Freshmen Claridge, Mailo Getting a Look

There are 36 lettermen and 10 starters back from last year’s 9-2-1 Rose Bowl championship team, and Coach John Robinson said he hopes “four to seven” freshmen can contribute this year.

It appeared Monday on the first full day of practice that two of them--Travis Claridge and Faaesea Mailo--may be ready.

Claridge, 6 feet 6 and 290 pounds, is playing at right guard. Mailo, 6-5 and 315, is lining up at right tackle.

Two returning lettermen won’t play any more: starting cornerback Quincy Harrison and backup guard Dong Koo. Harrison had neck surgery and was advised to quit football. Koo has left the program to concentrate on academics.

Returning guard Phalen Pounds had shoulder surgery last month and won’t be available until October, at the earliest.

*

You know those elevator signs that say “2,000 pounds maximum?” It’s the truth--as 10 USC players learned the hard way Sunday night.

The 10 were riding a campus dormitory elevator when it suddenly shut down, stranding them between floors without air conditioning until elevator mechanics arrived an hour and 15 minutes later.

“We tried to rip open the door, but we broke it,” guard Chris Brymer.

The 10: Brymer (300 pounds), Grant Boelter (310), Matt McShane (285), Darrell Russell (305), Taso Papadakis (240), Brett Samperi (280), Mark Manskar (240), David Pratchard (290), Jason Grain (290) and Shawn Walters (235). Total load: 2,775 pounds.

*

Brymer, a junior, won the team’s annual strength contest Saturday, bench pressing 450 pounds. Defensive end Russell was runnerup at 425. Twelve Trojans bench press more than 400 pounds.

*

The NCAA suspension of tailback Shawn Walters, who was accused of accepting money from an agent, continues through this season’s first three games. He can’t play until the Sept. 21 Houston game.

Walters was suspended for the last nine games last year.

He rushed for 976 yards in 1994, most by a Trojan in four seasons, but enters this season as the No. 4 tailback on the depth chart.