3 Injured Players Questionable for USC Opener

Four days before his season opener against Illinois, USC football Coach Larry Smith revealed his depth chart Thursday, but the main topic of conversation remained the extent of the Trojans’ injuries.

Smith already knew he wasn’t going to have quarterback Pat O’Hara, lost for the year with torn knee ligaments and a broken shin bone, and nose guard Don Gibson, out for at least four weeks with torn knee ligaments.

What he doesn’t know, however, is how much he’ll have three other key performers--linebacker Scott Ross, safety Cleveland Colter and fullback Leroy Holt.

Ross, who has been out for two weeks with a pulled hamstring, remains questionable. His performance in the remaining practices will dictate whether he can play.

“If that’s OK, then we’ll plan on him playing some in the game,” Smith said. “I don’t expect him to play the whole game, or probably even half the game. The hamstring you just don’t fool around with.”

Colter is still recovering from the knee injury that knocked him out of last season’s final four games.

“Every day, he makes more and more improvement,” Smith said. “He had a little swelling at the beginning of the week, but it is nothing significant. I think he’s probable. Whether he starts or not, I don’t know.”

Holt has a year-old knee ligament injury that has been a little tender and Smith has been a little cautious.

“We haven’t scrimmaged him in a week,” Smith said. “But he has practiced every day. Barring any problems (in the remaining practices), he will be set and ready to go.”

Nothing quite so glowing on O’Hara. It has been nearly a week since the quarterback had surgery to repair his injuries, suffered in a scrimmage at UC Irvine. But it appears the psychological scars may take as long to fade as the physical ones.

“He’s really mentally not doing well at all,” said Smith of his quarterback, who remains hospitalized. “He’s really down. I’m hoping we can get him out of (the hospital) and around the guys so they can pick him up a little bit.”

Also out of Monday’s opener are fullback Mike Mooney with a toe sprain, and linebackers Shannon Jones and J. R. Chesley, both with shoulder injuries.

There were no surprises on the depth chart. The tightest competition remains at tailback, where Smith refuses to pick an outright No. 1 from his talented trio of Scott Lockwood, Aaron Emanuel and Ricky Ervins.