Malone Is Eager to Bounce Back

USC punter Tom Malone was happy to get back on the practice field Monday after suffering through a long weekend.

Malone, a freshman, averaged 36.9 yards on 11 punts in USC’s 27-20 loss to Kansas State on Saturday. Three short kicks went out of bounds and a 12-yard punt in the third quarter set up a 29-yard, three-play scoring drive by Kansas State that gave the Wildcats’ a 13-point lead.

“I thought about it a lot,” Malone said. “I was real disappointed. I felt I let the team down.

“The wind, and the way it affected my drop, just got a little in my mind. I was trying to do too many things and I was just kicking it bad.”

Malone struggled again at the outset of practice. He shanked a kick during a drill and was ordered off the field by special teams coach Kennedy Pola.

“That was a bad kick and that’s not how I should have responded after what happened--I should have come out and killed it,” said Malone, who is averaging 40.9 yards on 18 punts this season.

Tommy Huff, a transfer from Michigan, took a few kicks until Malone returned and finished by kicking several long, high spirals.

“[The break] gave me a chance to think about things,” Malone said. “I came back and kicked well.

“The next few days will be real big for me, and a lot of it will be trying to get things straightened out. I’m not too worried about it. I think I can kick through it.”

Coach Pete Carroll apparently agrees. Asked if Malone was competing for the position, Carroll said, “Tommy Malone is punting for us.”

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Starting left cornerback Ronald Nunn underwent an MRI exam on his right knee and said he is bracing for bad news when he learns the results today.

Nunn, a junior transfer from City College of San Francisco, was injured covering a receiver away from the ball against Kansas State. He said doctors told him he might have a torn anterior cruciate ligament or a severe sprain.

“[Sunday] when I came in and got treatment, there wasn’t any swelling,” Nunn said. “Unfortunately, when I got home it got a little puffy on me.”

If Nunn tore the ligament, he would probably undergo surgery and become a redshirt. Nunn became a starter after senior Kevin Arbet broke a foot and was forced to use a redshirt season.

William Buchanon, a redshirt freshman, replaced Nunn against Kansas State and could start in his place Saturday against Oregon State. Carroll said freshman Justin Wyatt and junior Marcell Allmond also are competing for the spot.

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Tight end Alex Holmes caught his first pass this season against Kansas State and is hoping to parlay that reception into more opportunities.

Holmes was regarded as the frontrunner to start after catching 22 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns last season. But Gregg Guenther moved ahead of him during training camp and caught three passes against Colorado.

“I absolutely, 100% have not been playing to my capability--that’s the bottom line,” Holmes said. “My expectations were to have a huge year, a breakout season. It just hasn’t started that way.”

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Walk-on receiver Greig Carlson played for the first time against Kansas State, returning three punts for 23 yards.

“It was kind of overwhelming at first, but it was fun as soon as I got the first one,” said Carlson, a redshirt freshman from Palisades High. “I was told to stay ready. I’m hoping to get more chances and hopefully break one.”