Young linebackers starting to establish defined roles - Daily Trojan
Sophomore linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga continue to see playing time with the first-team defense, but in Cushing's case it's at a different position.

Cushing has seen the most action as the "elephant," a linebacker/defensive end hybrid position that makes USC's defense more similar to a 3-4 scheme.

It allows Cushing to be on the line to pass rush, but he can also drop back into pass coverage if needed...

...Carroll has been impressed with Cushing's play and style so far...

Also, Cushing a linebacker at heart - LA Daily News
Trojans Have Special Options - LA Times

[Sabin] USC has something to prove against Arkansas - Northwest Arkansas Times
A word problem is presented to Southern California coach Pete Carroll on Friday. The hyperkinetic Carroll first reads the question, nervously tapping his foot while sitting in his chair. How do you motivate a group of players to take an opponent seriously they beat by 53 points the year before? He ruffles his mop of gray hair and stares into space before looking down and reading the background information that is presented to him. Your team just lost 11 starters...It has also had to deal with a series of off-the field problems the last few months...All of this has happened while the national media has become infatuated with your program because of its recent success and tradition, not to mention the fact that it is the dominant team in a major city that does not have a professional football franchise. Carroll pauses and then looks up. A smile creases his face. He knows the answer. It’s easy, of course.

USC has something to prove...

[Corsini] Sanchez's only obligation is to team - Daily Trojan
Mark Sanchez owes us an explanation.

Or so say some journalists, most prominently a respected Los Angeles Times columnist.

Tossed a few questions recently about his ignominious spring visit to the 9-0, Sanchez went all Lawrence Jackson and batted them down, denying he knew about it. For this he was roasted in print.

"(The writer) blasted me," said the redshirt freshman quarterback. "OK, it's over. Read it, learn from it, then it's over."

Sanchez surely deserved some criticism for sidestepping the questions...

Trojans Shrug Off Talk of Their Demise - Washington Post
...Doomsday predictions don't seem to be fazing the architects of the Trojans' dynasty.

"This is an opportunity to show that we have staying power," said Carroll, who has landed top-flight recruiting classes during his tenure. "What's unique about this team is we have the culmination of the last three big-time recruiting classes we've had. There's a lot of guys who can play, and a lot of guys who can battle for playing time."

As the offense reloads, a defense that has been overshadowed the past few years steps to the forefront...

Campus voted 'best neighbor' - Daily Trojan
...This week, the New England Board of Higher Education has recognized USC as the nation's "Best Neighbor" among a list of 25 schools through research compiled by Evan Dobelle, the organization's president and CEO.

"USC has been on the curve of trying to help Los Angeles," Dobelle said. "They founded a medical school because the community didn't have a medical school. 'SC spent their money in trying to make it happen. They have the mentality that 'We're in this, too; we're not looking for handouts.' Ultimately there's self-interest, but USC has philanthropically involved education and politics."

The list ranked schools based on their contribution to the welfare of their corresponding urban communities according to 10 points of criteria...

Finding Answers on Defense - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
With the search for a frontline defensive tackle, the talk about the three-deep linebacker position and the possibility of the new "3-4" defense with an extra linebacker standing in for an end, USC's defensive ends have kind of flown under the radar.

That's OK with junior Lawrence Jackson, an All-American candidate...and sophomore Kyle Moore, who finally feels like he belongs.

Last year Moore knew the team was led by the stars -- Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White. All offense.

"That's the difference," said Moore, a 6-foot-6, 255-pounder. "We feel like it's our team now."...

Veteran Smith ready to teach - LA Daily News
USC wide receiver Steve Smith said he plans to address his teammates about losing. Or specifically, how rare it's occurred in his career.

"I wanted to call a meeting for the guys next week, losing doesn't happen here," Smith said. "I've been on some great historical teams and the young guys need to know this can be a great team. I'm going to talk to them and them together in a meeting before we leave for Arkansas."

Smith has lost two games in his three seasons at USC...

Butkus Award Watch List Announced - NCAA
The Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, Inc. (DACO), the organization which annually presents the prestigious Butkus Award to the nation's best collegiate linebacker, has announced the preliminary list of 65 candidates for this year's award...

...2006 Butkus Award Watch List:

...Maualuga, Rey USC...

...Rivers, Keith USC...

Trojans report: Notes, quotes - CBS Sportsline
...THE TROJANS WILL SUCCEED IF
The defense returns to near the level of the 2004 team, which was in the top six in three major categories (rushing, total defense and scoring defense). The front line is promising, the LB depth chart overflowing with talent and the secondary "will be one of the bigger, fastest units we've had," Carroll said.

THE TROJANS WILL FAIL IF
The talented crop of young talent doesn't blossom in the clutch. Reggie Bush and Co. were able to turn it on when needed, allowing USC to overcome big deficits last season. As usual, everyone will be gunning for the Trojans...

Also, USC report: Inside slant - CBS Sportsline
Trojans report: Strategy and personnel - CBS Sportsline

Washington must wait until hamstring heals - OC Register
USC's projected starting tailback, Chauncey Washington, expected to be back at practice by now in helmet and full pads, with clearance for contact and without limitations.

But as of Wednesday, Washington remained a huge question mark because of the left hamstring he injured Aug. 7. He was limited to jogging while the freshman backfield looked all too eager to take the handoffs he expected to be his.

Washington, a fourth-year junior, has been reluctant to talk about the injury, which might prevent him from starting in the opener...

Stock Skips His Way To USC - Baseball America
Across America this month, millions of teenagers were preparing for their final year of high school...

...Robert Stock is a year ahead of them.

The 16-year-old catcher/righthander from Westlake Village, Calif., enrolled Wednesday at Southern California, opting to skip his senior year at Agoura High. Instead, Stock attended his first college class--Writing 140--Thursday morning and will be eligible to play baseball for the Trojans when their season begins January 30...

..."I have a grasp on it," Robert Stock said Wednesday night, "but I'm sure within the next week or so, it's really going to hit me that, 'Wow, I'm in college right now.'...

Also, Agoura High's Robert Stock to skip senior year and enroll at USC - LA Daily News
No Minor Leap - LA Times

On a mission - Bergen Record
He scours the Internet, only to find critics calling him out with rumors of steroid abuse, calling him a bum. They say he can't live up to the hype he created out of high school. They say he will never achieve what everybody expected of him coming out of Bergen Catholic.

Brian Cushing also has a message: Keep talking, you're only motivating me to eventually shut you up...

..."Out here, people support me a lot. Back home, people are looking for me to fail. As much as that annoys me, it drives me more...

...To silence his detractors, Cushing says he has to prove he belongs at USC by being the dominant player that people remember from Bergen Catholic. There's no other way. He knew that when he went Hollywood or bust...

Carroll praises his healthy secondary - Daily Breeze
...During preseason camp this year, it appears USC has a sturdier corps to rely on should the wear and tear of a season take a toll similar to last year.

"This is a good solid group,'' Coach Pete Carroll said. "Getting Kevin back has really made a difference. He's really a first-class player and gives us the ability to have some flexibility and play more than just the starters, get a rotation going that is fresh and strong and get us prepared for whatever comes up during the season.

"We know it's a young group, but they've been around our system, they know what they're doing...It's the biggest, most physical group we've had. Big, fast, strong ... and it's going to be a terrific secondary in the future...

[Krikorian] Carroll still singing - LA Daily News
...despite the losses...the Trojans still have Pete Carroll, now easily their biggest marquee name who has created this unparalleled Trojan dynasty that has resulted in the team becoming such a staggering local attraction that all six of its home games this fall already have been virtually sold out at the 92,000-seat Memorial Coliseum.

And one preaches caution to those blithely dismissing the Trojans as legitimate national title contenders because of the presence of Pete Carroll...

It's Better to Receive - LA Times
...Now crowding the apparel racks at a local retailer near you: Dwayne Jarrett's No. 8.

The All-American split end begins the season as the Trojans' most bankable player, on and off the field...

...the 6-foot-5 Jarrett is the proven marquee performer in a program that produced Carson Palmer, Troy Polamalu, Mike Williams, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White in the last four seasons.

"I sense it a lot," Jarrett said. "That's the role I'm put in right now. I just have to run with it."...

Preview 2006 Top 200 Players: 1 to 50 - College Football News
...6. WR Dwayne Jarrett, Jr. USC
Jarrett spent his freshman season being compared to Mike Williams, and then had scouts thinking he's even better than the current Detroit Lion...

...11. DE Lawrence Jackson, Jr. USC
The star of the Trojan line, Jackson became a pass rushing terror last year with too much quickness for most tackles and enough size and strength to handle himself...Expect All-America honors...

...45. OT Sam Baker, Sr. USC
Baker has been the team's most consistent linemen over the last few seasons and should be even better now that he's up to 305 pounds...he's too good a pass protector and too athletic not to be put at left tackle...

Backfield looking strong thanks to old and new - Daily Trojan
...Freshman C.J. Gable has positioned himself to be the Trojans' starting tailback against Arkansas with consistent play during fall camp...

...Gable would likely split time with fellow freshman Allen Bradford, who has established himself as the Trojans' new "big" back.

"He's a really physical guy, one that really showcased early. Now that we've got some different things going and trying to teach him pass protections and some different things, it's slowing him down a little bit. In time, in about the next week or so, you're going to start to see his game really elevate again."

Meanwhile, freshman Stafon Johnson worked with the scout team Wednesday, something coach Pete Carroll emphasized was not set in stone...

Also, Freshman Backs in Lead Roles - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
A Fresh Start Is Likely at Tailback - LA Times

Trojans' Inside Job - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
...when Carroll confided to a small group at lunch after Pac-10 media day the most critical position the Trojans must fill, none of the big names made the cut.

Not a ball-carrier or a passer or a receiver. Not a blocker or pass-defender or a kicker. Not even a departed coach.

The one spot USC must fill, the inadequacy that probably prevented the Trojans from winning an unprecedented third straight national title last year more than any other, was what Carroll called "a 3-technique defensive tackle."

...Barrett and his friend since high school, redshirt sophomore Fili Moala, are the unheralded competitors for the position. LaJuan Ramsey...owned the spot a year ago despite a season-long foot injury...

Kicker hurt by grades - LA Daily News
USC kicker Troy Van Blarcom said Wednesday he was told before training camp he could transfer, but it had nothing to do with losing the kickoff duties to junior-college transfer David Buehler.

Van Blarcom, who is a sophomore, said he and his father met with USC coach Pete Carroll, who gave him the option of leaving for another school because of academic issues.

"I have some grade problems," Van Blarcom said. "They didn't think I would recover from my grades. But I think I will."...

Knee will not slow Hancock's career - Daily Trojan
Pigskins can take some crummy bounces. You wouldn't know it following USC the last few years, but football doesn't always unfold as planned.

The plan was for redshirt senior Brandon Hancock to reassume starting fullback duties at the Coliseum for the first time since 2003.

Now the plan is for a surgeon in central California to repair his shredded right knee.

"He's a great kid, he's a great leader in this program in many ways," coach Pete Carroll said. "You hate to see him have to finish up like this."...

[Hayes] No Leinart, no Bush, no drop-off for USC - Sporting News via MSNBC
...The Trojans will be just as potent, just as dangerous, just as dynamic as they were in previous seasons...

...the five reasons USC could run the table...

1) It's J.D.'s time to shine...

...2) A new backfield by committee...

...3) Interior strength...

...4) Speed on defense...

...5) East Coast motivation...

[Markazi] Postcard from camp: USC - CNNSI
John David Booty awoke early Monday morning for his first class of the fall -- sociology -- one of four courses he's taking this semester to complete his major. Sitting in the back of the classroom, relatively unnoticed by the other students, Booty must have felt a strong case of déjà vu. Not from past sociology classes he's taken but from the countless quarterback meetings he's been in since coming to USC three years ago.

It seems as if Booty has spent his entire college football career in a classroom, studying for a test that kept getting delayed and sometimes felt like it would never come. That all changed this semester, however, when Booty was named the team's starting quarterback and co-captain. Although the first test -- a road game against Arkansas -- is less than two weeks away, Booty hardly seems fazed by the challenge.

"It's awesome, I can't wait," said Booty...

More to USC than qbs and big toes - Springdale Morning News
...Even cool guys from L.A. could be a little wide-eyed for their coming out party and Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring is bound to try and make them uncomfortable. That’s where Kalil and Baker come in. Can they and their blocking buddies protect the quarterback, providing time for the passer to check out Jarrett, Smith and the other receivers? Just as importantly, can they hold off Arkansas’ defensive front and screen the linebackers long enough for Washington to get into stride, ball secured under his arm?

Arkansas’ front seven is pretty darned good...

...If Arkansas’ pressure and USC’s protection is anywhere near a push, we are at the crux of the matter — USC receivers vs. Razorback defenders — and there is reason for concern...

Reed after playing time - OC Register
USC junior Desmond Reed figured getting some playing time at tailback this season would take some work.

First, there would be rugged practices, where he would have to prove his surgically repaired knee is stable enough...

...Mission accomplished. He has proved he could run...

...Then there would be the competition from other backs. No problem there...

...He just didn't count on so many new tailbacks all vying for minutes...

[Plaschke] The Other Leslie Is Something to Behold - LA Times
...Like every starter, Lisa Leslie runs to the center of the court and hands a basketball to a child from the stands.

But, unlike anyone else, she drops to one knee, hugs the child, and whispers into an ear.

"God bless you," she says. "Always give your best."

The child, usually nervous and wanting to run off, stops and listens. The parents of that child, expecting an athlete's apathy, stop and stare.

Memories happen. Photos happen. Maybe even a bit of inspiration happens.

Then, and only then, does Lisa Leslie play basketball...

USC Seeks Sale of Hospital by Tenet - LA Times
USC filed suit Tuesday in an effort to force Tenet Healthcare Corp. to sell its ownership and control of USC University Hospital, contending that the troubled hospital operator had not adequately invested to improve the facility.

The 269-bed hospital near downtown Los Angeles is staffed by USC medical personnel and is also used as a teaching facility. The university owns the land and Dallas-based Tenet manages the hospital and owns the buildings and equipment.

Some of the hospital's programs, including gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery, ophthalmology and orthopedics, rank among the top 50 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report magazine's annual hospital survey...

A changing of the guard - LA Daily News
There's been a change in USC's starting lineup, as junior offensive lineman Drew Radovich overtook Jeff Byers at right guard.

"Drew got elevated. He's had a real good fall camp," offensive line coach Pat Ruel said. "There's good competition at that spot. Opportunities are created every day and you have to seize it."

Radovich made his move following last week's scrimmage. He's been hampered by injuries most of his career. Byers is also working at center as the Trojans try to find a reliable backup to Ryan Kalil.

There has been problems with fumbled snaps during training camp when Kalil is not the center. Nick Howell and Travis Draper are the other candidates...

Washington tests hamstring - Daily Breeze
Chauncey Washington took the handoff, sped downfield, and, well, his day was done.

The USC running back tested his tight hamstring in earnest for the first time in two weeks...

..."I'm still not 100 percent,'' the former South Torrance High star said. "I just came out here to test and see how it was, see if I could practice this week. I'm probably going to take it a bit easy, probably not (go again) until Saturday.

"I can get in first and second gear. Just when I start striding out, that's when I feel it. It's not hurting, but it's more like a stretch.''

Washington wasn't about to try it any further...

Preview 2006 Top 200 Players: 51 to 200 - College Football News
...57. WR Steve Smith, Sr. USC
Smith could've gone pro this year but returned to join Dwayne Jarrett to form the nation's best 1-2 receiving tandem...He's a decent sized target at 6-0 and 195 pounds and has some of the best wheels on the team...

...70. QB John David Booty, Jr. USC
Booty's career hasn't exactly gone as planned...He has a big arm and he certainly knows the system...

...109. DT Sedrick Ellis, Jr. USC...113. LB Keith Rivers, Jr. USC...181. LB Rey Maualuga, Soph USC

Maualuga looking forward - Daily Breeze
He likes the picture. He likes better that a picture can say 1,000 words, and he doesn't like that captions can bite back.

Rey Maualuga is in a spirited battle for the starting role as USC's middle linebacker. It's the only battle he sees these days, having put a volatile freshman year behind him, yet there are still moments.

Like in the college football preview edition of Sports Illustrated, where he was featured as USC's Big Man on Campus, his flowing locks framing a scowling, glaring face.

"It's a good picture,'' the sophomore said, "but then again, you read the caption and people look at that mean face and associate it ...

Turning It Up - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
It was full gear and at times full "go" for the USC football team Tuesday, 11 days before the Sept. 2 opener...

...The nine punt team players made it clear that Carroll expects no replay of last year's failure to cover. The nine cover people lining up with punter Greg Woidneck and snapper Will Collins were pretty much the first-team defense -- at least the back seven.

Here's that lineup: Lua, Maualuga, Mays, Kaluka Maiava, Brian Cushing, Dallas Sartz, Kevin Ellison and gunners Terrell Thomas and Josh Pinkard.

[Smith] Meeting a Trojan not hard to do - OC Register
...If you have been close to a Trojan, you know how easy it is to meet one, shake his hand, get his autograph and even have him put his arm around your shoulder in a photograph...

..."Sure, we'll take a picture with you," said center Ryan Kalil, calling tackle Kyle Williams to pose with Gary "Duffy" Walker...

..."I can't believe how accommodating these players are,"..."They handle themselves so well with the public. Having met them, it's hard for me to think of this program as one full of troublemakers. Most of the players present themselves like really good young men."...

...With a few exceptions, the Trojans have been gentlemen in the spotlight.

Looking for Mr. Right at U.S.C. - NY Times
Kim Mallory fixed a plate of chicken and vegetables for her son last Friday night, remembering he had given up red meat. She poured him a glass of juice, knowing he had quit soda.

Stafon Johnson, Mallory’s 18-year-old son, is a freshman tailback at U.S.C. If he is to become the next Reggie Bush, the goal of any 18-year-old tailback at Southern California, he must eliminate fat and sugar.

But before Johnson could dig into his healthy dinner, he had to endure his mother’s latest home-cooked warning. “Stafon,” she said, “from now on take nothing that does not come from these hands.”

As Mallory summed up the N.C.A.A. rulebook in one sentence, boosters hovered near her son. Kids waited for autographs. Women snapped pictures...

Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Defenses - College Football News
...6. USC
What the D lacks in overall experience it makes up for in ridiculous talent and athleticism. The linebacking corps is one of the best in America with a third string that would form a killer starting trio for about 95 other teams. The secondary doesn't have any big names, but that will change quickly if some of the superstar freshmen play well right away and if there's good competition for the safety spots. End Lawrence Jackson and tackle Sedrick Ellis are great players to build around on a line that should have few problems getting into the backfield. The return of former defensive coordinator and former Idaho head coach Nick Holt adds even more punch...

Also, Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Linebackers - College Football News
Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Defensive Lines - College Football News
Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Defensive Backs - College Football News

Athlon's top 10 first-year quarterbacks - AthlonSports
1. John David Booty, USC — No first-year quarterback will have as many weapons at his disposal as Booty. He’s got a deep receiving corps — headlined by a current All-American (Dwayne Jarrett), a future All-American (sophomore Patrick Turner) and a pair of steady seniors (Steve Smith and Chris McFoy) — a talented, but untested, tailback (Chauncey Washington) and an offensive line that ranks among the finest in the country. The last first-year starter at USC, current Arizona Cardinal Matt Leinart, finished sixth in the Heisman voting in 2003. Don’t be surprised if Booty finds his way to New York in December...

Top 20 Scouting Reports: 5. USC - CNNSI
Replacing a pair of departed Heisman winners, quarterback Matt Leinart (2004) and tailback Reggie Bush ('05), could be even harder than coach Pete Carroll imagined. The players most likely to fill the voids have been hindered by injury, ineligibility and legal problems during the off-season, leaving the Trojans more unsettled in the backfield than they have been since 2003, when Leinart won a three-way battle to succeed Carson Palmer...

...Carroll is keeping his expectations modest. "The main thing is having guys who are consistent and reliable," he says. "If we have that, we'll be fine." The Trojans' backfield may not produce a Heisman winner this season, but if it wins Carroll's confidence, that will be more than enough.

Smith Relishes His Student, Teacher Role - LA Times
Steve Smith and his USC teammates were given Monday off so they could attend the first day of fall-semester classes without distraction.

Smith, a senior flanker, is back in the classroom because he is pursuing a higher grade on the field from NFL scouts and player personnel executives...

...in January, Smith requested an evaluation from the NFL as he contemplated making himself available for the draft. Smith said he was told that he probably would not be selected before the third round.

"My ego isn't that big. I know I've got to work on stuff," said Smith, who has caught 119 passes and scored 13 touchdowns in three seasons. "It just helped me become that much of a better player."...

Aerial attack fuels USC - Daily Trojan
Nearly everything about USC's 34-7 victory over the "Herd" during Sunday night's 81-play scrimmage before 15,000 people at the Coliseum felt like a real game.

There was the marching band, thousands of screaming fans (although most of the crowd noise was simulated) and an impressive performance by the first team on both offense and defense against the Trojan reserves - also known as the "Herd."

The only thing that didn't feel real was the fake jet flyover after the Spirit of Troy finished playing the national anthem. But once the scrimmage got rolling, so did the first-team offense...

Gable impresses coaches - LA Daily News
If USC played a game today, freshman C.J. Gable (Sylmar High) would probably start at tailback, especially after proving he can perform against the Trojans' best defense.

Gable scored on a 24-yard touchdown run against the first-team defense, a rarity in Sunday's scrimmage because most of the stats were piled up against the scout team.

"It was a good confidence boost because it was against the first team," Gable said. "I wanted to see what I could do against them."...

Too fast to catch? Esk keeps 'em honest - Vancouver Sun
It started out a couple years back as a goofy idea for a publicity stunt: the Edmonton Eskimos would bring in a cheetah to race wide receiver Ed Hervey.

Maybe the concept wasn't so ridiculous after all. Over the years, Hervey, 33, has been compared to a cheetah for his speed and a gazelle for his graceful stride. And over the last six seasons, defenders around the Canadian Football League have repeatedly proclaimed him the fastest player in the land...

...Does anyone around here have an African cat the Eskimos could borrow for a few hours to prove a point?...

Grass green at Bush-less USC - Seattle Times
...Carroll gets a devilish gleam in his eye when he talks about practice competition...

..."This is the first time I'm thinking about this," Jackson says, "but the way he runs the program, it questions your manhood. He puts you in these situations where it's you on another guy, and everybody's gonna see it."...

..."We've been so caught in the limelight," says Hancock. "Just saturated with media attention and hoopla. I don't care how much you try to factor that out of the equation, it can get to people sometimes. It kind of muddles the overall team vision and goal."...

...Carroll says, "I hope we're able to surprise some people."...

[Oberjuerge] There's no turning down USC's offer - San Bernardino Sun
Some offers, you can't turn down.

"Jessica Alba's date didn't show up. Could you walk her down the red carpet at the Oscars?''

"Pavarotti has laryngitis. Could you sing Nessun Dorma with the Met tonight?''

"We're a little thin at tailback. Could you be a good Trojan and help us out over there?''

Allen Bradford didn't want to carry the football for USC...

[Forde] Trojans roster was The Beatles, now it's The Who - ESPN
...After years of having all the answers, he's now full of questions.

"I'm more excited about this year than ever because there's more things to find out about, more stuff, more issues," the excitable 54-year-old boy said..."It's like Christmas, with all those presents under the tree...

...Carroll's offensive brain trust of Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian simply had to dust off a few high school All-Americans...The defense should be one of the nation's best, especially if Carroll develops a couple of reliable run stoppers and pass rushers up front.

Nobody is counting USC out of the 2006 national title race, but it'll start from outside the top two in the polls for the first time since November 2003...

QB Cassel shows he has something in reserve - Boston Globe
One week after struggling against Atlanta, quarterback Matt Cassel may have showed enough to keep the Patriots from signing a veteran to be Tom Brady's backup.

Cassel looked a little shaky early in last night's 30-3 win over Arizona, but he settled in, and by the middle of the third quarter he was having his way with the Cardinals' second- and third-team defenses.

Coach Bill Belichick said Cassel was solely responsible for the improvement.

``I thought he handled himself a lot better this week," Belichick said. ``As a team we had a good week of practices and Matt had a good week, and as usual, it carried over to the game. I thought he handled the game well."...

Also, Cassel shows bit of improvement - Boston Globe
Cassel displays improvement after his first-half fire drill - Providence Journal
Cassel Settles In - Hartford Courant

Just Smile - NY Times
...“I’m 23 — I’m not 50,” the rookie, Matt Leinart, tells me. “I don’t need high-end stuff.” Leinart, the winner of the 2004 Heisman Trophy and the all-American quarterback from the University of Southern California, sinks deep into a soft suede couch. We’re in the playroom, where there will soon be a pool table and a large flat-screen television. A Napoleon Dynamite doll and an unopened bottle of Dom Pérignon are perched on the built-in bar. Leinart moved into his brand-new, 6,000-square-foot house only five days ago. His mom came to help, filling soap dispensers and folding bath towels. Today Dad is here, bringing his son a supply of dress suits and a direct-deposit bank slip courtesy of Leinart’s new team, the Arizona Cardinals. Mom and Dad are protective. It’s the first time their son has lived more than a 45-minute drive from his childhood home in Santa Ana, Calif...

Also, Leinart attempts to get up to speed - Boston Globe
Leinart takes stage - Springfield Republican
Bad story, cover to cover - East Valley Tribune

Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Wide Receivers - College Football News
1. USC
This group will keep the NFL stocked for years to come. The entire corps is full of big, fast, talented receivers who can do it all highlighted by the best returning receiver in America, Dwayne Jarrett, and the speedy Steve Smith, who's also All-America caliber. Patrick Turner and Chris McFoy would provide excellent depth if it was just the two of them, but top recruit Vidal Hazelton and junior Whitney Lewis help to make the reserves something truly special. There's a good rotation at tight end between three good pass catchers...

Also, Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Offenses - College Football News
Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Offensive Lines - College Football News
Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Running Backs - College Football News
Preview 2006 Unit Rankings: Quarterbacks - College Football News

2006 All-Welcome Back Team - College Football News
...First Team...
...RB Chauncey Washington, USC – Washington is...holding a lottery ticket...

...OL Jeff Byers, USC ...Byers has All-American potential when he’s healthy...

...DB Terrell Thomas, USC...Thomas’ healthy return will be one of the underlying keys to the Trojans’ 2006 fortunes...

...Second Team...
LB Dallas Sartz, USC – College football is loaded with defensive ends that are built like outside linebackers. Sartz is the antithesis. He’s as big as most ends, but moves with the speed and agility of a safety...

30 Questions That'll Shape the Season - College Football News
...2. Just how mortal will USC really be in 2006?
Losing to Texas in the Rose Bowl ushered in USC’s most trying off-season of the Pete Carroll era. Couple some off-field turbulence with the departures of Heisman winners Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, and you can understand why some feel the Trojans will come back to the pack in 2006. Just how far they drift will leave a huge imprint on the national and Pac-10 scene. However, those on the fringe predicting the bottom is about to fall out on this dynastic run of 52 wins in 57 games might be a little miffed in December. There are still twice as many blue-chip answers for every question mark, and Carroll’s reveling in this year’s challenge. While the offense searches for its groove, expect the young and speedy defense to be suffocating. And like 2003, if you want to knock off USC, you better do it early because they might be humming once the season’s half over...

Linebackers key to USC's adjustments under Holt - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
...In the middle of helping to pull off USC's defensive makeover, Holt has more than enough challenges without turning back to last year.

First, there are the defensive linemen to teach and motivate, his direct responsibility...

..."Coach Holt has been a great addition," said nose tackle Sedrick Ellis, who likes the way the defensive line has come around in fall camp. "He brings something special."

One thing Holt, 43, brings is a pedigree...

Also, Carroll defensive about changes - LA Daily News

Seeing Bright Side of Life, and USC - LA Times
For a man once derided by USC fans for harboring what they believed was a defeatist attitude, Larry Smith is relentlessly optimistic in his battle against cancer.

The former coach, who presided over the Trojans' football fortunes for six seasons before his New Year's Day dismissal in 1993, has not backed down from chronic lymphatic leukemia — even though the disease threatened to level him last year and continues to exacerbate his other major medical issue: melanoma...

...I was rooting for USC in the Rose Bowl. My son's two oldest boys, all they wear is SC stuff. They want to play at SC. I have no bad feelings toward SC at all."...