USC SCOUTING REPORT: USC (3-6,1-5) vs. Washington State (2-7, 1-5) : No Salutes for This Platoon

John Fox is starting at quarterback for USC again today, but Coach Paul Hackett made no promises about whether Fox will play the entire game or give way to Mike Van Raaphorst, as he did in the second half last week.

Some Trojan players express a preference for one quarterback or the other.

Some only want to settle on one, whoever it is.

“It’s thrown us off a little,” offensive lineman Travis Claridge said. “It’s tough. Different quarterbacks have different styles.

“Fox is a little more mobile, but it doesn’t really make a difference. I just want to win games.”

Freshman receiver Kareem Kelly made it clear he prefers Fox.

“Last game, I don’t know why they took Fox out,” he said. “Mike’s a good quarterback. John, he brings a certain energy to the situation.

“With Mike, and my speed, sometimes I tend to have to wait for balls. John, he’s not Carson [Palmer], but he’s the closest thing to Carson. He put the ball in a nice spot for me to make that [72-yard touchdown] play in the Cal game.”

Fox isn’t as likely to be sacked as Van Raaphorst and picked up 15 yards on scrambles against Arizona State last week, losing three for a total of 12.

He ran 10 yards for a first down in the first half and carried the ball five other times--some perhaps when he shouldn’t have, but Hackett doesn’t want to tell him to stop.

“The problem when you haven’t played a lot is you tend not to be as patient in the pocket in terms of feeling the blocking,” Hackett said. “He’s not afraid to run, and he has had some success. I think you have to let him get comfortable.”

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Washington State Coach Mike Price makes a living off recruiting Southern California players.

Freshman running back Deon Burnett has four 100-yard games, averages 5.2 yards a carry--and hails from Claremont.

Price teasingly rubbed it in:

“I’m sure Paul Hackett and Bob Toledo are looking at their assistant coaches and wondering why they weren’t recruiting this guy,” he said. “He’s from right down the road.”