Kelly Gets an Earful From Hackett

As USC began preparations for UCLA with a full-pads practice Tuesday, a solemn Kareem Kelly talked about his disappointing season and the stinging words he heard from his coach last Saturday.

Kelly leads the team in receptions but has only two touchdown catches and is behind the pace he set last season, when he was the conference freshman of the year.

“I’ve been putting too much pressure on myself instead of just playing,” he said. “I’m thinking too much.”

Coach Paul Hackett had harsh words for Kelly at halftime against Washington State, a game in which the sophomore fumbled near the end zone and had a pass bounce out of his arms for an interception.

“I got a little carried away,” Hackett said. “And he fell under my wrath.”

Said Kelly: “I didn’t really expect to hear that from my head coach. . . . It caught me off guard.”

Though he caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter, Kelly sat out the fourth because of abdominal pain, an injury he refused to discuss, saying only, “I can’t have any more games like that.”

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Markus Steele did not practice Tuesday but was scheduled to meet with doctors later in the evening to have his ankle examined. Hackett was hopeful he would be cleared to play Saturday.

Center Eric Denmon also continues to improve and could be available to play sparingly.