White Back; Bush Leaves Early

It was only five days, but LenDale White said it felt like “forever.”

White, USC’s leading rusher the last two years, returned to practice Friday for the first time since suffering a toe injury last Sunday.

“That’s my first time in full pads,” White said. “It felt good to get back out there. I feel fast now.”

White was injured when tight end Dale Thompson stepped on his left foot and cracked the nail on White’s big toe. White suffered a similar injury last year when former offensive lineman John Drake did the same thing.

“They peeled the nail back -- it’s just pretty much meat and skin,” White said. “I put squishy pads on top of it, so I really don’t think about it.”

Coach Pete Carroll’s happiness about White’s return was tempered by concern about running back Reggie Bush.

Bush, a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, did not practice on Tuesday because of groin tightness. He was pulled out for the same reason on Friday shortly after practice began.

“We want everybody out here, it’s just good for feeling the continuity and you feel all the parts going and working in the same direction,” Carroll said. “We still haven’t really got it yet.”

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Freshmen Rey Maualuga and Luthur Brown are getting extended looks as the Trojans continue their search for a replacement for All-American middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, now with the Seattle Seahawks.

“Coach Carroll’s model is the best players play, so he’s just trying to see who’s got that and who’s got this to go in and play right away,” Maualuga said.

Carroll said the freshmen have impressed him.

“At this time, when we’ve installed basically all the things for camp, that’s pretty good that they’re still hanging in there,” Carroll said. “Now you’ve just got to clean it up and be more consistent.”

Junior Oscar Lua and seniors Ryan Powdrell and Collin Ashton also have worked with the first-team defense as USC prepares for its Sept. 3 opener at Hawaii.

With starting strong-side linebacker Dallas Sartz nursing a hip injury, freshman Brian Cushing is getting multiple repetitions with the first-team defense. Cushing intercepted a pass in a scrimmage on Wednesday.

“His spot is a little more conducive to learning it in fast order,” Carroll said.

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Defensive ends Chris Barrett and Kyle Moore are making a push for playing time after Jeff Schweiger’s foot injury.

Schweiger is expected to sit out at least seven more weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a bone that was broken on the first day of training camp.

Barrett, a third-year sophomore, switched back to the defensive line after a move to tight end last season.

Barrett sat out a day because of back spasms but practiced Friday and is backing up Frostee Rucker.

Moore, a freshman, had three sacks in Wednesday’s scrimmage while playing behind Lawrence Jackson. The performance prompted Carroll to try Moore at both end spots.

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Offensive lineman Drew Radovich, who suffered a concussion on Tuesday, is regarded as day to day, Carroll said.