Reed to Miss the Rest of Season

Desmond Reed, a multidimensional running back and special teams standout for USC, will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury suffered against Notre Dame, Coach Pete Carroll said Monday.

Reed tore the anterior cruciate ligament and also sustained other damage to his right knee when he turned awkwardly while attempting to field a kickoff during the Trojans’ 34-31 victory.

“He’s had a fantastic impact on our special teams and whenever he gets in the games he’s done tremendous things,” Carroll said. “We’re going to miss him a lot.”

Cornerback Justin Wyatt replaced Reed and joined Reggie Bush for kickoff returns against Notre Dame. But with the Trojan cornerback corps already thinned by injury, safety Darnell Bing is the most likely choice to replace Reed on kickoff returns for Saturday’s game at Washington, Carroll said.

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Bush rushed for 160 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 36, 45 and nine yards against Notre Dame. During his weekly news conference, Fighting Irish Coach Charlie Weis was asked if he would cast his ballot for Bush if he had a vote for the Heisman Trophy.

“After the game we just played, would anyone not vote for Reggie?” Weis said.

Weis said that Bush pushed quarterback Matt Leinart into the end zone on the winning touchdown, but called it “a heads-up play.”

“Is that illegal? Yes it’s illegal,” Weis said. “Would I do the same thing? Absolutely.”

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Carroll met with his players for the first time since Saturday’s emotionally draining victory and told them they could not allow “the distraction” of the Notre Dame experience to affect their preparation for Washington.

“We talked about how it can be a factor and is a factor for a lot of teams that go through something like that,” Carroll said.

Carroll made Bush off-limits to the media on Monday because he said he was “concerned about what we just went through.”

The team gave a collective shrug when asked what it meant to be No. 1 in the first bowl championship series standings.

“It’s where you finish,” receiver Dwayne Jarrett said.

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Jarrett, who had double vision through most of the fourth quarter against Notre Dame, practiced and said he was fine. Jarrett caught a 61-yard pass to set up the winning touchdown despite blurriness that resulted when he fell face-first into the ground while attempting to make an earlier catch.

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Senior linebacker Dallas Sartz, who has not played since dislocating his left shoulder against Arkansas, said he would have surgery a week from today and take a medical redshirt.

“It was tough decision at first; no one ever wants to sit out their senior year with a great team like we have right now,” Sartz said.

Carroll said cornerbacks Mozique McCurtis and Will Harris might redshirt. Freshmen Kevin Thomas and Cary Harris played against Notre Dame and will not redshirt, according to Carroll.

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Cornerback William Buchanon did not practice because he aggravated a right hip injury while playing on special teams against Notre Dame.... Safety Josh Pinkard worked at Buchanon’s spot and said he would be ready if needed.

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USC’s athletic department balanced its budget for the third year in a row according to a report all schools are required to file as part of the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act of 1994. USC reported total expenses and revenues of $60,732,435, an increase of $7.7 million from the previous year. The football program generated $29.2 million in revenues on expenses of $16.7 million.

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NBC announced that the USC-Notre Dame game would be replayed in high definition today at 5 and 9 p.m. on the Universal HD channel, which is available on DirecTV and a number of cable television systems.

Times staff writer Larry Stewart contributed to this report.