Byrd Says He Will Play

USC tight end Dominique Byrd donned full pads for the first time in nearly a year Thursday and said he would play for the top-ranked Trojans on Oct. 9 against 10th-ranked California.

“I got a little banging in today, so it feels good,” said Byrd, who is coming off two injuries to his left knee.

Byrd, a junior, had season-ending knee surgery last October after suffering torn ligaments in a game against Stanford. He rehabilitated through the spring and was at full strength when he broke his kneecap playing basketball a week before training camp began.

Byrd said he was not apprehensive about testing the knee.

“When you come off an injury, that’s the mistake some people make -- they go slow,” he said.

Byrd’s return comes at an opportune time for USC because starter Alex Holmes has been nursing a calf injury and back-up Nick Vanderboom had arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday.

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USC announced that all 92,000 seats for the game against Cal have been sold. It is the first Coliseum sellout for a game between the schools since 1930.

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Receiver Steve Smith left practice to have X-rays taken of his left ankle. Smith returned but did not participate in drills. He said X-ray results were negative.... Linebackers Matt Grootegoed and Lofa Tatupu, who sat out earlier in the week because of a concussion and knee injury, respectively, participated in contact drills.... Safety Darnell Bing was not at practice because of a death in his family, Coach Pete Carroll said.

-- Gary Klein