Pollard Status Still Uncertain

As if Utah’s hulking offensive line weren’t enough of a challenge, USC now faces the prospect of playing in the Las Vegas Bowl on Christmas Day without middle linebacker Mike Pollard.

Limping onto the practice field in shorts Saturday, Pollard was relegated to the sideline by a twisted knee he suffered the day before.

“I’ve just got to let it heal a bit,” he said. “There’s a lot of swelling.”

The junior insisted he would be ready by Tuesday’s 12:30 kickoff but Coach Pete Carroll sounded less certain.

“It will be a race to see if he can make it back,” Carroll said. “We’ll miss him if he can’t play.”

Not only does Pollard rank second on the team with 81 tackles, Carroll pointed out, he has also made critical stops against the run on third down, a situation the Trojans could face often against Utah’s three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust ground game.

The USC players had complained, if only a little, about conditions at the Nevada Las Vegas practice site, where they found the field to be uneven and soft in spots. But Pollard, who caught his cleat in the turf and went down untouched during Friday drills, said conditions were not to blame.

“It was a freak thing,” he said.

On Saturday, his spot was filled by Aaron Graham, who competed for the job in summer camp. “All season long I’ve been preparing to be in this situation,” Graham said. The Trojans undersized defense had hoped to bulk up with both Pollard and Graham in the lineup at times, an option now in jeopardy.

“It’s a cause for concern,” Carroll said.

Meanwhile, Utah was still angry about the NCAA declaring one of its defensive stalwarts, Ma’ake Kemoeatu, ineligible for the game.

During the course of the fall semester, the senior nose guard procured several extra textbooks which he gave to his younger brother, Tevita, a nonscholarship player who was not allowed to receive free textbooks.

Under NCAA rules, that constituted an extra benefit.

“[Ma’ake] was helping his brother out,” Coach Ron McBride said. “What he did was against the rules but he wasn’t trying to deceive anybody, he wasn’t trying to steal anything.”

When the books were turned in at the end of the semester, Utah reported the situation to the NCAA, requesting leniency. The appeal was denied.

“This kid has busted his [butt] his whole career,” McBride said. “Obviously I’m not pleased about it.”

*

The teams practiced at separate sites--the Utes a few minutes down the road outside Sam Boyd Stadium--but they met later for an official reception in a sports bar along the Strip. Bowl executives brought along an Elvis impersonator and two showgirls clad in Christmas red and green.

As part of the proceedings, the respective offensive linemen met in a pie-eating contest, which was won by Utah. It was a different story when team members were asked to take turns singing “Blue Christmas” with the guitar-strumming impersonator.

While several Utes warbled a subdued version of the song, USC reserve quarterback Matt Cassel prevailed by ripping the microphone away and launching into a spirited, if sometimes screaming, version of “Blue Suede Shoes.”

Today, the players are scheduled to visit a children’s hospital in the morning.