Tight End Davis to Be Trojans’ Young Turk

Not many quarterbacks possess the size and speed of Vince Young, so top-ranked USC is taking an unusual step to prepare for the Texas star.

During the early part of practice Saturday, Trojan tight end Fred Davis lined up behind center against the starting defense, doing his best Young impersonation.

That meant running the option and throwing the occasional pass from the shotgun formation.

“We just wanted to get the feel of tackling a bigger guy,” linebacker coach Rocky Seto said.

Davis played some quarterback at Rogers High in Toledo, Ohio. At 6 feet 4 and 225 pounds, the sophomore is almost as big as Young, if not as quick-footed.

“I’ve got to move around a little bit,” he said of his new role. “Be as fast as I can.”

Coach Pete Carroll said that after watching “tons” of film on the second-ranked Longhorns, he and his staff will finalize their game plan for the Jan. 4 Rose Bowl on Monday, then begin giving it to players when practices resume Tuesday.

At that point, Davis will devote much of his time to receiving duties.

Still, defensive coaches -- who called him “Vince Davis” on Saturday -- plan to keep using him as a stand-in.

“We’ll steal him here and there,” Seto said. “Just to get the looks we need.”

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While Davis tried out his new role, Troy Van Blarcom was experimenting too.

With Carroll and special teams graduate assistant Sam Anno looking on, the freshman kicker took a punting lesson from senior Tom Malone. Coaches said they wanted to see if Van Blarcom, who has never punted before, can apply his strong leg to a new skill.

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This is an important recruiting weekend for USC, with more than a dozen prospects on campus to watch practices. “They get to see a lot more in-depth,” Carroll said. “We like to expose them to the whole experience.” ... Walker Lee Ashley, a defensive line recruit from Minnesota who failed to qualify academically this fall, was among the visitors. He said he had earned the necessary test scores and will move to Los Angeles next month with the intention of enrolling. ... Linebacker Keith Rivers and receiver Patrick Turner continued to show progress in returning from hamstring injuries but again practiced lightly. Linebacker Thomas Williams left early to put ice on his knee, saying: “They’ve told me I’ll be 100% for the game. I’ll get in enough work by then.” ... Receiver Dwayne Jarrett missed the end of practice after his right foot was stepped on, but he said he would be fine.