Trojans Will Feel the Heat From Start

There is probably no way to make Irvine seem like New Jersey in the middle of summer. And, normally, that’s a good thing.

But when USC begins training camp at UC Irvine on Monday, the Trojans will do their best to ignore the cooling ocean breezes. They will try instead to imagine the sweltering conditions of a hot August day in Hoboken.

All the better to prepare for their Aug. 27 opener against Penn State in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium.

“The key factor is all that heat,” linebacker Zeke Moreno said. “I’m sure all through Irvine we’re going to emphasize how well-conditioned we need to be.”

That means a lot of running. Between wind sprints, however, Coach Paul Hackett must answer some questions about a team trying to rebound from a disappointing 6-6 record last season, a team now picked to finish at or near the top of the Pacific 10 Conference. USC is ranked 15th in the preseason poll of the Associated Press.

Heading into camp, the defense appears set. Though cornerback Antuan Simmons probably will sit out the season while recuperating from surgery to remove a benign abdominal tumor, nine other starters return.

This veteran group, featuring linebacker Markus Steele and defensive tackle Ennis Davis, led the nation in takeaways last season.

“We realize defense is our strength,” Moreno said. “It comes down to the defense putting its foot down.”

A strong start by Moreno and his teammates could give USC time to sort out its offense, where questions abound.

One piece of good news: Quarterback Carson Palmer returns from a broken collarbone.

Palmer showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman in 1998 and led the Trojans to a 2-0 start in 1999 before his injury sent the team into a tailspin.

The redshirt sophomore has recovered, coaches say, but needs to develop a rhythm with his top returning receivers, Kareem Kelly and Marcell Allmond, sophomores who came of age last season while their quarterback stood on the sideline.

The Trojans must also replace tailback Chad Morton, a 1,000-yard rusher in 1999. Sultan McCullough, Malaefou MacKenzie and Petros Papadakis will compete for the spot in a battle that might stretch two or three games into the season.

Most important, though, USC must improve along the offensive line, where the Trojans have struggled with penalties and inconsistent play.

“It’s been the major focus for the last three years and that hasn’t changed,” Hackett said. “The coming together of that line is really key.”

Much of the responsibility falls on Steve Morton, promoted from tight ends coach last December when Hackett fired former offensive line coach Steve Greatwood.

Morton will look for seniors Brent McCaffrey and Trevor Roberts to fill the left side of the line and another senior, Eric Denmon, to start at center. But the configuration could change with junior Faaesea Mailo and a handful of underclassmen competing for spots.

With so much uncertainty, Hackett expects to spend most of the next three weeks watching his offense. He wants to have the depth chart settled--save for the tailback spot--after the first week or so, leaving the rest of camp to install a game plan for Penn State.

“You block everything else out,” the coach said. “You have practice, walk-throughs, meetings.”

And, of course, time left over for conditioning.

“We’ll run,” Hackett said. “We’ll run a lot.”

Moreno says he is ready, having spent the summer with New Jersey on his mind. He ran sprints and lifted weights, on campus and at home in San Diego, burning away baby fat.

“That was one of my goals,” the senior said. “It’s a mental toughness. I wanted to be highly conditioned going into Penn State.”

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Trojan Tidbits

Key dates this season for the USC football team:

* Training camp schedule: Monday through Aug. 23 at UC Irvine

* First game: Penn State in Kickoff Classic, Aug. 27, at East Rutherford, N.J., 11:30 a.m. PDT, Channel 7

* First Pac-10 game: Oregon State, Sept. 30, at Corvallis, Ore., Time TBA

* vs. UCLA: Nov. 18, at Rose Bowl, Time TBA

* vs. Notre Dame: Nov. 25, at Coliseum, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7