USC Football: Battles begin for playing time
Signing day hadn't run its course last month and USC coach Pete Carroll was already bouncing off the walls at Heritage Hall. He couldn't help himself. He was looking ahead to today's start of spring practice.
Unlike previous years when there was either little drama because of precious few open starting slots, or not enough healthy players at certain positions to make things interesting, the 15 practices over the next three weeks should be more than interesting for a younger, less-experienced-on-paper USC team already picked by a number of pundits as No. 1 in the nation going into the 2008 preseason.
"I can't wait," Carroll said, ticking off the positions, starting with quarterback, where playing time and pecking order are definitely up for grabs.
Quarterback is the place that matters most. USC has gone five seasons without a true head-to-head quarterback battle the likes of the one between redshirt junior holdover Mark Sanchez, who started three games with a 2-1 record in John David Booty's injury absence last fall, and redshirt sophomore transfer Mitch Mustain, who started eight games for Arkansas (8-0) two seasons ago as a freshman. Each was a national player of the year coming out of high school.
USC has just 13 starters returning, with four on offense, seven on defense and the punter and kicker. Last year, that number was 18.
But despite losing a dozen players who will get consideration in the NFL draft, USC returns 80 players. More telling, however, is the fact that 31 returning Trojans have started at least one game in their careers.
So while All-American candidates -- safeties Taylor Mays and Kevin Ellison and linebackers Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing -- headline the defense, onetime starting defensive backs Josh Pinkard, Shareece Wright and Kevin Thomas; linebackers Kaluka Maiava and Clay Matthews Jr.; and freshman All-American defensive end Everson Griffen are ready to step up.
There are even more holes on offense that must be filled with the loss of four of the five offensive line starters. Guard/center Jeff Byers is the only holdover.
Previous starters include both quarterback candidates, tailbacks C. J. Gable and Allen Bradford; wide receivers David Ausberry, Ronald Johnson and Damian Williams (an Arkansas starter as a freshman); center Kristofer O'Dowd, guard Zack Heberer; tackles Butch Lewis and Charles Brown; and tight end Anthony McCoy. Tailbacks Stafon Johnson and Joe McKnight, neither considered a starter next season, also return.
Notes: USC opens at Virginia on Aug. 30, then returns for a Coliseum opener against Ohio State on Sept. 13 in a game that could determine a slot in the BCS title game, where OSU, which hasn't played in the Coliseum in 19 years, finished the past two seasons. ... USC must replace four-year snapper Will Collins and two-year holder Michael McDonald.
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