Nazel Hopes to Play in Bowl

Defensive end Omar Nazel, who had not practiced since being declared out for the season after thumb surgery five weeks ago, worked out with USC on Sunday night and said he hoped to play in the Rose Bowl.

Nazel still has a cast on his right wrist and must receive clearance from team doctors to participate in contact drills. He observed, took part in non-contact drills and performed sprints with junior end Kenechi Udeze, who is nursing a shoulder injury.

The Trojans went through a two-hour workout after having two days off.

“You just wake up and you realize that you’re missing something in your life, and football was it,” Nazel said. “It wasn’t any girls, any money, any rest time, any sleep. There was nothing that could fill that void in my life. That’s why I’m trying to come back.”

Coach Pete Carroll said Nazel is scheduled to have a pin removed from his thumb Tuesday and will meet with team doctors to find out whether he can be cleared to play.

“We’ll just see what happens,” Carroll said. “I’m not going to hold any great expectations for it until they release him.”

Nazel, a senior, dislocated his thumb against Notre Dame on Oct. 18. He came back from a surgical procedure to play against Washington State on Nov. 1, but had another operation before the Trojans played Arizona two weeks later.

Sophomore Frostee Rucker played in Nazel’s spot as the Trojans concluded the regular season.

Nazel said he has been performing lower-body weightlifting workouts and running.

“They’ve been doing wonderful without me,” Nazel said. “I would hate to try and force myself into this. I’m just going to let it roll.”

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Senior cornerback Kevin Arbet, who has sat out all or nearly all of the last two seasons because of a foot injury that required surgery in consecutive years, said that paperwork is complete to petition for a sixth year of eligibility and that it would be submitted after the Rose Bowl. Arbet started against Auburn and Brigham Young this season, but was in pain throughout.... All-American senior tackle Jacob Rogers sat out most of practice after another player stepped on Rogers’ right foot. Rogers said he would have X-rays today, but he did not think the injury was serious.... Junior linebacker Matt Grootegoed remains sidelined and is scheduled to have an MRI exam this week on his left ankle. Grootegoed’s injury, initially a high ankle sprain suffered against Stanford on Oct. 11, includes torn ligaments that could require off-season surgery.