COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : USC : Strother Expected to Start for Royster

With Mazio Royster all but certain to miss Saturday night’s game against Penn State because of a sprained knee, USC Coach Larry Smith said Wednesday that Dion Strother, a sophomore from Oakland, will start at tailback.

“But I think that Estrus (Crayton) definitely will play some, and possibly even (freshman) Dwight McFadden,” Smith said.

O.J. will be in uniform Saturday at the Coliseum.

That would be O.J. McDuffie, the Penn State wide receiver named for a former Heisman Trophy winner from USC.

“My grandmother gave me the name,” said McDuffie, a junior from Gates Mills, Ohio, who leads the Nittany Lions with eight receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns. “She was an O.J. Simpson fan, and I was born (in 1969) the year after he won the Heisman. She didn’t like Orenthal, though, so she named me Otis instead.”

Otis James.

In the aftermath of USC’s 24-10 loss to Memphis State, what has Smith done to bolster his players’ self-esteem?

“I’m not necessarily trying to build (their) confidence,” Smith said. “I’m just trying to get a football team ready to play football. That’s the bottom line. You can’t build confidence in practice unless you go out and tell the players they’re great when they’re not. I’m not going to do that. The only way we’re going to get confidence is by winning a game--play well and play hard. That’s the only thing that will help us.”