Kelly Eager to Make Amends on the Field

Kareem Kelly returned to practice Wednesday, but not before meeting with Coach Pete Carroll to discuss the car accident that caused him to miss the previous afternoon’s workout.

“He wanted to know the details,” Kelly said. “I told him what happened.”

The junior receiver was reticent to say more. On Tuesday, however, he described the accident as a minor rear-ender that occurred while he was driving his girlfriend’s car in Orange County. No one was hurt.

As for his status as a starter against Arizona Saturday, that decision rests with his coach. “We’ll figure it out by the end of the week,” Carroll said.

Kelly acknowledged the onus is on him to make up for the absence by working hard in practice. His subpar performance against Notre Dame last weekend provides added motivation. How badly does he want to bounce back against the Wildcats?

“Bad,” he said. “Deep down inside I need to have a big game.”

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Team doctors had yet to make an official diagnosis of Bobby Otani’s injured knee as of Wednesday night, but Carroll said it looks fairly certain the reserve linebacker will miss the remainder of the season. That leaves the Trojans perilously thin on defense.

“We might have to play some nickel in some situations to get an extra defensive back out there,” Carroll said. “And it really affects our special teams.”

Another reserve, defensive end Anthony Daye, has a fractured foot, and linebacker Chris Prosser has yet to return from a concussion. Linebacker Matt Grootegoed, recovering from a shoulder injury, practiced lightly but is expected to play.

On offense, fullback Charlie Landrigan will be fitted with an ankle brace and is expected to return today. Tailback Sultan McCullough has been ruled out of Saturday’s game barring an unexpected recovery from a lingering abdominal strain.

“I’m getting treatment every day but I can’t tell if it’s working,” McCullough said. “It’s getting frustrating.”

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It should come as no surprise that the Trojans, while spending a good deal of this week preparing for Arizona, are also focusing on goal-line situations and kickoff coverage.

At a crucial juncture in last weekend’s loss, the offense was unable to score on three short-yardage running plays. “We cannot get that close and not convert,” Carroll said.

Part of the problem, tackle Eric Torres said, was that USC had little game film of Notre Dame in its goal-line defense. When the Irish showed a different formation, the Trojan line became confused.

“We should have been smart enough to make the adjustment,” Torres said. “Now we’re concentrating on all the details, getting prepared for any kind of looks they give us out there.”

The kickoff team, meanwhile, surrendered 119 yards in returns and continually gave the Irish good field position. Carroll said the Trojans will practice a variety of gimmicks such as high, short kicks and squibs.