Shoemate was, in my opinion, the offensive MVP of the final scrimmage. Shoemate had 17 yards rushing and 39 yards receiving while serving as the white team fullback.

Receivers:
Damian Williams 13 receptions for 218 yards (16.8 ypr) and 1 TD
Brice Butler 13 receptions for 155 yards (11.9 ypr)
Travon Patterson 11 receptions for 145 yards (13.2 ypr) and 1 TD
Ronald Johnson 9 receptions for 148 yards (16.4 ypr) and 1 TD
Jordan Cameron 8 receptions for 87 yards (10.9 ypr) and 2 TDs
David Ausberry 8 receptions for 82 yards (10.3 ypr) and 1 TD
Brandon Carswell 5 receptions for 49 yards (9.8 ypr)

Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson are the clear starters at receiver. I am very concerned that Coach Carroll lists David Ausberry as the #3 receiver though. Ausberry has been somewhat of a disappointment over the past couple of seasons. I think he plays like a finesse receiver when he should be using his 6'4", 235 pound frame to physically dominate DBs like former Trojan Mike Williams did. Ausberry couldn't get open during the scrimmage and dropped the one pass that was thrown to him. Redshirt freshman Brice Butler looks like a much better option. Butler is 6'3" and 215 pounds and consistently finds seams in the defense. Travon Patterson and Jordan Cameron also looked ready to contribute as back-ups.

Spring Decision

Coach Carroll named Aaron Corp as the starting QB for this Saturday's Trojan Huddle scrimmage. Matt Barkley was second and Mitch Mustain third in the much publicized QB battle. The deciding factors in order of importance were third down efficiency (1-Barkley, 2-Corp, 3-Mustain), turnovers (1-Corp, 2-Mustain, 3-Barkley) and ability to run the offense via signals from the coaches on the sideline (1-Corp & Mustain tie, 3-Barkley). Coach Carroll acknowledged that if Barkley can progress on his understanding of the offensive signals, he will be able to directly challenge Corp in fall camp. Mustain says he has no plans to transfer and will continue to compete. While he kept silent on his discussions with new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, Mustain may feel he hasn't gotten the same opportunity with the first team offense as Corp and Barkley.

The 2009 USC Football poster features S Taylor Mays, RB Stafon Johnson, WR Damian Williams, OG Jeff Byers, DE Everson Griffen, S/CB Josh Pinkard and RB Joe McKnight. Mays is in the center position (not surprising). But what about RB C.J. Gable? Gable hasn't slipped behind Stafon Johnson or Joe McKnight on the depth chart, so why the snub? Is Gable still in the fumblitis doghouse?

Cumulative Stats from 3 Scrimmages

Quarterbacks:
Matt Barkley 31-of-46 (67.4%) for 438 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
Aaron Corp 29-of-46 (63.0%) for 386 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Mitch Mustain 13-of-24 (54.2%) for 97 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT

Running Backs:
Curtis McNeal 28 carries for 211 yards (7.5 ypc) and 2 TDs
Marc Tyler 20 carries for 77 yards (3.9 ypc)
Stafon Johnson 19 carries for 60 yards (3.2 ypc) and 1 TD
Stanley Havili 6 carries for 41 yards (6.8 ypc)
C.J. Gable 5 carries for -8 yards (-1.6 ypc)

Receivers:
Damian Williams 10 receptions for 180 yards (18.0 ypr) and 1 TD
Brice Butler 8 receptions for 105 yards (13.1 ypr)
David Ausberry 8 receptions for 82 yards (10.3 ypr) and 1 TD
Ronald Johnson 6 receptions for 113 yards (18.8 ypr) and 1 TD
Travon Patterson 4 receptions for 88 yards (22.0 ypr) and 1 TD
Jordan Cameron 4 receptions for 49 yards (12.3 ypr) and 1 TD
Brandon Carswell 2 receptions for 20 yards (10.0 ypr)

The Man in the Straw Hat

Did you happen to catch the USA Today article featuring the Alabama spring football game this week? Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban was quoted in the article as saying "We do nothing to promote it (the spring game). We don't advertise on the radio. I was in Georgia this past weekend and they advertised their spring game every other commercial on the radio, getting people to come. We don't do anything, they just come."

Oh really Coach Saban? Then why is the official title of your spring game "the Golden Flake A-Day Game at Alabama?" Why is your spring game also sponsored by Cook's Pest Control? Then why did USA Today run a full page story on your game? Why did you arrange for ESPN to televise the game live? Why did the University of Alabama pay for an advertisement to run several times during the ESPN telecast that featured Alabama football players with the theme "This is Alabama Football - at some places they play football but at Alabama we live it." The ad touted Alabama's 92 first team all-americans, 56 bowl appearances, 31 bowl victories, 21 SEC championships and 12 national championships.

And you say you don't promote the Alabama spring game Coach Saban? Really? It seems to me you did everything you could to make this a big time recruiting tool. Another reason why Saban is my least favorite college football coach. I really don't care if you promote your game, heck USC does the same thing, but don't deny that you do it! I guess this is to be expected from the guy that claimed he wouldn't leave LSU for the NFL and he wasn't interested in leaving the Miami Dolphins for the Alabama job.

In Austin Powers in Goldmember, actor Michael Caine says "Don't play the laughing boy. There's only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch."

The two things I hate in this world - the arrogance of LSU/SEC fans and Nick Saban.

Here's the link to the story:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/sec/2009-04-16-alabama-spring-game_N.htm

Scrimmage Stats

Here is the statistical roll-up after the first two spring scrimmages:

Quarterbacks:
Matt Barkley 16-of-25 (64.0%) for 252 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Aaron Corp 16-of-28 (57.1%) for 216 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Mitch Mustain 10-of-18 (55.6%) for 64 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT

Running Backs:
Curtis McNeal 18 carries for 149 yards (8.3 ypc) and 1 TD
Stafon Johnson 14 carries for 46 yards (3.3 ypc)
Marc Tyler 11 carries for 28 yards (2.5 ypc)
Stanley Havili 3 carries for 26 yards (8.7 ypc)
C.J. Gable 5 carries for -8 yards (-1.6 ypc)

Receivers:
Damian Williams 6 receptions for 51 yards (8.5 ypr) and 1 TD
Brice Butler 5 receptions for 74 yards (14.8 ypr)
David Ausberry 4 receptions for 38 yards (9.5 ypr) and 1 TD
Ronald Johnson 3 receptions for 84 yards (28.0 ypr) and 1 TD
Travon Patterson 3 receptions for 79 yards (26.3 ypr) and 1 TD
Brandon Carswell 2 receptions for 20 yards (10.0 ypr)

Spring Practice Day 9

Quarterbacks: Coach Carroll stated that while a starting QB will be named at the end of spring practice, the competition will still be open in the fall. Mitch Mustain took just 1 snap during 11-on-11 drills during Tuesday’s practice compared to Matt Barkley’s 20 and Aaron Corp’s 19. So the competition appears to be between Barkley and Corp. It is likely that Corp will be named the starter at the end of spring, but Barkley has a real chance to win the job this fall after a strong spring. Coach Carroll said: "It might take a little longer (to determine a starting QB) than usual. In all fairness, this competition could go a long time. If Matt (Barkley) gets a summer and another fall camp, he'll surely be better."

Running backs: C.J. Gable had an MRI on the hip he injured during Saturday's scrimmage. Marc Tyler sat out because of a minor hip injury.

Offensive Line: Sophomore Tyron Smith and redshirt freshman Matt Kalil took all the reps at right and left tackle on Tuesday with Charles Brown (groin), Butch Lewis (groin) and Nick Howell (hamstring) sitting out due to injuries.

Defensive Backs: CB Brian Baucham missed practice due to illness.

Special Teams: Joe Houston (4-for-4) and Jordan Congdon (2-for-2) made all of their FG attempts on a windy day.

Recruiting: DT Dakota Smith (6'7", 350) of Westchester H.S. in Los Angeles verbally committed to USC this week. Dak's father, Tody Smith, was a member of USC's original Wild Bunch. Smith hasn't been rated yet by the Rivals recruiting service so he would be considered a minor recruit at this point. Arizona, Hawaii and UCLA were also considered in the running for Smith.

Spring Practice Day 7

Quarterbacks: Freshman QB Matt Barkley had his best performance of the spring on Thursday, completing almost every pass during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Barkley threw 3 TD passes, one to WR Damian Williams, one to WR Jordan Cameron and one to WR Travon Patterson. QB Mitch Mustain worked with the first team offense on Thursday but didn’t have an opportunity to throw the ball down the field. Mustain told reporters he feels that he is still in the race for the starting QB spot. But many reporters feel that Aaron Corp has pulled into a solid lead. With Barkley charging fast, Mustain will have to make some big plays, while not turning the ball over, over the next two weeks to have a chance. O.C. Register reporter Michael Lev reports that Mustain may have the edge over Corp and Barkley in leadership intangibles. According to Lev, Mustain appears to have assumed the role previously filled by Mark Sanchez of being the vocal encourager to the offense on and off the field. The funny thing is that I’ve seen plenty of Mustain (Springdale H.S., Arkansas and USC) and Barkley (Mater Dei H.S.) but I’ve only seen Aaron Corp throw the ball four times (twice at Virginia and twice at Ohio State). I never saw any footage of Corp playing high school football at Orange Lutheran.

Running Backs: RB Joe McKnight (dislocated toes) fielded punts and participated in some individual drills on Thursday. Even though he didn’t participate in scrimmages, his trash talking to the defense was loud enough to catch the attention of O.C. Register reporter Damian Calhoun.

Receivers: L.A. Daily News reporter Scott Wolf says that David Ausberry is the #3 WR and Brice Butler is the #4 WR. Travon Patterson and Jordan Cameron are the #5 and #6 WRs ahead of Brandon Carswell.

Offensive Line: Sophomore Tyron Smith may have wrapped up the starting RT spot with his performance this spring. Smith has played so well that Butch Lewis, who started 7 games at RT in 2008, has been moved to RG. The starting O-Line this fall will likely be LT Charles Brown, LG Jeff Byers, C Kris O’Dowd, RG Butch Lewis and RT Tyron Smith. The primary back-ups will be OT Nick Howell, OG Zack Heberer and OG Alex Parsons. Howell has missed several practices with a sore hamstring and Parsons has a cast on his injured hand. I haven’t heard much on the highly touted OT Matt Kalil this spring. OG Khaled Holmes and OG Martin Coleman are also trying to break into the rotation.

Linebackers: LB Luthur Brown (shoulder strain) will likely miss the rest of spring practice. Brown, a fifth year senior, has been plagued by injuries throughout his collegiate career. If Brown can’t play in 2009, and there is no indication that he’ll be able to stay healthy, the already thin LB corps can’t afford any more injuries. Michael Morgan, Chris Galippo and Malcolm Smith are solidly entrenched as the starting LBs but Galippo has also had the injury bug through the early stages of his USC career. The second team LBs will be Unoa Kavienga, Jordan Campbell and possibly Nick Garratt. The incoming freshmen LBs (Jarvis Jones, Frankie Telfort and Marquis Simmons) will have a good chance to play early in 2009!

The Trojans scrimmage at the Coliseum at 11:30am (PST) on Saturday April 11th.

Best 11

I received the "ESPN College Football Encyclopedia" as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago. I never got around to reading it as I've been on the move quite a bit since fall 2006. This past week I opened it up and was drawn to a section titled BEST 11. ESPN asked several prominent college football commentators for their "BEST 11" in various categories. Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, Keith Jackson and Beano Cooke were just a few of the participants. I decided to put together a couple of BEST 11 lists of my own.

MY BEST 11 OVERALL PLAYERS (ONE FOR EACH POSITION). In this category I picked any player I had seen play a college football game live or on television since 1985. '85 is the year I first remember really paying attention to college football. Prior to that I'd been devoted to the NFL (the first NFL games I can remember were from the 1978 season). The quarterback position came down to four candidates: Peyton Manning (best passing QB), Michael Vick (best running QB), Tim Tebow (the best combination of passing and running and quite possibly the best leader I've seen in college football) and Matt Leinart (best under pressure). I ultimately selected Tebow for his leadership qualities. I picked Calvin Johnson as the WR by a very slim margin over Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss (all three are amazing athletes). Picking Marvin Jones as the best LB was also a tough choice. There were several great LBs since '85, but I remember Jones as being the one I would have been most intimidated by on the gridiron. I selected Charles Woodson at CB over Deion Sanders by a slight margin too. I will never forget how dazzling Woodson was during the 1997 season. And finally, I couldn't decide between Rocket Ismail and Desmond Howard as my all-purpose player (Reggie Bush was my third place AP player).

QB - Tim Tebow (Florida)
RB – Marshall Faulk (San Diego State)
WR – Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech)
TE – Keith Jackson (Oklahoma)
OL – Orlando Pace (Ohio State)
DT – Warren Sapp (Miami)
DE – Julius Peppers (North Carolina)
LB – Marvin Jones (Florida State)
CB - Charles Woodson (Michigan)
S – Sean Taylor (Miami)
AP – Raghib Ismail (Notre Dame)
AP - Desmond Howard (Michigan)

MY BEST 11 NON-USC PLAYERS THAT I'VE SEEN PLAY LIVE SINCE 1991. This category was heavily biased to Pac-10 players since that's what I see the most in live games. Drew Bledsoe's arm strength and touch passes against USC in 1992 was amazing. Bledsoe threw for 358 yards and 2 TDs in a losing effort (he also rushed for a TD). Marshall Faulk lit up USC's defense for 220 yards and 3 TDs in 1992 resulting in a 31-31 tie. Peter Warrick had 6 receptions for 112 yards and a TD to lead FSU to a 30-10 win over the Trojans in Tallahassee in 1998. Marcedes Lewis went 0-4 against his USC brethren from Long Beach Poly (Darnell Bing, Herschel Dennis, Winston Justice and Manuel Wright). Tedy Bruschi was the heart and soul of Arizona's "Desert Swarm" defense. Zach Thomas played his heart out only to watch Keyshawn Johnson run wild through the secondary against Texas Tech in the 1995 Cotton Bowl. Lawyer Milloy was as hard a hitter as there's been in the Pac-10. Maurice Drew would have been a superstar if he could have gotten out of the shadow of crosstown rival Reggie Bush.

QB – Drew Bledsoe (Washington State)
RB – Marshall Faulk (San Diego State)
WR – Peter Warrick (Florida State)
TE – Marcedes Lewis (UCLA)
OL – Jonathan Odgen (UCLA)
DT – Tedy Bruschi (Arizona)
DE – Terrell Suggs (Arizona State)
LB – Zach Thomas (Texas Tech)
CB – Antoine Cason (Arizona)
S – Lawyer Milloy (Washington)
AP – Maurice Drew (UCLA)

MY BEST 11 USC TROJANS SINCE MY FRESHMAN SEASON IN FALL 1991. Leinart beats out Carson Palmer because Palmer had one great season while Leinart had three great seasons. Mark Sanchez might have challenged Leinart if he would have stuck around for the 2009 season. Reggie Bush and LenDale White are the second best tandem of USC RBs to share a backfield behind Charles White and Marcus Allen. Keyshaun Johnson edges out the sensational Johnnie Morton, Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett. Fred Davis climbed out of Coach Carroll's doghouse all the way to winning the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end. Tony Boselli edges out Sam Baker by the slightest of margins. Shaun Cody, Mike Patterson and Sedrick Ellis all deserve praise for their outstanding play, but it was Cody that is credited with being the key recruit in returning Troy to glory on the gridiron. Willie McGinest is slightly ahead of Keneche Udeze and Lawrence Jackson at the DE position. LB was another tough call as I loved Chris Claiborne, Zeke Moreno, Keith Rivers, Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing. But Claiborne's play was the only real positive spot of the late 90's for the Trojans. While Daylon McCutcheon was probably the most talented USC CB since 1991, Brian Kelly was the biggest playmaker from the CB position. I don't think the Trojans have had a truly great CB in the 18 seasons I've been a Trojan. Maybe T.J. Bryant will change all that? Troy Polamalu wins the S spot, but I also loved Sammy Knight and Taylor Mays could be closing fast! Since Reggie already made the team as my RB, I selected Curtis Conway as my return specialist.

QB – Matt Leinart (USC)
RB – Reggie Bush (USC)
WR – Keyshawn Johnson (USC)
TE – Fred Davis (USC)
OL – Tony Boselli (USC)
DT – Shaun Cody (USC)
DE – Willie McGinest (USC)
LB – Chris Claiborne (USC)
CB – Brian Kelly (USC)
S – Troy Polamalu (USC)
AP – Curtis Conway (USC)

11 BEST FILL IN THE BLANKS ABOUT COLLEGE FOOTBALL SINCE 1985. The 1995 Cornhuskers absolutely destroyed every team on their schedule. The only team that could stand a chance against them would have been the all-star Hurricanes of 2001. The USC Trojans of 2004 didn't qualify because they survived several close games. 2008 has to be the wildest season of college football I can remember as Georgia, USC, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama and Florida all spent time at #1. Four teams ended the 2008 season with a legitimate argument that they were the best team in the country (Florida, Texas, USC, and Utah). The 2005 USC victory over Notre Dame was the best game I've ever seen. Every star on both teams came up huge in that game! Why would I pick a game USC lost for the best bowl game? Because it was a back-and-forth duel between two offenses that just wouldn't quit. Some fans might point to the Oklahoma/Boise State Fiesta Bowl or the Miami/Ohio State Fiesta Bowl. Both games went into overtime and had spectacular finishes. But I think the Texas/USC slug fest was dramatic from start to finish while the other two contests just had fantastic finishes. I've been to many great college football venues over the years (the Big House, the House that Rockne Built, the Swamp, Between the Hedges, the Rose Bowl) but I can't ever get over the feeling of a sold out L.A. Coliseum when the Olympic torch is lit over the Peristyle at the start of the 4th quarter. The Michigan Wolverines uniform is a symbol of college football in itself. I also love Florida State and USC's uniforms. My favorite college football books are "Meat Market" by Bruce Feldman and "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis. I'd also recommend "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" by Stewart Mandel and "The Trojan Ten" by Barry LeBrock.

BEST TEAM = Nebraska (1995)
BEST SEASON = 2008
BEST GAME = USC–34, Notre Dame–31 (2005)
BIGGEST UPSET = Stanford–24, USC–23 (2007)
BEST BOWL GAME = 2006 Rose Bowl (Texas–41, USC–38)
BEST STADIUM = L.A Coliseum
BEST FANS = Nebraska Cornhuskers
BEST UNIFORMS = Michigan Wolverines
BEST BOOK = “Meat Market” by Bruce Feldman
FAVORITE COACH = Pete Carroll, USC
FAVORITE PLAYER = Marshall Faulk, San Diego State

Spring Practice Day 6

Offensive Notes: Coach Carroll said the first six spring practices featured “conservative” play calling but for the rest of spring the quarterbacks will be encouraged to “push the ball down the field.” During Tuesday’s practice, Mitch Mustain was the only QB to throw an interception. Mustain says he won’t play conservative just to try to make up ground on Aaron Corp. QB coach Jeremy Bates said that Mustain isn’t out of the running yet for the starting job and the fact that Mustain worked exclusively with the second team offense during last Sunday’s scrimmage was just an oversight.

Defensive Notes: Coach Carroll said that DT Averill Spicer is leading the competition to replace Fili MoalaS Will Harris intercepted the errant pass from Mustain.

Special Teams Notes: There is a renewed emphasis on special teams this season with new assistant coach Brian Schneider leading the effort. Practices begin with special teams work and it will be interesting to see if having a full time special teams coach makes a difference in 2009. PK Joe Houston was 3-for-3 on FGs and has built a clear lead over PK Jordan Congdon who was 2-of-3.

Injury Notes: RB Joe McKnight (dislocated toes) participated in limited drills Tuesday and is expected to be 100% on Thursday in order to play in Saturday’s scrimmage. TE Anthony McCoy (hamstring) missed his third consecutive practice but is expected to play on Thursday. OL Alex Parsons (hand) did not practice but is expected to participate in some drills on Thursday. DT Christian Tupou (shoulder) is out indefinitely which will give the coaches an opportunity to conduct a more thorough evaluation of Derrick Simmons and Jurrell Casey. LB Luthur Brown did not participate in drills due to a shoulder injury. CB Shareece Wright (neck) had the wind knocked out of him after colliding with CB/S Josh Pinkard. Wright is not participating in full contact drills while recovering from surgery. Walk-on C Abe Markowitz tore a ligament in one of his fingers and will be limited in practices for the rest of the spring.

Academic Notes: RB Curtis McNeal missed Tuesday’s practice to focus on academics although he did attend team meetings.

Recruiting Notes: HEAVY ON OFFENSE IN 2009 BUT VERY FEW 5.0-star recruits (maybe RB Malcolm Smith and TE Xavier Grimble)! One of the biggest recruits to attend last Sunday’s practice was 4.0-star WR Robert Woods (6’1”, 175) of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, CA. Woods has already received offers from Arizona State, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, USC, Washington, and Washington State.

Spring Practice Day 5

The Trojans held a 63-play scrimmage Sunday, their first scrimmage of spring practice.

Offensive Notes: The first and second team offenses struggled throughout the scrimmage but this was somewhat expected as the Trojans had only one healthy center (Jeff Byers who is actually the starting LG) and one healthy tight end (Rhett Ellison). The reshuffled offensive line featured Byers at center and Butch Lewis at guard (Lewis typically plays tackle). Byers worked exclusively with the first team so the second and third team quarterbacks actually held the ball to start the play with no center snap. Walk-on center Abe Markowitz was not allowed to snap the ball during the scrimmage due to errant snaps during previous practices.

QB Aaron Corp was 8-of-13 passing (61.5%) for 70 yards, 0 TDs and 0 INTs (he was also sacked twice). Corp worked exclusively with the first team offense. QB Mitch Mustain was 3-of-8 passing (37.5%) for 22 yards, 0 TDs and 0 INTs but had three good passes dropped by receivers. Mustain worked exclusively with the second team offense. Two of Mustain’s drives were also cut short due to FB Adam Goodman and RB Marc Tyler fumbles. Freshman QB Matt Barkley was 6-of-12 passing (50.0%) for 57 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT. Barkley worked primarily with the third team offense but also saw a few reps with the first team. Barkley led two scoring drives (a TD and a FG) but also threw an INT on 1st and goal at the 2-yard line. Barkley tried to force a pass to Ellison in traffic and was picked off by CB Kevin Thomas. Coach Carroll said it was an important lesson for the freshman who should have thrown the ball away. Barkley also threw a pass out of bounds that knocked a young child out of a chair. In limited action with the second team offense, Garrett Green went 1-of-2 passing (50.0%) but his lone completion was a 6-yard TD pass to WR David Ausberry.

Ausberry and redshirt freshman Brice Butler were the standout receivers during the scrimmage. The two are battling to be the third option receiver behind Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson. Ausberry had 3 receptions for 31 yards (10.3 yards per reception average) including the TD. Butler had 2 receptions for 29 yards (14.5 yards per reception average).

RB Stafon Johnson looked solid with 7 carries for 41 yards (5.9 yards per carry average) while RB C.J. Gable struggled with 3 carries for -2 yards. RB Curtis McNeal appears to be winning the battle with RB Marc Tyler. McNeal is drawing comparisons to former Trojan and current Florida Gator RB Emmanuel Moody as he is small but very quick. McNeal had 5 carries for 48 yards (9.6 yards per carry average) including an 18-yard TD run. Tyler had 6 carries for 20 yards (3.3 yards per carry average) but also fumbled once.

Defensive Notes: S Shane Horton and CB Kevin Thomas led the defense with 5 tackles each. Thomas returned his end zone INT 56-yards before the Barkley could force him out of bounds. LB Malcolm Smith had 3 tackles and returned Goodman’s fumble 70-yards for a touchdown, running over Mustain in the process. DEs Everson Griffen and Malik Jackson had one sack each of Corp. Josh Pinkard played safety and finished with 2 tackles.

Special Teams Notes: PK Joe Houston connected on a 33 yard FG while PK Jordan Congdon missed a 37 yard FG.

Injury Notes: S Taylor Mays was dehydrated due to a stomach virus and saw limited action. S Drew McAllister, TE Anthony McCoy and OT Nick Howell have strained hamstrings. DE Malik Jackson suffered a back injury during the scrimmage. QB Garrett Green has a strained quadriceps. OG/C Alex Parsons did not practice due to a broken bone in his right hand. Also sitting out were RB Joe McKnight, RB Allen Bradford, C Kris O’Dowd, DT Christian Topou, OT Thomas Herring and TE Michael Reardon.

Visitors: Several freshmen joining the team this fall took in the scrimmage from the sidelines (DE James Boyd, OL Kevin Graf, DB Patrick Hall and DB Byron Moore).

Question: Is it just me or does Aaron Corp’s face mask look oversized? Is this an optical illusion? Is his head really small? Or does he wear a special face mask due to a former injury?

Recruiting Notes: According to L.A. Daily News reporter Scott Wolf, the Trojans have just three verbal commitments from class of 2010 prospects because the coaching staff is encouraging recruits wanting to commit to remain silent in order to avoid negative recruiting by other schools. Coach Carroll believes that several schools used negative recruiting tactics against USC on several 2009 verbal commitments.

Spring Practice Day 4

Offensive Notes: The offense didn’t move the ball well on Friday but at least none of the quarterbacks threw interceptions. WRs Brice Butler and David Ausberry are in a heated battle for the #3 receiver spot according to the LA Times. WR Jordan Cameron is working with the TEs due to multiple injuries at the position.

Defensive Notes: The defensive line starred during Friday’s practice according to the LA Times. “We just ate up the O-Line,” said DE Everson Griffen. “Yum, Yum.” Griffen had two sacks and was the star of the day according to both the LA Times and OC Register. Overall there were nine sacks during the scrimmage. The defense was determined to keep QB Aaron Corp from scrambling and was able to accomplish this task as Corp only broke free once. Coach Carroll praised the D-Line and LB corp: “I know it's early in the spring and the offensive line takes longer to develop, but the defensive line is having a lot of success against a pretty experienced offensive line," Carroll said. "They're not struggling, and better than they were at the end of the season. Jurrell Casey, Armond Armstead and Everson Griffen are all playing hard and making an impression. Malcolm (Smith), Chris (Galippo) and Mike (Morgan) jumped right in there and have been playing fine and Luthur Brown and Jordan Campbell look the part and know the stuff."

Injury Notes: RB Stafon Johnson (knee) returned to practice after an MRI showed swelling but no serious damage to his injured knee. RB Joe McKnight (toes), RB Curtis McNeal (concussion), and FB D.J. Shoemate (concussion) did not practice. OL Alex Parsons suffered a broken right ring finger but isn’t expected to miss any practice time.

Spring Practice Day 3

Offensive Notes: It appears that Aaron Corp has a solid lead in the QB competition after the third practice of spring football. Corp improvised three long runs for first downs during 11-on-11 drills. He did however fumble the snap on the last play of practice after which Corp slammed his helmet into the turf. After practice, Coach Carroll told reporters that Corp had entered spring drills slightly ahead of the other QBs and was maintaining that lead. Mitch Mustain had his best practice of the spring so far avoiding turnovers and connected with WR Damian Williams on an underthrown ball in which Williams made an acrobatic catch over CB Brian Bauchum. Unfortunately for Mustain, it was Corp’s scrambles that stole the day. Matt Barkley had mixed success with a great fade pass to Ronald Johnson along the sideline but also having one of his 7-on-7 drill passes picked off by LB Malcolm Smith and several of his passes were tipped. Garrett Green did not take any snaps as a QB for the second straight practice.

RB C.J. Gable has been working with the WRs to improve his receiving ability. With Stafon Johnson and Joe McKnight limited by injuries and Allen Bradford completely sidelined, Gable is obviously way ahead in the battle to win the starting RB job. Gable has gained muscle mass, weighing in at 212 pounds, and claims he hasn’t lost any speed. He broke two long TD runs and caught several passes yesterday.

Sophomore Tyron Smith was the starting RT over Butch Lewis yesterday as Coach Carroll continues to give young players chances to move into the starting line-up.

Defensive Notes: The starting DEs are Everson Griffen and Armond Armstead and the starting DTs are Christian Tupou and Averill Spicer. The second string DEs are Wes Horton and Malik Jackson and the second string DTs are Derek Simmons and Jurrell Casey. Rivals.com reported that CB T.J. Bryant was the defensive standout of day three and that Nick Perry is making some noise at DE.

Injury Notes: RB Joe McKnight was limited in his participation yesterday and told reporters he may need to sit out the rest of spring practice in order to let his injured toes heal. RB Stafon Johnson sat out yesterday while waiting on MRI results on his injured knee. Johnson told Carroll he plans to practice on Friday. The Trojans are severely depleted at TE with Blake Ayles already sitting out spring drills due to a knee injury. TE Anthony McCoy and TE Cooper Stephenson pulled hamstrings yesterday and TE Michael Reardon injured his shoulder. That leaves Rhett Ellison as the only healthy TE. CB Marshall Jones missed practice with a pulled hamstring.

Recruiting Notes: 4.0-star TE Randall Telfer (6’4”, 220 lbs.) of Rancho Cucamonga, CA verbally committed to USC this week, turning down offers from Arizona State, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA and Washington. Telfer caught 42 passes for 678 yards (16.1 yards per reception average) and 5 TDs during his junior year of high school.

Cutler vs. McDaniels

I'll preface this post by stating that I have been a die hard Broncos fan since 1978...

Many Broncos fans (to include former head coach Mike Shanahan) believed Jay Cutler had the potential to become the next John Elway. Cutler was the 11th overall selection in the 2006 NFL draft. Shanahan had traded away two of the Broncos' other draft picks in order to move up high enough to select Cutler. In three seasons with the Broncos, Cutler had a 17-20 record as a starter, completed 62.5%, and threw for 9,024 yards with 54 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. The poor record was considered a reflection of the Broncos poor defense and not of Cutler or the offense. He was selected for the 2008 Pro Bowl.

On May 2008, Cutler announced that he had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and required daily insulin shots. Cutler's announcement generated media and fan interest. Cutler began working with local charities such as Dedicated to Diabetes and the Mile High United Way’s Youth Success Initiative.

Cutler was a media darling during the summer of 2008 and first half of the 2008 season. NFL analysts were saying that he had more potential to become an elite quarterback then fellow 2006 NFL draft picks Vince Young and Matt Leinart (both picked ahead of Cutler). His likeness even appeared on the cartoon South Park (set in Colorado) in which two of the main characters tell him, "I mean, you kinda suck, but my dad says you might be good some day."

Then Mike Shanahan was fired and 32-year old Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, was hired. McDaniels immediately began working on a deal to trade Cutler and bring Patriots back-up Matt Cassell to Denver. According to Cutler, McDaniels initially denied he was working this trade when confronted only to later admit that he had lied. Media and fans initially sided with Cutler. NFL analysts said McDaniels' inexperience at dealing with these types of situations was to blame.

A month later, the winds of change have media and fans calling Cutler a "cry baby" that believes he is "entitled to star treatment." ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer stated this week that Cutler doesn't have the intangible leadership traits necessary to be a great NFL quaterback. Jim Rome, host of ESPN's Rome is Burning, stated this week that "lying is part of the game" and that Cutler needs to "grow up and deal with it."

Um, excuse me Mr. Rome, how can you attack the integrity of the guy that didn't lie and defend the position of the guy that did lie? That just doesn't make sense. And Mr. Dilfer, weren't you and a host of other NFL analysts saying that Cutler was a potential Hall of Fame quarterback a few months ago? What the heck is going on here? How did Cutler go from being in the right to being in the wrong so quickly?

The answer as always - FOLLOW THE MONEY. As soon as Broncos owner Pat Bowlen weighed in and said that Cutler was refusing to answer phone calls, the media stopped defending Cutler and started attacking him. Far be it from the media to upset Bowlen and real power brokers of the NFL. And once the media starts attacking a player its only a matter of time before the fans join in.

Are the Broncos better off without Cutler? Only time will tell. Gaining a solid, if not spectacular quarterback in Kyle Orton and the Bears' first round draft picks in 2009 and 2010 doesn't hurt. Over the next two years the Broncos will use those picks to rebuild their defense and will likely pick up a young quarterback as well. But I don't believe Orton is a long term solution for the Broncos. You've got to have an elite quarterback if you plan to win Super Bowls.

McDaniels believes he is enough of an offensive guru to continue the Broncos offensive success without a star quarterback. But should we drink the Kool Aid just because McDaniels was tutored by New England Patriots football "genius" Bill Belichick? So far, Belichick's coaching tree has not produced as the Bill Walsh coaching tree did in the 1990s. Prior to 2009, four Belichick assistant coaches had gone on to be head coaches in the NFL. Three of them were fired (Al Groh with the Jets, Romeo Crennel with the Browns, Eric Mangini with the Jets) and one quit after two less then spectacular seasons (Nick Saban with the Dolphins). And Belichick's top protege Charlie Weis has struggled as head coach at Notre Dame over the past two seasons (Weis has an overall record of 29-21 with the Fighting Irish).

My belief is that the Broncos made a mistake in hiring McDaniels. Even if McDaniels is great with X's and O's, I firmly believe that he lacks integrity. One of the big problems with today is that success washes away ethical issues. If McDaniels wins fans will unfortunately forget about his less then ethical behavior. We've seen too much of this type of behavior from our politicians, businessmen and athletes of late. I'm not pleased that our society has begun to not only look the other way regarding this type of behavior, but actually reward individuals that succeeded in their endeavors while acting in this manner. I guess we have truly taken to heart the words of Niccolo Machiavelli, "...in the actions of men, and especially of princes, from which there is no appeal, the end justifies the means."

Spring Practice Day 2

Offensive Notes: After two practices the quarterback competition standings according to USCFootball.com: 1) Aaron Corp (137.43 rating), 2) Matt Barkley (122.61 rating), 3) Mitch Mustain (107.68 rating), 4) Garrett Green (96.09 rating). Corp appeared to have the best second day of practice as Barkley and Mustain both threw interceptions. QB coach Jeremey Bates said Corp’s arm strength exceeds his expectations. Mustain had several passes dropped by receivers according to the L.A. Times and was picked off by S Will Harris when a receiver slipped while running a route. Barkley was picked off twice by S Drew McAllister. Green did not see any reps at QB yesterday.

The starting offensive line consists of LT Charles Brown, LG Zack Heberer, C Jeff Byers, RG Alex Parsons and RT Butch Lewis. Byers will move back to LG when C Kris O’Dowd (shoulder injury) returns in fall camp. OL Martin Coleman missed the first spring practice after a trip to Tonga over spring break but was back in time for the second practice.

RBs Marc Tyler and Curtis McNeal are expected to get the bulk of the workload in the backfield this spring. RBs Allen Bradford and Joe McKnight are recovering from injury. C.J. Gable looked in top shape so far but Stafon Johnson sat out the latter portion of the second practice because of a problem with his right knee.

Defensive Notes: CB Shareece Wright (neck) has the green light from doctors to participate in everything except full contact drills.

Special Teams Notes: PKs Joe Houston and Jordan Congdon each missed field goal attempts again but were a combined 7-of-9 during the second practice.

Academic Notes: TE Anthony McCoy and DE Everson Griffen were back on the practice field after being disciplined on Saturday for academic and attendance issues.

Visitors to yesterday’s practice included add a host of NFL scouts checking out USC’s pro day. QB Mark Sanchez, LB Rey Maualuga, LB Brian Cushing and LB/DE Clay Matthews are expected to be first round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Sanchez may become an even hotter commodity as the Denver Broncos announced they will trade QB Jay Cutler.

Recruiting notes: 4.0-star LB/DB prospect Tony Jefferson (6’0”, 195 lbs) of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, CA told Rivals.com that he favors USC slightly over Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Penn State.