Report: Garza allegedly wired money to scout while at Tennessee

Former USC assistant Willie Mack Garza allegedly wired $1,500 to a former talent scout to reimburse him for a prospect’s unofficial recruiting trip when Garza was an assistant on Lane Kiffin’s coaching staff at Tennessee, an apparent violation of NCAA rules, according to a report posted Monday night by Yahoo Sports.

Garza resigned at USC a few days before the season opener, saying in a statement, because of “some personal issues unrelated to USC that I need to address.”

The report said that Garza reimbursed Will Lyles for the trip taken by Lache Seastrunk, a running back from Texas, and the player’s mother.

The report said that Seastrunk traveled to Tennessee’s Knoxville campus on the unofficial visit in 2009. He eventually signed with Oregon but has since transferred to Baylor.

The NCAA is investigating Lyles’ ties to Oregon and Louisiana State.

The report said that Lyles spoke with the NCAA on Aug. 30 in Los Angeles. Garza resigned two days later on the eve of the Trojans’ opener against Minnesota.

A USC athletic department spokesman declined to comment.

Wildcat matchup might not be easy

Still smarting from a tough loss to Arizona State, USC can look optimistically to a Saturday matchup with struggling Arizona.

Or can it?

Arizona is 1-3, but its losses were to fifth-ranked Oklahoma State, sixth-ranked Stanford and ninth-ranked Oregon. Those teams have a combined record of 10-1, Oregon’s loss to top-ranked Louisiana State the only blemish.

“It was a brutal stretch,” Arizona Coach Mike Stoops said Monday during his weekly news conference.

The losses left the Wildcats near the bottom of college football in several statistical categories.

Arizona has given up 233.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 114th among 120 major college teams. The Wildcats rank 112th in total defense (484 yards per game) and 106th in scoring defense (35 points a game).

Arizona quarterback Nick Foles has thrived despite being hit often because the Wildcats have virtually no running game. Arizona averages only 62.3 rushing yards, next to last nationally.

“We need to see our players compete better,” Stoops said, “and not start to compete when you’re down, 21-3.”

Woods watch

USC receiver Robert Woods caught eight passes for 131 yards against Arizona State, running his season total to a nation-leading 41 in four games.

The sophomore’s average of 10.25 receptions a game, however, ranks behind Rutgers’ Mohamed Sanu and three others who have played three games.

Woods ranks fifth in receiving yards at 123 a game. Washington State’s Marquess Wilson is the leader at 143 and California’s Keenan Allen is fourth at 124.5.

Quick hits

Arizona State linebacker Shelly Lyons, a former Corona Centennial High star who returned an interception for a touchdown against USC, was selected as the Pacific 12 Conference defensive player of the week. … Foles has passed for 10 touchdowns and has not had a pass intercepted in 200 attempts dating to last season.

gary.klein@latimes.com

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