McCullough Takes Big Step

No one has ever doubted Sultan McCullough’s speed. It’s his durability that has been called into question.

The sophomore took a step toward answering his skeptics--and gained an upper hand in the battle for tailback--by carrying 21 times for 154 yards as USC held an afternoon scrimmage Wednesday.

While McCullough showed characteristic verve with a 23-yard touchdown run on his first carry, he was perhaps more impressive with a shorter run late in the day.

Hit by defenders at the three-yard line, he spun and fought his way into the end zone.

“I know I can do that,” he said. “I can break some tackles.”

The Trojans figure they will need to be tough in the season opener against Penn State on Aug. 27. USC coaches were happy to get such play from a back who also runs sprints for the track team.

“That track business . . . he’s starting to put that behind him,” Coach Paul Hackett said. “He’s getting up the field and that was the concern we had.”

USC spent much of the day focused on the ground game. It was supposed to be a duel between McCullough and his biggest competition at tailback, Malaefou MacKenzie. But MacKenzie quickly sliced his hand on a tackler’s helmet, leaving the lion’s share of the work to the speedster.

“He looked great but I’m not surprised,” quarterback Carson Palmer said of McCullough. “He’s been running like that all week in camp.”

For his part, Palmer looked a little rusty completing 11 of 18 passes for 128 yards. His best passes came early in the day, beginning with a 47-yard throw to Kareem Kelly along the right sideline.

Next, he lofted an 18-yard pass down the left side where Kelly leaped over a defender, tipped the ball with one hand and caught it as he fell to his back in the end zone.

“We had a couple of drives,” Palmer said. “Then we had to focus on the run.”

And with the Trojans scrimmaging for a game-like 3 1/2 hours, the thrills eventually deteriorated into a few more missed blocks, false starts and dropped passes than the coaches would have preferred.

Afterward, Hackett talked to the team about being in good condition. He also worried that every yard McCullough gained was a yard his veteran defense surrendered.

“We have to hunker down,” he said. “The defense has got to stop the run.”

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Hackett will announce a starting kicker soon and, if Wednesday was any indication, the decision might already be made.

David Newbury made three of five attempts with one of his misses, from 48 yards, falling only a few yards short. The other kickers, David Bell and John Wall, made one of two attempts each.

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As the day wore on, the freshmen got more and more snaps. Running back Chris Howard broke a 67-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Matt Cassel completed eight of 14 passes for 145 yards.

Though MacKenzie required stitches in his hand, he is expected to return to practice this week. . . . Tight end Antoine Harris continues to struggle with a sore hamstring and scrimmaged only briefly.. . . USC has added another freshman defensive lineman. Malcolm Wooldridge played last season at Hargrove Military Academy in Chatham, Va.