Seizing the Moment

Brian Cushing heard and ultimately could not ignore Coach Pete Carroll’s siren song.

Cushing, a freshman linebacker from New Jersey, knew first-year players had played key roles for USC during the Trojans’ run to three consecutive bowl championship series games and two Associated Press national titles in a row.

But Cushing was a realist: Nearly all of USC’s freshman sensations played on offense.

So Cushing is as surprised as anyone that, 11 months after signing a national letter of intent with USC, he will start for the top-ranked Trojans against second-ranked Texas in the Rose Bowl.

“It’s crazy,” Cushing said after practice last week. “I mean, there are certain schools I was looking at that I knew I wouldn’t be playing in the national championship game, never mind starting.”

When USC resumes practice today, the Trojans will begin final preparations for their match-up against a Longhorn team that averaged a nation-leading 50.9 points a game en route to a 12-0 record.

Cushing is one of several true freshmen who fortified a defense that helped USC complete its second consecutive unbeaten regular season.

Safety Kevin Ellison and linebacker Rey Maualuga also figured prominently in key games, and linebacker Kaluka Maiava and end Kyle Moore are among others who impressed in more limited roles.

Carroll said the influx of first-year players on defense was born of talent and necessity.

“Early on, you could tell they were physically capable, which translated into a sense of urgency to push them ahead,” said Carroll, also the Trojans’ defensive coordinator.

Defensive lineman Shaun Cody started eight games as a freshman in 2001, but USC’s reputation for using players only months removed from high school was built mainly on offense.

Tackle Winston Justice became a poster boy for the philosophy after moving into the starting lineup before the second game of his freshman season in 2002. Receiver Mike Williams also had a breakout season as the Trojans finished 11-2.

Running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White arrived the next year and played prominent roles for a team that finished 12-1 and won the AP title. Last year, split end Dwayne Jarrett helped the Trojans to an unbeaten season.

“Running back and receiver, those are the easiest spots for guys to jump up and play right off the bat,” Carroll said.

Defense was another story.

Cody started and fellow tackle Mike Patterson played extensively in 2001, but true freshmen served mainly on special teams and in spot roles during Carroll’s first four years.

(Safety Darnell Bing started in 2003 after sitting out the 2002 season because he did not qualify for admission.)

“We’re running an NFL-caliber defense and it’s really hard to pick up for young guys,” junior middle linebacker Oscar Lua said.

This year’s freshman class, however, proved a quick study.

Ellison gave himself a head start by graduating from El Segundo High a semester early and enrolling at USC in January so he could participate in spring practice.

“In the spring, things were a lot slower,” Ellison said. “We were practicing three, four times a week and I got a chance to learn the defense. Going into [training] camp, I was able to just focus on playing, instead of worrying about my assignments.”

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Ellison played more than a quarter in the opener against Hawaii after Bing injured a hip. He played during the fourth quarter of the Trojans’ rout over Arkansas and was installed at linebacker in obvious passing situations against Oregon.

But Ellison made his biggest mark the following week in the Trojans’ comeback victory at Arizona State. In the fourth quarter, receiver Derek Hagan mishandled a pass. As the ball fell, Ellison extended his body horizontally and intercepted, setting up USC’s final touchdown. Unfortunately for Ellison, he also suffered a season-ending knee injury on the play.

Ellison, who is rehabilitating after surgery, said the learning curve had just begun.

“That was just one play,” he said recently. “You don’t arrive with one play.”

Cushing and Maualuga are part of a talented group of freshman linebackers that also includes Maiava and Luthur Brown, who ended up as a redshirt because of a back injury.

Cushing, 6-4 and 235 pounds, got extensive work with the first unit during training camp because returning strong-side linebacker Dallas Sartz was nursing a hip injury. Against Hawaii, Cushing displayed a nose for the ball, forcing a fumble that led to a touchdown.

Sartz suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Arkansas, but Cushing was unable to capitalize on the opportunity because he also had injured a shoulder in practice before the game.

Cushing, however, played in the last six games and started the final three. He credits Sartz for helping him thrive.

“There are so many more things to look for,” said Cushing, who had a team-best seven tackles against California and has recovered two fumbles, forced another and blocked a kick. “It’s not just running plays on first and second down and throw the ball on third down. I mean, it’s not high school ball anymore. The mental game is so much bigger here.”

Like Cushing, Maualuga was drawn to USC by opportunity. As an All-American at Eureka High in Northern California, he knew freshmen typically stood out for the Trojans on offense, but also was aware that the team was losing All-American linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Matt Grootegoed.

“I knew there would be some rotations and some opportunities for me to go in there,” he said.

Maualuga, 6-3 and 250, played on special teams and backed up Lua and Thomas Williams throughout a season that also has included two off-the-field situations.

Maualuga, whose father is suffering from cancer, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery in November, after allegedly punching another man at a party near campus. No charges have been filed.

Nevertheless, Maualuga has thrived. In the regular-season finale against UCLA, he made a team-best nine tackles.

“Every time he’s been on the field, it seems like he’s made a play,” Carroll said.

Cushing and Maualuga probably will be tested by a Texas offense that features multitalented quarterback Vince Young. Neither appears overcome by the opportunity or the grand stage provided by the BCS championship game.

“After the game I’ll probably say, ‘Wow!’ ” Cushing said. “But right now, it is what it is, so I’ll practice hard and look back afterward.”