NEW WORLD DISORDER

Someone brought a skateboard around, so Patrick Turner figured what the heck.

Surely the vaunted freshman receiver, already penciled in as a star at USC, the second coming of Mike Williams, could handle himself on a simple skateboard.

With teammates and others -- including a group of dancers -- hanging around a plaza behind Heritage Hall a few weeks ago, he stepped onboard and gave a push.

“Oh that,” he recalled with a bashful smile, in a languid Tennessee accent. “That was stupid.”

The board went one way. The lanky Turner, all 6 feet 5 inches of him, went another.

“I landed on my back,” he said. “The dance girls were right over there.”

That awkward moment has not been the only lesson Turner learned the hard way this fall. Chalk it up to being a freshman far from home, advancing to the next level of football, acclimating to college classes and dorm life and a million other things that can wear on an 18-year-old.

This season, the Trojans signed a 15-man recruiting class -- rated among the best in the nation -- filled with young players expected to bolster the team’s run for a third consecutive national championship.

Young players who are facing all sorts of unfamiliar situations, on the field and off, with the added pressure of joining a top-ranked program that is under the microscope.

As sophomore defensive lineman Sedrick Ellis said: “Being a freshman is a weird experience ... you don’t know what’s in store for you.”

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The Wall

USC freshman football players live their first academic year in a university complex across the street from campus. Usually, two players share an apartment with two non-athletes.

Turner was matched with Kyle Moore, a defensive end from Georgia who is also thousands of miles from home. “Of course I’m homesick ... I miss my mom,” Moore said. “But I love college.”

On the practice field, veteran offensive linemen such as Winston Justice welcomed the new guy, knocking the high school All-American on his behind a few times. Justice grinned and said: “After I beat him, I tell him what he did wrong.”

But away from the game, Moore said that older teammates have been more generous, helping him find his way around.

The pace has been hectic for a young man who is laid-back, often laughing, teased by other players who call him “Country.” In addition to practices, workouts and film sessions, he must keep up with classes that are tougher than what he took in high school.

Pete Carroll watches freshmen for signs of burnout, the so-called “wall” they all hit at some point. The coach said: “They’re going to pick up a lot of stuff quickly, then it’s going to overwhelm them.”

Moore said that he and Turner hit the wall at about the same time, a week or so after the season and classes began.

“All the work and the schoolwork came in, and tutoring and practice at the same time,” he said. “You get tired every day. Super tired.”

At which point Moore said he learned an important lesson: “You’ve got to keep going. Even if you’re tired, you’ve got to go.”

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The Fall

As a cornerback, Kevin Thomas seemed to arrive at USC at the perfect time. The Trojans needed plenty of help at his position.

Returning starter Eric Wright had left school after police found illegal drugs in his apartment. New starter Terrell Thomas suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game, against Arkansas.

The situation seemed tailor-made for the freshman from Oxnard Rio Mesa High who, from the beginning, had been confident in his ability.

“Real confident,” senior cornerback Justin Wyatt said.

But this wasn’t high school. Through training camp and into the season, Thomas found himself struggling in practice, making mistakes, mired down the depth chart. There were times he grew depressed.

The coaches doubted his work ethic, and he knew it.

“I tend not to show a sense of urgency,” he said during camp. “I need to get that out of my system. I have to get out of that habit real soon.”

There was also the daunting challenge of facing receivers such as Steve Smith, Dwayne Jarrett and Turner in practice each day. Wyatt could see what Thomas was going through.

“In high school, if you’re a stud, nobody’s going to beat you,” the veteran said. “You get to college, you might get beat 50% of the time. You’ve got to learn how to manage your head.”

Still, there was little question about Thomas’ potential. He played against Arkansas, recording the first tackle of his college career, and by last week was on the cusp of becoming the No. 3 cornerback.

Then, last Wednesday, the lithe defensive back spent practice on the sideline, no helmet or shoulder pads. Afterward, Carroll said that Thomas had been diagnosed with mononucleosis and would miss four to six weeks.

Walking off the field, the usually voluble player said only: “I can’t talk today.”

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The Pressure

If anyone had reason to harbor great expectations, it was Turner. Not only did he arrive at USC as the top-ranked high school receiver in the nation, he was joining a program that had a recent history of turning freshman wideouts -- Williams and Jarrett -- into stars.

The Trojans bestowed Williams’ old No. 1 jersey on Turner, who showed up early to work with teammates over the summer, then made one big play after another in training camp. Carroll talked about how he was farther along than Jarrett had been the previous year.

But Turner discovered that becoming the next big thing would not be easy. During camp, he struggled with a heel injury and back spasms. Rather than talk about his big catches, he recalls getting laid out by teammate Luthur Brown, a freshman linebacker, in a scrimmage.

“Everyone’s so big, so fast,” he said. “That’s what makes you say ‘I’m not in high school anymore.’ ”

Carroll has tried to shield his phenom from expectations, insisting that Turner is in a far different situation than Williams and Jarrett. In seasons past, the Trojans needed freshman receivers to contribute immediately. Now, with the roster stocked at that position, they can afford to bring Turner along slowly.

“He gets to learn, gets to grow,” Carroll said.

High school prospects are often drawn to USC by Carroll’s promise that, if they are good enough, they can play right away. But Turner says he understands that “it’s hard for a freshman to come in with almost all of the offense being All-American candidates.” Besides, it is not his temperament to play the role of the big shot.

The kid is all “yes sir” and “yes m’am,” seeming genuinely content with whatever opportunities come his way. His face lighted up when he recalled catching his first pass, and then his first touchdown pass, against Arkansas.

“The crowd was screaming, everybody congratulating me,” he said. “Just a big moment.”

He added: “I need to make plays when I get a chance. My time will come.”

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The Game

His time did not come against Oregon on Saturday. Though Turner was on the field often, he did not catch a pass.

True to his nature, the freshman spoke of gaining valuable experience, playing in Autzen Stadium with its tight confines and raucous crowd.

“I’ve never been around anything that loud,” he said. “You had to concentrate a lot harder.”

And though he rated his performance as a “C,” things could have been worse. The ailing Thomas did not even make the trip, spending the weekend with his parents, getting some “home soup and what-not.” Moore went to Oregon, but did not play a single down.

“It’s just something I have to deal with,” Moore said, taking off his spotless uniform in the locker room. “I can’t worry about it.”

Another disappointment, another lesson to be learned for a young man making his way in a strange, new environment.

It’s a matter of waiting and working, staying patient. As Moore said: “You’ve got to keep going.”

For Turner, the rigors of this new experience don’t leave time for much else. Certainly not skateboarding.

“No, forget about that,” he said. “I’ll stick to football.”

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Times staff writer Gary Klein contributed to this report.