[Shauk] Judging Jarrett's numbers - Daily Trojan
Last week Dwayne Jarrett stepped onto the FieldTurf on Cromwell Field, slipped on a sleek Nike running suit, and ran 40 yards in 4.62...

Unfortunately for Jarrett, that's not a good time, plain and simple...

...Jarrett knows it's not a good time.

Anyone who tries to say that 4.62 seconds is fast... for a wide receiver, is either lying or just plain doesn't know football...

...Here's my beef: Contrary to what many might think about field tests and exams, judging whether one player is more valuable than another has to come from on-field performance, not from his 40 time...

Sarkisian alone will make the offensive calls - OC Register
Fans who didn't like USC's play calling last year weren't sure who to blame.

Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin would call the play then relay it to quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian on the sideline. If Sarkisian didn't like it, he would kick it back. If he did, he would send it in to quarterback John David Booty.

"If it wasn't a crucial moment, I was going to let it go, because the flow of the game needed to stay going," Sarkisian said.

When the Trojans misfire on offense this year, Sarkisian will field questions. With Kiffin now the coach of the Oakland Raiders, Sarkisian will have sole responsibility for play calling. Receivers coach John Morton will act as his "eye in the sky" from the press box...

USC's Dennis clearing hurdles to play again - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
Hershel Dennis isn't all the way back. But the former starting tailback jumped over a couple of hurdles the past few days.

After missing two seasons with knee surgeries, Dennis, 22, was cleared medically for full contact Friday, too late to get ready for Sunday's scrimmage.

But Tuesday, the 200-pounder got his chance, in both nine-on-seven work and 11 on 11.

"He looked terrific today," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "He had a couple of sweet runs. I know he's been champing at the bit."

Dennis, who will graduate May 11, will now have to complete that final step before applying for a sixth year of NCAA eligibility...

Also, Dennis makes his return to the field - Daily Trojan
Dennis optimistic about a sixth season - LA Times

The Memory Hacker - Popular Science
...“Watch this,” says Srinivasan, a design engineer working with USC’s Center for Neural Engineering...Srinivasan explains that the chip is sending electric pulses through the needle into the brain slice...this iron-gray wafer about a millimeter square is talking to living brain cells as though it were an actual body part.

Ted Berger, Srinivasan’s boss and the mastermind behind the tangle of coils and electrodes, has arranged this demonstration to provide a small but profound glimpse into the future of brain science...

[Prisco] Better-Than Team: 20 who'll be better than 'they' say - CBS Sportsline
...I believe in these 20 players. And nobody, not even the scouts I talk to, can change my mind...

...Eric Wright, CB, UNLV: He started his college career at USC but was booted from the team for off-field issues...

...Steve Smith, WR, USC: Even before he ran a 4.4 at the combine, I really liked this kid. He has a way of getting open. During his time at USC, he was overshadowed by some bigger-name receivers, but he always got his share of catches...

...Dallas Sartz, LB, USC: He is a long, lean linebacker who plays with toughness. He might not run that well, but he knows how to find the football. He could be a special-teams demon...

Will Ferrell: Hollywood's highest paid star - The Independent [UK]
...Ferrell is the closest thing Hollywood has to a banker - a man who earns his $20m fee on the opening weekend of any movie he deigns to star in...

...Ferrell enrolled in the University of Southern California's sports broadcasting programme, where he was - as a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity - something of a keg-party jock (an experience that he would draw on for his 2003 varsity comedy, Old School). But Ferrell had a change of heart, decided to be a comedian and joined the touring Los Angeles improvisational group The Groundlings.

"[Being a journalist] seemed a little more legitimate than trying to be a comedian or actor," Ferrell says. "But once I graduated from college, I started working for a local cable news show, and I found I liked making fun of the broadcasters rather than actually doing it."...

Incubator for ideas - VC Star
Whether it's testing spit or creating self-arranging robots, the University of Southern California has a new tool to help academic researchers move their innovations off campus and into the marketplace.

The new USC Stevens Institute for Innovation seeks to help innovators develop their ideas into products, services or new businesses...

...Even for established start-ups, USC Steven is beneficial. They might be sought out as business partners to help move forward other innovations at the university...

...Mark Stevens, a USC trustee and venture capitalist, and his wife, Mary, donated $22 million to fund the new center...

Trojans report: Strategy and personnel - CBS Sportsline
STARS OF 2007: QB John David Booty...LB Rey Maualuga...DE Lawrence Jackson......FS Taylor Mays...

...TOP NEWCOMERS
RB Joe McKnight, River Ridge, La. -- The nation's top RB recruit picked USC over LSU on signing day...

...DE Everson Griffen, Avondale, Ariz...

...LB Chris Galippo, Anaheim, Calif...

...C Kristofer O'Dowd, Tucson, Ariz...

...WR Ronald Johnson, Muskegon, Mich...

Also, Notes, quotes - CBS Sportsline
Inside slant - CBS Sportsline

Risers and Sliders - CNNSI
Pro days for 2007 are just about in the book as several major schools hosted NFL decision-makers last week. A number of first-round prospects worked out and the results were varied.

Risers

...Dallas Sartz/LB/USC: Weighing 232 pounds, the Trojan defender ran his 40 times in the high 4.5 area and also touched 33 inches in the vertical jump. Sartz looked solid during linebacker drills. With a thin crop of outside linebacker talent available in the draft, Sartz could sneak into the late part of the draft's first day...

[Miller] Pac-10 football loaded for '07 - Seattle P-I
IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL, USC is here.

And everyone else is here.

Or here -- stuck at varying degrees below the Trojans...

...USC's spring football media guide celebrates the number "5," as in: five consecutive Pac-10 titles, five consecutive BCS bowls, five consecutive top-four finishes and five consecutive 11-win seasons

But it's really about "3," as in: the Trojans appear poised to play for their third national championship since 2003...

Also, [Forde] Welcome to the Megaprogram Era - ESPN

Gable continues solid play - Daily Trojan
...A bright spot...was the play of running back C.J. Gable, who has put together an impressive spring thus far.

"I'm more comfortable now than I was at the beginning," Gable said. "I'm just ready to start the season because I feel like I'm improving every day."

If the season started today, Gable would most likely get the starting nod. Gable said his increased patience has paid off with improved play.

"Last year I wasn't patient," Gable said. "The holes and everything were all there, (the running backs) just weren't patient enough."...

Also, Green watches practice with interest - LA Times
Fullback Havili is carrying the load - LA Times

Holland tries to get on fast track - LA Times
Receiver Jamere Holland, perhaps the fastest player on USC's roster, finally got his football career out of the starting blocks Sunday. The redshirt freshman, who sat out last season after shoulder surgery, participated in a scrimmage for the first time as the Trojans marked the midpoint of spring workouts.

On a day that featured bungled snap exchanges and timing issues between quarterbacks and receivers, Holland showed flashes of what made him such a pass-catching threat for Woodland Hills Taft High.

The former high school sprint champion caught three passes, scored a touchdown, carried the ball on a reverse and returned kicks.

"A few plays I messed up on, but I think I did OK," Holland said...

Also, Trojans Sport Some New Looks - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
Torn labrum sidelines WR - LA Daily News
Bad break for Holland - LA Daily News

Harbaugh trades barbs with Carroll: `We bow to no man' - SJ Mercury News
...rather than claim he was misquoted, Harbaugh has said in subsequent interviews that he was only repeating what he heard.

"It's been widely publicized that he has interviewed for other jobs, and that is what I've heard," Harbaugh said Monday. "I definitely said that. But we bow to no man. We bow to no program here at Stanford University."

Harbaugh was talking about the importance of having a stable coaching staff when he made his initial comments about Carroll. He pointed out that Carroll has had a lengthy stay at USC, but added, "He's only got one more year, though. He'll be there one more year. That's what I've heard. I heard it (from) inside the staff."...

Also, Harbaugh springs into action - SF Chron
Harbaugh says Carroll is gone after 2007 - LA Times

[Hayes] Inside Dish: Trojans set to use the shotgun - Sporting News
Both of Southern California's losses last season can be traced to deflected passes at the line: one against Oregon State that stopped a 2-point conversion, the other against UCLA that ended with an interception. But instead of tweaking QB John David Booty's mechanics or throwing motion this spring, the Trojans will use the shotgun set occasionally for the first time under coach Pete Carroll. The change will be enough to force defenses to adapt when facing a team that has had its quarterbacks strictly under center...

Also, Scrimmage is a little sloppy - LA Daily News
Sanchez looks good in USC scrimmage - OC Register
Booty, Turner are adjusting to one another - OC Register