Freshman Is Eye-Catching

USC Coach Pete Carroll ran his team through the first day of training camp Monday and came away impressed with his players’ aggressiveness and the tempo of their two workouts.

The Trojans were enthusiastic during a crisp 2 1/2-hour practice in the morning and maintained their energy level during 2 hours 15 minutes of drills in the afternoon heat. It was the beginning of three weeks of preparation for USC’s Sept. 2 opener against Auburn at the Coliseum.

“It was a fine first day,” said Carroll, who begins his second season with the Trojans. “We’re off to a very good start.”

Carroll liked what he saw from quarterback Carson Palmer, receivers Jason Mitchell and Mike Williams and offensive lineman Jacob Rogers among others, but no one made a better impression than offensive lineman Fred Matua.

Senior Zach Wilson suffered a foot sprain during the morning session, so Matua, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound freshman from Wilmington Banning High, worked at guard with the first team for most of the day and was not intimidated by the assignment.

“I didn’t come here to sit behind anyone,” Matua said. “I’m going up against some great players and learning from some experienced players. If you don’t want to compete, you shouldn’t be at USC.”

Carroll said Matua’s aggressiveness and quickness off the snap made him stand out.

“He has a lot to learn and I don’t know where it’s going to take us right now, but he’s made a great first impression,” Carroll said.

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Junior Marcell Allmond, attempting to move from receiver to cornerback, made a leaping interception during a seven-on-seven drill and moved well despite nursing a sore right calf and knee.

Allmond injured his calf during a pre-training camp workout. He injured his knee last week when he was hit by a car while crossing the street near his campus apartment.

“A lady turned right on a red light and didn’t see me,” Allmond said. “I flew back into the curb and hit my knee on the ground, and got some abrasions on my arm.

“My right leg is real sore, but I’m making progress. It feels fine when I’m running--it’s just when I stop.”

Allmond is one of several contenders for a role. Despite missing last season after being suspended from school for fighting with other students, he is confident he is in the mix on defense.

“The coaches say the starters are etched in sand,” Allmond said. “That says to me, there’s opportunity to play.”

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The Trojans performed special teams drills Monday and will practice game-situation field-goal attempts and conversion kicks today.

“I don’t think we’re kicking the ball particularly well right now in any phase of it,” Carroll said. “I didn’t see anyone kicking the ball just killing it.”

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Quarterback Billy Hart, a redshirt freshman expected to challenge for a backup role, and junior offensive lineman Nate Steinbacher, ran on the sidelines but did not participate in morning or afternoon drills because they have not passed the team’s conditioning test of interval sprints. Both players are recovering from off-season injuries.

Junior linebacker Chris Prosser and senior tight end Scott Huber also did not take part in the morning workout, but passed the test in the afternoon and participated in drills.

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Wilson suffered a foot sprain in the morning and was on crutches later. He is expected to miss a few days.... Defensive tackle Bernard Riley, who missed spring practice because of a knee injury, sat out most of the afternoon workout while icing his knee. “It’s going to take some time,” Carroll said. “He’s not able to go twice a day right now.” ... Linebacker Matt Grootegoed, returning from a broken leg suffered against California last Nov. 10, worked with the second defensive group. “We wanted to make sure not to overwork him the first day back,” Carroll said.