Carroll Is Ready to Put His Men in Motion

After a week of training camp, USC Coach Pete Carroll and the Trojans are ready for full-speed football. They will get some this afternoon during their first preseason scrimmage.

The situational scrimmage, which starts at 1 p.m. at Howard Jones Field on campus and is open to the public, will allow Carroll to gauge how his players are progressing with their tempo and execution.

“We’ll see how sharp we are,” Carroll said. “This is an important test for us. It’s somewhat of a final for these first eight or nine days here.”

Carroll will also have a chance to assess freshmen and sophomores who are trying to work their way up the depth chart.

“Some of the younger guys who haven’t had a chance to show us how they hit and tackle and how they block will have a chance to make a statement for themselves,” Carroll said.

Freshman tailback Darryl Poston has extra incentive after nearly being switched to cornerback earlier this week because, as he put it Friday, he reported to camp “way low compared to other people mentally and physically.”

Over the last few days, though, Poston has pushed redshirt freshman Chris Howard as starting tailback Sultan McCullough’s backup in the wake of an injury to Malaefou MacKenzie. Poston has a chance to take another step today.

“Hopefully, I’ll show the coaches that I really have heart and I’m really not soft,” Poston said. “I’m just going to come out and bust it.”

*

Sophomore tight end Alex Holmes hopes that a slimmer body and increased mobility will lead to a breakthrough season. Holmes made seven receptions last season for 53 yards, but he is eager to make a bigger contribution in 2001 after dropping 30 pounds through strength coach Chris Carlisle’s rigorous summer conditioning program.

Freshman Mike Patterson, a 294-pound defensive lineman who has been a nice surprise despite reporting to camp 10 to 15 pounds heavier than Carroll would have liked, still needs to drop weight. Even though he may be red-shirted, Patterson said he is working hard to improve his conditioning.

*

The Trojans got some good news when an MRI determined that senior offensive guard Faaesea Mailo suffered no significant injury to his right knee. Redshirt freshman Joe McGuire has impressed coaches in the absence of Mailo, who is expected to return before USC’s opener in two weeks against San Jose State .... Junior receiver Steve Stevenson (knee) and senior fullback Sunny Byrd (back) are expected to return to practice today.