COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : USC : Mazio Royster’s Knee Is Still a Problem

Tailback Mazio Royster probably won’t play against Penn State at the Coliseum on Saturday night, Coach Larry Smith said.

Royster rushed for 97 yards in 20 carries in USC’s opener against Memphis State but was held out of the second half because of a sprained right knee.

“I was just jogging in practice (Monday) and it didn’t feel good,” Royster said of his knee, which was injured when he was hit by a helmet. “There was no pain, but it was just . . . loose. It’s causing some discomfort.

“If I had to make a quick cut, I don’t know if it would hold up if it was giving me trouble when I was just jogging.”

Royster isn’t the only injured Trojan.

“When you come off a game like the Memphis State game,” Smith said of the Trojans’ 24-10 loss on Sept. 2, “you want to get back to fundamentals. And the fundamentals of football (involve) contact.

“The only way you block and tackle better is by doing it--and by doing it full bore. And that’s what we did last week. As a result, we’ve got a lot of people beat up.”

At practice Saturday, Smith said, he counted 28 scholarship players standing on the sideline, unable to participate because of injuries.

“That’s the most I’ve ever had (out),” Smith said.

Smith said the Trojans didn’t respect Memphis State before the game.

“If I had to do one thing over again, I’d have put all Notre Dame film in there, taken out all the names and said (to the players), ‘OK, this is Memphis State,’ ” he said. “And they’d have looked at it and respected them. They looked at Memphis State film from last year, when they weren’t worth a damn.

“You have to respect an opponent to play hard and be ready.”