L.A. Balls: Sports News Around SoCal

Mark Sanchez takes a snap during Spring practice

Pete Carroll is not much for making predictions and neither am I. The head coach of the USC Trojans doesn’t look very far ahead at the games on the schedule. Instead, he and his staff take everything one week at a time.

So, now that Fall Camp hasn’t even begun, the staff is not thinking about Ohio State or even the opener at Virginia. Their focus is on one thing: competition for the starting spots.

And with 10 starters from last year’s squad now on NFL rosters, and the incoming freshmen ready to rock ‘n’ roll, competition should be heating up. It all gets started on Aug. 5, when Fall Camp opens.

Following Carroll’s lead, I won’t make any predictions yet on Virginia or Ohio State. I’ll wait until the appropriate game week. So, in this series, I will make my predictions on how I feel the competition at the Trojans’ Fall Camp will turn out.

In this installment, I’m going to focus on the starting offensive backfield.

With two-year starter John David Booty going to the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, that leaves three highly-recruited high-school quarterbacks vying to be the new Trojan field general.

Mark Sanchez, a redshirt junior from Mission Viejo High School is the front-runner. According to Carroll, “Mark Sanchez has shown he has the ability to be a really big-time quarterback in our system. Mark Sanchez has the strongest arm we’ve had since Carson Palmer.”

That sure says a lot, coming from the head man, and I’m certainly not going against it. At 6’3″ and 225 pounds, Sanchez has a strong arm and pretty good mobility.

His ability to think quickly on his feet, stay calm, and make the correct reads will be heavily tested in Fall Camp and throughout the season. At this point, the starting quarterback spot is his to lose.

Backing up Sanchez will be the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2005, Mitch Mustain, a transfer from the University of Arkansas.

Mustain actually started eight games in his freshman year with the Razorbacks and went 8-0. However, at USC, it doesn’t matter what a player did in high school, junior college, or at another university; he needs to learn the USC system from the ground up.

Although Mustain did a commendable job leading the scout team during his redshirt year, learning a new opponent’s offense each week and having to hit the books as well didn’t give him much time to study USC’s playbook.

So, that leaves him far behind Sanchez in his ability to run the offense. Unless Sanchez commits a lot of errors in Fall Camp, Mustain will have to wait patiently for his turn.

Another highly-touted quarterback who will have to wait his turn is Aaron Corp, from Orange Lutheran High School. What Corp needs to do most is put on weight. He is listed at a lanky 6’4″ and 195 pounds. The most mobile of the three quarterbacks, Corp can hurt you with his legs as well as his arm.

Starting at fullback will be Stanley Havili from Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City. At 6’0″ and 225 pounds, Havili is the ideal fullback.

Not only is he an excellent blocker, he is a fine runner and an outstanding receiver. Havili started all 13 games in 2007 after being injured early in the 2006 season and redshirting.

Last year, Havili carried for 134 yards on 21 carries (6.4 avg.) with two TDs and caught 34 passes for 248 yards (7.3 avg.) and five TDs.

Backing up Havili will be 6’0″, 235-pound junior Adam Goodman from Huntington Beach. Goodman did not see any action last year. When the fullback is not in the game, the Trojans usually line up with two running backs: a power back and a tailback who will often go in motion.

That brings up the most discussed position of all for the Trojans: the competition at tailback. The Trojans currently have seven tailbacks preparing to line up behind Sanchez and Havili.

Here’s how I think it will wind up coming out of Fall Camp.

C. J. Gable will again get the nod. The redshirt sophomore out of Sylmar High School started five games his freshman year. Then last year, he started the first two games before suffering a strained abdomen that caused him to redshirt.

Gable looked strong in spring practice and seems to have recovered nicely. In the three games that he played in last season, he gained 143 yards on only 13 carries for an 11.0 average.

Although he won’t start, the running back who will get the most carries going into the season will be Stafon Johnson. A speedy cutback runner out of Dorsey High School in Compton, Johnson will most likely fill the same role as last year: a fresh backup tailback.

When you have so many options at tailback as Carroll and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian have, there is no reason not to keep a fresh tailback in the game to pound away at the defense.

Also, with seven different tailbacks, the Trojans have seven different styles of running backs to further frustrate the defense. But overall, look for Johnson, who had 98 carries in 2007 and rolled up 673 yards for a 6.9 average, to get the most carries in 2008.

Currently listed on the depth chart as the No. 1 tailback is Joe McKnight. Often compared to Reggie Bush, McKnight doesn’t have that same foot speed, but he has all of Bush’s shiftiness and terrific hands.

Besides rushing for 540 yards on 94 carries, McKnight also caught 23 passes for 203 yards. He was also the Trojans’ top punt returner.

However, I don’t think McKnight will actually start unless Sarkisian decides to open up with a two-running-back set instead of the fullback. But like Johnson, I expect McKnight to get his share of touches and then some. There is no way you can keep the two of them off the field for long.

At wide receiver/flanker, Vidal Hazelton is listed at No. 1 on the depth chart. My prediction: I expect Arkansas transfer Damian Williams to get the nod come game day.

From what I have seen of Williams during spring practice, if the pass is anywhere near him, he will snare it. He has good speed, great hands, and, above all, knows how to create separation.

Although he won’t start, I also expect D. J. Shoemate, a talented wide receiver from Servite High School, to see a lot of action in 2008.

At the split-end spot will be senior Patrick Turner. The 2004 Parade All-American and Super Prep Elite 50 has never lived up to expectations. The 6’5″, 220-pound wide receiver from Tennessee was a backup to Dwayne Jarrett in 2006.

Last year, Turner started 10 games and caught 48 passes for 569 yards.

Turner received an All PAC-10 honorable mention, but many believe that, for someone with Turner’s credentials, he should be first team All-Pac 10, if not a first-team All-American.

Look for 6’4″, 235-pound redshirt sophomore David Ausberry and redshirt freshman Brandon Carswell to push Turner for that starting slot all during Fall Camp.

So there you have my predictions for the starting USC offensive backfield. The next installment will feature the starting offensive line.