Numbers Game Costly to Some

Freshman Whitney Lewis arrived at training camp overweight, subsequently injured his knee and left USC coaches and players wondering about the supposed jewel of the Trojans’ heralded recruiting class.

But on Tuesday, Coach Pete Carroll rewarded a slimmed-down Lewis by giving him uniform jersey No. 4, the number he wore during a record-breaking career at Ventura St. Bonaventure High.

“This morning, they called me into the office and they’re like, ‘We want you to wear this number now, we feel you deserve it,’ ” said Lewis, a running back and receiver who had been wearing No. 26. “It was a surprise to me.”

For athletes of all ages, uniform numbers are often as much a part of their identity as the skills they show on the field.

So Lewis’ reward turned out to be another setback for junior quarterback Brandon Hance, who was stripped of the No. 4 he wore throughout his high school career, at Purdue and at USC since transferring last year.

“It’s been my number from the day I got here,” Hance said. “I was told that was going to be my number before I even committed. I wore it in team pictures, individual pictures and every day at camp.

“[To be told on] the Tuesday before our first game of the year, in my opinion, is not only unfair timing but just an unfair thing to do.”

Because of his experience as a starter at Purdue, Hance was regarded by many as the favorite to win the starting quarterback job last spring. But Hance was recovering from right shoulder surgery and his arm strength suffered.

After spring practice, Hance had arthroscopic procedures on his arm and his knee. During the summer, he contracted viral meningitis. During training camp, he was hampered by an ankle sprain and bronchitis.

Hance, who is behind Matt Leinart and Matt Cassel on the depth chart, said he was summoned to Carroll’s office on Monday night and was told to choose between numbers 6, 8 and 18. Hance chose 8, which is also worn on defense by starting cornerback Marcell Allmond.

Carroll acknowledged that he would not have switched Hance’s number if he was higher on the depth chart entering Saturday’s opener at Auburn.

“It’s just working through the situation of who is going to play the most at this time,” Carroll said.

Lewis, who said he weighs 220 pounds, has become increasingly involved in team drills the last few days of practice. With fullback Brandon Hancock out of the Auburn game because of a high ankle sprain, Lewis is expected to play multiple snaps.

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Players will wear football-shaped stickers emblazoned with “#54” on their helmets this season in memory of Drean Rucker, an incoming freshman linebacker who drowned in the ocean off Huntington Beach in July.... Freshman running back Chauncey Washington returned to practice after being certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Freshman offensive lineman Fili Moala was declared ineligible and cannot attend USC this semester because Anaheim Western High did not accept two summer school classes. Moala could attend a community college and possibly enroll at USC in the spring. Running back Jody Adewale is still awaiting word on his status.... In other number changes safety Greg Farr was switched from 40 to 26, linebacker Salo Faraimo switched from 37 to 46 and redshirt freshman Kurt Katnik, a tight end and offensive lineman, will wear 85 or 61.