Papadakis Steps In for Morton

Tailback Chad Morton, nursing a sore left ankle, missed his second consecutive practice Thursday and will not start Saturday against Stanford, Coach Paul Hackett said.

Petros Papadakis will get his fourth start of the season because of a Morton injury, and Hackett said he wasn’t sure how much Morton will be able to play.

“We’ve been through it all year,” Hackett said. “I’d like to tell you I’m nervous about it, but I remember back to the Oregon State game.”

Morton, whose status was up in the air for that game because of a sore back, did not start but carried 23 times for 123 yards.

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Hackett said fullback Ted Iacenda will not play Saturday, giving his injured shoulder an extra week off, which means that Marvin Powell will be backed up by Brennan Ochs.

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With strongside linebacker Mark Cusano still not fully recovered from a quadriceps injury, sophomore Zeke Moreno has started eight games this season and caught the attention of the coaching staff.

Moreno has 43 tackles--five for lost yardage.

“Zeke’s one of those guys who was not expected to play this year other than in a backup role,” said Coach Paul Hackett, who said he didn’t know that Zeke’s brother, Moses, was on the Chicago Bears’ roster until a Bear scout told him this week.

“But with the Cusano thing that’s happened, I mean, Zeke’s stepped in and he’s gotten better every week. He might have played his best game this season last week [against Washington, when he had 11 tackles].

“I think he’s got a wonderful future, and he’s playing very well right now.”

Cusano, who sat out three consecutive games before seeing spot play as Moreno’s backup against Washington, has been seeing more time in practice this week.

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Looking ahead to this weekend’s matchup against a Stanford offense that’s on a roll, Trojan defensive coordinator Bill Young said that, generally, he is pleased with USC’s performance in recent games.

After surrendering the late lead and the game against California on Oct. 10, the Trojan defense has held Washington State, Oregon and Washington, to a combined 41 points in the last three weeks.

“At times, we’ve played really outstanding and, at times, we haven’t played as well as we’d like,” Young said.

“But all in all, I think the defensive coaches, we’re really excited with our players and their attitude. We seem like we’re getting a little bit better each week, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”