Maualuga reflects on past troubles

Rey Maualuga’s USC teammates apparently could not help themselves.

The sophomore linebacker said several Trojans ribbed him about being arrested one year ago Wednesday after punching a man at a Halloween party near campus.

“My friends brought it up,” he said. “They’re saying, ‘Hey, you’re celebrating your one-year anniversary.’ ”

Maualuga, though, maintains that he has put his troubles behind.

In May, Maualuga, 19, was charged with one misdemeanor count of battery for the 2005 incident. He agreed to take part in an arraignment diversion program that included anger management counseling, attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and community service.

Under the agreement, the charge would be dismissed if no new charges were filed against Maualuga in a year.

“I’ve grown up now as a person and a football player,” he said. “I’ve learned here and there from mistakes.”

Maualuga, the Trojans’ leading tackler and Butkus Award semifinalist, is still learning.

A few weeks ago, Coach Pete Carroll disciplined him for unruly behavior at an Oct. 7 fraternity party.

Maualuga also was late for a team meeting Friday and was held out of drills with the first-team defense before the Trojans’ departure for Oregon State. Maualuga, who had started the previous five games, was relegated to special teams in the first half, then also played on defense in the second half of USC’s 33-31 loss.

Despite the missteps, Carroll said Maualuga was not the same person he was a year ago when he lost his father to cancer.

“It was a very, very difficult time for Rey back then,” Carroll said. “I think he’s much more balanced and squared away now.”

Maualuga suffered a groin injury against Oregon State and was limited in workouts early in the week. But he practiced Wednesday before an audience that included attorney Carmen Trutanich, who was retained by Maualuga and several other USC players in legal situations the last few years.

“They want me to take it slowly; I wasn’t supposed to practice today,” Maualuga said. “But I forced myself to go to show a little bit that I can still play.”

Maualuga said he was about 85% healthy. Carroll said Maualuga would play Saturday at Stanford.

*

Linebacker Dallas Sartz did not have a sack in the first six games, but the fifth-year senior is now the team leader after getting three against Oregon State.

“We ran a few defenses that we put in during the bye,” he said. “You’re always trying to get around people, weasel around people. I was just fortunate to be in the right spot and have the right defense called.”

USC had a season-best six sacks against the Beavers. The Trojans are eighth in the Pacific 10 Conference with 15 sacks.

*

Despite two fumbles against Oregon State, Chauncey Washington remains the No. 1 tailback. Carroll said freshmen Emmanuel Moody and C.J. Gable would rotate in more against Stanford....A few freshmen were reprimanded on one of the team buses after the Oregon State loss because of lighthearted behavior. “We just need to train and teach these guys what the expectations are under those circumstances,” Carroll said. “That’s one that not many guys have had to deal with.”

gary.klein@latimes.com