usc to stay course

[smazza]

according  to carroll despite pressure form boosters

[smazza]

Carroll sees the system as USC's salvation

Coach plans little change, more repetition of proven methods after first regular-season loss since 2003.

By Gary Klein, Times Staff Writer

October 30, 2006

Pete Carroll and his USC players grew accustomed to a routine and the feeling that accompanied it.

For more than three years, save for the week before openers, the Trojans reported to practices during the regular season buoyed by victories and confident about their chances of eventually playing for a national title.

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But after losing at Oregon State and observing his players during a somber plane ride home, Carroll acknowledged Sunday that today would be different.

"It's a bit of a shift and it calls for a shift," Carroll said. "You've got to make sure we're on track. … But this is not a reason for us to change much. We're not dumping on things because we lost a game.

"Even more so, we go to what we always do and rely on the system and repetition of it to get us back."

The 33-31 loss Saturday dropped the previously unbeaten Trojans from third to eighth in the Bowl Championship Series standings and from third to ninth in the Associated Press media poll.

Carroll, who had briefly addressed the national championship race with his players in the locker room after the game, said that he would not do so again.

"Me stressing that right now, that's a waste of time," he said. "We have to go play Stanford. … The rest of it takes care of itself in due time."

One of Carroll's more immediate concerns is monitoring the mood of a team, and a program, that have not dealt with a regular-season defeat since a triple-overtime loss at California on Sept. 27, 2003.

"It's important at first to watch everybody and to see how guys are reacting to it, because not everybody will handle it the same," Carroll said. "That's a real important part of the coaches' job this week. … Every experience is brand new to these young guys."

For many veterans too.

Junior receiver Dwayne Jarrett, for example, had lost only one game in his career. Texas' 41-38 Rose Bowl victory over the Trojans ended a 34-game USC winning streak that began the week after the defeat at Berkeley.

After the loss Saturday, which ended USC's 27-game Pacific 10 Conference winning streak, Jarrett sat in his dressing stall and attempted to grasp the concept of losing during the regular season.

"It's definitely weird," he said.

Carroll is hoping that the Trojans will rebound from their turnover-plagued performance against Oregon State the same way the 2003 team did after the Cal loss.

USC finished 12-1 and won the AP national title.

To reach anything resembling that goal, the Trojans must reduce their turnovers and cause opponents to commit more of them.

USC, which has annually been among the national leaders in turnover margin, had four turnovers against Oregon State and did not create one. The Trojans are minus-14 for the season.

"This is the lowest turnover ratio we've had this late in the season, I think, at any time since we've been here," said Carroll, who is in his sixth season. "It's just been a monthlong drought."

Said defensive end Lawrence Jackson: "You have to think that if you go five years or so just beating people up and taking the ball, at some point in time it's going to start getting hard."

Carroll said avoiding and causing fumbles would remain a focus as the Trojans prepare for their final five games against Stanford, Oregon, Cal, Notre Dame and UCLA.

"I'm looking for attention to detail about the football  more than ever, because it cooked us this time," he said.

Tailback Chauncey Washington fumbled twice against Oregon State.

"When you're the lead back, you get the ball in your hands a lot," Carroll said. "He's got to be the best we have at it. … We'll be real hard on him about it. The emphasis will be firmly applied."

Carroll said quarterback John David Booty underthrew a pass to Jarrett that was intercepted in the end zone but that Oregon State safety Bryan Payton made a great play to come up with the ball.

Booty's last pass on a two-point conversion attempt was tipped away by a defensive lineman, a problem that has plagued the fourth-year junior in practices and games.

"It does happen some, but there's nothing that we can do more than try to create our passing lanes, and he does some subtle moves to find space to throw the football," Carroll said. "It was very unfortunate that happened on the last play."

[smazza]

USC REPORT

Garrett has talk with Washington

By Gary Klein, Times Staff Writer

November 3, 2006

In the aftermath of an upset loss at Oregon State, meetings remained all the rage at USC on Thursday.

Two days after Coach Pete Carroll met with junior quarterback John David Booty amid radio and Internet discussions that said the fourth-year junior might leave for the NFL, junior tailback Chauncey Washington said he was summoned to Athletic Director Mike Garrett's office.

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"He said we need more leaders out there, that I have to become a leader and get the team going," Washington said after practice. "I didn't really say anything…. It's just, 'Yes sir,' and do what I have to do on Saturday.

"We've just got to come out there and set the tone from the beginning instead of waiting until the last quarter to do things."

Washington has rushed for a team-best 481 yards and scored four touchdowns in 105 carries. He fumbled twice in the Trojans' 33-31 loss at Oregon State but remains the No. 1 tailback entering Saturday's game at Stanford.

Washington said he emerged from a week of practice with a greater consciousness about holding onto the ball.

"When I'm in the game, I'll just remind myself to keep it high and tight," he said.

Even with an interception and three fumbles against Oregon State, USC has committed only 11 turnovers, the fewest in the Pacific 10 Conference. The Trojans have lost six fumbles.

"We've been doing OK at it; you just don't know when it's going to pop up," Carroll said.

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Injured fullback Ryan Powdrell is bound for the NFL.

The fifth-year senior, who dislocated and broke his right ankle in the second game against Nebraska, said USC officials informed him that a successful appeal to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility was highly unlikely.

The 6-foot, 255-pound Powdrell will prepare for USC's annual pro day in the spring, when NFL scouts converge on the campus to test and evaluate draft-eligible players.

"I'm not going to get down just because I can't come back for another year," Powdrell said. "I'm going to make the best of it and get this thing ready for pro day."

Junior Thomas Williams this week followed Powdrell's example and switched from linebacker to fullback, providing USC with depth that was lacking after senior Brandon Hancock, Powdrell and freshman Stanley Havili suffered injuries.

"We were kind of resigned to Ryan's situation," Carroll said. "We've already talked about what's going on next. I've talked him up to the scouts and all that stuff already."

Powdrell said he would continue rehabilitation and begin lifting weights with hopes of running by January or February.

"Once I get into a camp, I'll be fine," he said.

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Stanford, coached by Carroll's good friend Walt Harris, is 0-8.

"I don't wish that on anybody," Carroll said. "It's an awful feeling."

In 1984, Carroll was defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills, who started 0-11 and finished 2-14. The Bills gave up 32 touchdown passes, which ranked 27th among 28 NFL teams.

"My first year in the NFL," he said, "I got fired after that season."

Carroll joined the Minnesota Vikings staff for the 1985 season.

[smazza]

it helps to have a heisman winner on staff to talk to players

[smazza]

USC REPORT

Carroll issues annual denial of NFL rumors

By Gary Klein, Times Staff Writer

November 7, 2006

It has become part of the natural rhythm of the season, an annual occurrence that Pete Carroll anticipates every November.

As bottom-tier NFL teams struggle, Carroll's name is floated in various media as a possible replacement for coaches in danger of being fired.

"It's come up every year, so I'm kind of used to it," Carroll said Monday.

Carroll, who reportedly earned close to $3 million in 2004, agreed to a contract extension last December and said at the time that it would keep him at the school for "the long haul."

Carroll coached the New York Jets in 1994 and the New England Patriots from 1997-99. He reiterated Monday that he would not entertain offers from NFL teams.

"I've got a big job, and I'm not interested," he said. "I'm excited about what's coming up and what we're doing and what's going on here."

Carroll, 55, has won two national titles and compiled a 61-11 record in five-plus seasons at USC.

He signed a five-year contract worth approximately $1 million annually when he was hired by USC to replace Paul Hackett in December 2000. Carroll received a significant raise after the 2002 season and was among the highest-paid coaches in college football in 2004. He is believed to be working under a five-year contract that renews annually.

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It was only a cameo when the outcome against Stanford was long decided, but freshman tailback Stafon Johnson impressed in his first carries for the Trojans.

The former Dorsey High star rushed for 17 yards in three carries during the fourth quarter.

"I was just happy to be in the game first and foremost," Johnson said Monday. "When they call your name, it's a different feeling.

"I didn't want to do any cutbacks. I just wanted to show them I could hit the hole and show some aggression."

Johnson was back on the scout team Monday but optimistic about the possibility of more playing time for the seventh-ranked Trojans, who play No. 21 Oregon on Saturday at the Coliseum.

Junior Chauncey Washington remains the No. 1 tailback. Freshmen Emmanuel Moody and C.J. Gable also have rotated in, but Gable has been slowed some by a groin strain, which could open the door for Johnson.

"C.J. has been a little gimpy, so it makes it more important that [Johnson] is involved and ready to go," Carroll said. "I wouldn't hesitate to put him in the game."

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Senior receiver Chris McFoy returned to practice for the first time since breaking bones in his shoulder area Sept. 30 against Washington State.

McFoy has not been cleared for contact drills. He had X-rays Monday and will be examined today.

Carroll said it was unlikely that McFoy would be cleared to play against Oregon.

Asked what he planned to provide upon his return, McFoy said, "Aggressiveness. That's all I've got, and I kind of like that I'm coming back now toward the end."

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Idaho has contacted USC about getting out of the 2007 opener at the Coliseum.

USC scheduled the matchup after Nick Holt left the Trojans to become coach at Idaho following the 2003 season. Holt returned to USC as defensive coordinator in February and was replaced by Dennis Erickson.

"We anticipate we'll play the game," said Steve Lopes, a USC senior associate athletic director who handles scheduling. "They have contacted us about different options, but nothing has worked out."

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Kicker Troy Van Blarcom (groin) was held out of drills but said he would kick today. … Freshman fullback Stanley Havili, who broke his leg against Arizona on Sept. 23, will be evaluated today.

[smazza]

Bill Plaschke:

Path to championship game is a straight line for Trojans

November 12, 2006

Three wins, and they're in.

A wandering USC football team that has spent the fall in a futile search for its legacy has suddenly found the map.

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Three wins, and they're in.

With redwoods toppling all around them, the Trojans clawed into a noisy clearing Saturday night, looked up, rubbed their eyes and nudged their teammates: there it was.

The national championship game. Still distant, but finally visible, towering at the end of a straight road that suddenly doesn't seem so impassable after a ground-baring 35-10 victory over Oregon.

Three wins, and they're in.

If the Trojans can sweep their final three games of the season  all against lower-ranked teams, two of them at the Coliseum, where they have won 31 in a row  they should have a spot in their third consecutive BCS championship game.

"It's that time of year," said Trojan Steve Smith late Saturday, his teammates walking past him with chests puffed for the first time this season. "You can feel it in the team. You can smell it in the air. It's all out there for us."

How can this happen? How can they make it to Glendale, Ariz., if they couldn't even survive Corvallis, Ore.?

Start with what happened before the seventh-ranked Trojans finished the first half Saturday.

Three teams ahead of them in the BCS standings had lost.

Louisville, done. Auburn, done. Texas, done.

"We watched TV in the hotel all day, we saw some of them go down" said Lawrence Jackson, who had his first three sacks of the season.

By the time the Trojans had understood this opening and charged through it, their future had been shaped.

Beat Cal and Notre Dame at home. Beat UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Play the winner of Ohio State-Michigan for the national championship.

"Coach Carroll said there is a time like this in the NFL," said Oscar Lua, who had his second fourth-down tackle of the season. "It's called playoff time. And we're ready for it."

If USC sweeps its final three games, yes, there will be other one-loss contenders and maybe even unbeaten Rutgers. But none of them will have beaten five top-25 opponents like the Trojans.

"We are in the middle of the toughest four-game stretch in the country," Jackson said.

And if Saturday was any indication, none of those teams will have a better chance of stealing a national title.

The Trojans weren't perfect, but they were consistently tough, and a long way from the ordinary that has plagued them all season.

[smazza]

USC FOOTBALL

Defense emerges as a big-play unit

Resembling Carroll's dominant squads of the recent past, Trojans give up chunks of yardage but create sacks and turnovers.

By David Wharton, Times Staff Writer

November 12, 2006

Last week's shutout did not count. Not really.

Though the USC defense summoned its most impressive performance of the season last Saturday  on paper, at least  the victory came against struggling Stanford.

So this Saturday night the question was: How would the Trojans fare against the Oregon offense, ranked ninth in the country in rushing and 19th in passing?

The answer came in the form of a convincing 35-10 victory over the 21st-ranked Ducks, a win powered by big defensive stops and even bigger turnovers.

"It's just an attitude we have," USC cornerback Terrell Thomas. "We're trying to finish things off and not just get by."

Defense was supposed to be USC's strong suit this fall, a veteran squad that would dominate while the young offense matured. But after starting with three comfortable victories, the Trojans found themselves in a series of dogfights, including a loss to Oregon State.

Turnovers and sacks  or a lack thereof  were a problem.

So this week Coach Pete Carroll talked about the need to disrupt Oregon's spread offense, which features Jonathan Stewart at tailback and a very mobile Dennis Dixon at quarterback.

"He just won't sit back there," Carroll said of Dixon. "He will take off and go and make something happen."

Which is exactly what happened on Oregon's opening possession, Dixon running for five yards here and seven yards there. The Ducks quickly drove to USC's 13-yard line.

But Carroll had seen something else in the last week or so. He'd seen a defense that, to his thinking, was on the uptick.

"We are cleaning things up, we are playing more consistently," he said. "Our numbers of missed assignments, missed tackles and lack of effort that we always gauge has been consistently down."

On fourth and one, backed against the goal line, USC linebackers Oscar Lua and Kaluka Maiava stuffed Dixon for no gain.

A pattern was emerging.

The Trojans gave up chunks of yardage on the ground and often played soft in pass coverage, keeping the ball in front of them. But they also came up with big plays.

On the next series, linebacker Dallas Sartz chased down Dixon for a sack. Minutes later, safety Taylor Mays made a leaping catch of a long pass down the sideline, returning the interception 38 yards to set up a USC touchdown.

When Oregon kicker Paul Martinez missed a field-goal attempt at the end of the first half, the score was 14-0 and the defense was halfway home.

"We had a feeling in the locker room," USC linebacker Rey Maualuga said. "Everybody was hyped."

Martinez made good on his next attempt after halftime, closing the gap to 14-3 and ending USC's streak of seven scoreless quarters. But the defense quickly answered again, Sartz jumping on a fumbled pitch to set up another short touchdown drive and a 21-3 lead.

"They just made some big plays when it counted," Oregon receiver Jordan Kent said.

When the Ducks finally got into the end zone with a fourth-quarter touchdown, it required a barely missed sack, a tipped pass and not one but two official reviews. And the Trojans already had control of the game.

This was a glimpse of the defensive style that Carroll brought to USC in 2001, a unit that gives up yards but compensates with critical tackles for loss and takeaways.

And on a Saturday night with USC facing a top-notch offense, this time it really counted.

[USFMikeB]

Glad to see you spend this much time looking at your favorite team...

[Brad]

Makes me wonder if smazza haunts a USC board with a bunch of worthless drivel or just saves it all for USF.

First one to find smazza's USC Message Board posts wins!

[flsportsfan83]

who gives a rats ass about USC?