Rout Supports Comeback Bids

Five catches for 32 yards.

Not exactly a breakout night for tight end Dominique Byrd.

Eleven carries for 55 yards.

Hershel Dennis has had better games.

But numbers tell only part of the story. For Byrd and Dennis, USC players trying to forge comebacks of different kinds, the parts they played in Saturday’s 42-12 victory at Washington State meant more than statistics could measure.

Midway through last season, Byrd was starting at tight end and had the look of a rising star in the Trojan offense. Then a knee injury put him on the sideline through spring. A week before training camp, he broke his kneecap and missed the first four games this fall.

“I would never wish an injury on anybody,” he said. “I spent a lot of time doing my rehab ... just thinking about the next chance I would get to play.”

The coaching staff is eager to have him back in the lineup but has proceeded cautiously.

“He was injured for so long,” tight end coach Brennan Carroll said. “He just needs the confidence in his body being able to handle the burden.”

Against Washington State, Byrd’s five receptions made him the team’s leading receiver. Quarterback Matt Leinart spread the ball among eight players.

But Carroll said Byrd still needs to get lower on his blocks, a matter of conditioning, and Byrd could not help thinking about a pass that got away.

Late in the first half, he got his hands on a ball in the end zone for a tantalizing moment, only to have a defensive back knock it loose.

“When you can’t play, it makes you very hungry, you want to catch every ball,” Byrd said. “I guess there’s always something to get better at.”

The situation is somewhat different for Dennis, who started at tailback last season but has been eclipsed by the duo of LenDale White and Reggie Bush. This summer, he fell even further behind when he was suspended almost a month for violating team rules.

At the time, police sources said, he was the focus of a sexual assault investigation. Dennis, however, was not named as a suspect and no charges were filed.

“I think about it a lot,” he said of his time away. “I wish I could contribute more.”

Offensive coordinator Norm Chow said, “We’ve had a couple of talks and obviously he’s frustrated. He’s a competitive young guy. You can’t blame him.”

With USC opening a big lead Saturday night, Dennis got a shot at some extended duty.

Early in the fourth quarter, he strung together two carries of 13 yards each. Later, he had three runs for 13 more yards.

“Every carry, every time I touch the field, I’m making up for lost time,” he said. “I’ve learned that I can’t give up.”

That’s how it is when you’re trying to make a comeback.

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Comeback Kids

A game-by-game look at USC tight end Dominique Byrd and running back Hershel Dennis. Listed games are games Byrd and Dennis participated in:

*--* HERSHEL DENNIS Opponent Carries Yards Average TD Brigham Young 3 18 6.0 0 Stanford 1 1 1.0 0 Arizona State 5 19 3.8 0 Washington 4 12 3.0 0 Washington State 11 55 5.0 0 Total 24 105 4.4 0

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*--* DOMINIQUE BYRD Opponent Catches Yards Average TD California 0 0 0 0 Arizona State 3 49 16.3 0 Washington 5 57 11.4 0 Washington State 5 32 6.4 0 Total 13 138 10.6 0

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