Carroll Likes the Progress He Sees

The USC coaching staff had film to watch Sunday and preparations to make for Saturday’s opener against San Jose State, but the players got a day of rest after making it through training camp.

“We worked hard,” receiver Kareem Kelly said. “And we worked over the summer too.”

Coach Pete Carroll was generally satisfied with his first college camp in almost two decades. He believes his team adapted well to new schemes on offense and defense--and, other than a cracked tibia that will keep backup offensive guard Derek Graf on the sideline for two months, the Trojans suffered only a handful of minor injuries.

“Now we get our legs back and the kids transition into school too,” Carroll said.

Several players emerged as pleasant surprises during the last two weeks, the most obvious Grant Mattos.

The junior college transfer showed himself to be a dependable receiver, not as fleet as returning starters Kelly and Keary Colbert, but considerably stronger. He is a larger version of last season’s possession receiver, Matt Nickels, whose No. 87 Mattos has adopted.

“That’s what they told me,” Mattos said. “They had an H position I fit into.”

On defense, lineman Kenechi Udeze “came out of nowhere” to win a starting spot, Carroll said. The redshirt freshman lost considerable weight in summer conditioning, making him faster getting around the edge on the pass rush. He will split time at end with freshman Shaun Cody, who might be better against the run but must improve getting to the quarterback.

Carroll also was pleased with tailback Sultan McCullough, who had little to prove after gaining 1,163 yards last season but pushed himself nonetheless. He finished camp with a nifty, darting touchdown run during a simulated game at the Coliseum. “He has shown explosiveness,” Carroll said.

Though the spread offense emphasizes ball-control drives through short passes, McCullough should be able to exploit the seams in defenses that are stretched to cover multiple receivers. That could open things up for the passing attack.

“I am hoping [McCullough] can really make a big difference for us,” Carroll said.

The spread, which has looked a little more synchronized each day, will get another boost if tailback Malaefou MacKenzie, who is talented at catching the ball out of the backfield, can recover from a minor knee injury that has kept him out of practice.

MacKenzie is expected back Tuesday.