Injury to Kicker Wall Keeps Bell on His Toes

Kicker John Wall remained on the sideline because of a lingering groin injury while USC practiced in chilly weather Wednesday evening.

“We may be kicking with David Bell,” Coach Paul Hackett said. “We won’t make a decision until the last minute.”

Bell, who usually handles kickoffs and long field-goal attempts, was pressed into full duty last week against Washington State. His only field-goal attempt, from 42 yards, hit an upright.

Hackett praised the senior for remaining diligent as the Trojans tried Wall and David Newbury ahead of him this season, but all that hard work went only so far in preparing Bell for game situations.

“You can come out here and make them all day, but get in a game and it’s a completely different feeling,” he said. “You’ve got to keep your rhythm no matter how fast guys are coming at you.”

Bell ended practice by making a 50-yard field goal. He said that, while kicking in practice, he often imagines himself making a game-winner with the clock ticking down.

“I think all kickers do that,” he said. “As soon as you come [to USC], you imagine yourself doing it to UCLA.”

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When Arizona State announced the firing of Coach Bruce Snyder on Wednesday, Hackett got a sad, but familiar, feeling.

“Unfortunately, it’s part of our profession,” he said. “We’ve all felt that twinge.”

An old friend of Hackett’s, Snyder has coached the Sun Devils to a 5-5 record despite losing a handful of quarterbacks and running backs to injury. Part of his undoing might have been a double-overtime loss to USC earlier this month.

“I’m surprised,” said Hackett, also on the hot seat with a struggling team. “I thought he did an unusually good job.”

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Carson Palmer heard the news about Snyder too. The USC quarterback said he and his teammates have tried to ignore rumors about Hackett being fired, but sometimes find it difficult.

“He recruited a lot of us and we all want him back,” Palmer said. “We don’t want to go through a coaching change. It’s scary all the stuff you hear.”

Palmer expressed admiration for the way his coach has handled the criticism.

“Unbelievable,” he said. “Everybody hates him and he comes back fired up for practice the next day.”

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With the UCLA game only days away, Palmer had a talk with his top receiver, Kareem Kelly, who has been frustrated with his performance this season.

“I just said, look, I know how good you are and you know how good you are,” Palmer said. “This is a chance to work on our game.”

The chat reportedly did some good.

“You can tell when Kareem gets going,” Palmer said. “He has a lot more juice and rhythm in practice.”

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Markus Steele’s sprained ankle has improved to the point where the linebacker might start against UCLA, depending on how he performs in practice today.

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UCLA Coach Bob Toledo was also a bit subdued at the news of Snyder’s firing. The coaches and their families are friends, and Snyder’s daughter Paige attends UCLA and assists in the Bruins’ recruiting.

Snyder led the Sun Devils to the 1997 Rose Bowl. His record at Arizona State is 57-44.

“It’s a sign of the times, and it’s unfortunate,” Toledo said. “You can’t win all the time.”

Snyder probably could have been coach for life in Berkeley after reviving the dormant California program and leading the Golden Bears to back-to-back bowl berths, including a Citrus Bowl appearance that marked the Bears’ first New Year’s Day bowl game in 33 years. He left Cal for Arizona State, for better championship opportunities and for roughly triple the salary.

“Sometimes people are ambitious and they want to better themselves. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Toledo said. “But I’m at a point in my career where I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

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The big blue “CITY CHAMPIONS” sign has disappeared, the one that graced the Bruins’ practice field and recorded UCLA victories over USC each year from 1991-98. The Trojans are not guilty of stealing the sign.

“It just fell down by itself and shattered [at practice the other day],” offensive lineman Brian Polak said. “We all heard this crashing noise.”

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