They’re Not Afraid to Lead

For all the prickly reactions outside the team to Coach Paul Hackett’s questioning of USC’s veteran leadership this week, the reaction within the team was relatively mild.

Several players quickly said they disagreed, but they said so without anger, and the team seems to have stayed together.

“The encouraging thing was, there wasn’t any finger pointing,” quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst said. “We know what we need to do--just go out and win. I don’t think that was just directed at the senior starters.

“I think the established leaders are David Gibson on defense and Chad [Morton] on offense. Obviously, it’s my job too; because I’m the quarterback, I’m expected to be a leader.”

Anybody who kept an eye on Morton at Notre Dame could see the two-time captain was anything but subdued, moving around animatedly during the coin toss and even raising his arms to get the Notre Dame crowd going.

“I was getting the Notre Dame crowd up. I love that energy,” he said.

The normally placid Morton even drew the attention of officials.

“The refs gave Coach Hackett a warning. They said it wasn’t that I was taunting, I was just acting crazy,” Morton said with a laugh.

“We were ready to play,” Hackett said. “There wasn’t any question about the way we came out of the gate.”

Receiver R. Jay Soward, a senior who isn’t among the captains, acknowledged after the game he wished he’d spoken up.

“I meant to say, when I came in at halftime, ‘You can get it, but it can be taken away,’ ” Soward said. “I wanted to stress that, but when I talk, people say, ‘Aw, that’s just R. Jay.’ So I really don’t talk too much.”

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Troy Walters isn’t Stanford’s only talented receiver.

There’s also DeRonnie Pitts, who is averaging almost 93 yards receiving behind Walters’ nearly 140.

“They’ve been sensational. They have beaten everyone they’ve gone against,” Hackett said. “I think the toughest thing about those guys is you can’t double one of them because the other one will kill you.”