Push Comes to Shove During Practice

Any fears that No. 2-ranked USC would take its second of three bye weeks lightly were dispelled quickly and many times over during the Trojans’ practice Wednesday.

Good-natured hooting and hollering between the first-team offense and first-team defense was rampant before a fight broke out near the end of practice between linebacker Lofa Tatupu and offensive tackle Winston Justice.

As they were separated, teammates showered the two with water while shouting, “They’re roommates!”

“It was just in the heat of the game,” Justice said with a laugh. “It wasn’t really a real fight. We were just messing around, pushing each other. We’re fine. That’s my roommate. That’s my dog.

“The fight don’t mean nothing. He beat me up this time, though. He beat me up pretty good. He’s got leverage on me.”

Justice is 6 feet 6, 300 pounds, Tatupu 6 feet, 225 pounds.

“The word for the week is ‘compete,’ so naturally it’s going to happen,” a sheepish Tatupu said. “He blocked me, I got frustrated. It was my fault. I don’t even think he threw [punches] at all. I think he was just trying to hold me off. I snapped.”

Coach Pete Carroll, though, liked what he saw.

“If you do it right, if you compete hard enough ... it’s going to go like that,” he said.

Receiver William Buchanon, who has sat out more than a week of practice because of a lower back problem, said he has a bulge in his back but is awaiting further test results. Running back Reggie Bush (sore thigh) sat out practice, as did linebacker Melvin Simmons (sore leg).