With Pete Carroll in Northern California for most of the day to attend his mentor Bill Walsh’s “incredibly emotional” funeral, Steve Sarkisian took the reigns of the team for most of Thursday’s 2 1/2 hour practice. (Carroll did return midway through practice courtesy of quick flight on a private jet, according to Scott Wolf.) Though Friday’s practice will be the first in full pads, today’s session featured some intense hitting by a variety of players. Read on for a recap in this latest practice roundup installment.

Who looked good

• Though SC’s veteran defense is clearly ahead of the offense in terms of talent and experience, Scout.com reports that with the exception of DE Everson Griffen handily beating Butch Lewis, the offensive line dominated the defensive line in pass protection drills, using their hands and feet effectively to protect the imaginary quarterback. Carroll singled out center Kristopher O’Dowd for praise, according to Rivals. The coach noted that the highly-touted freshman could “make a bid for playing time by the first three weeks of the season.”
• There were two notable hits delivered in Thursday’s practice courtesy of the Trojan secondary. Safety Will Harris delivered one of the biggest hits of camp when he slammed WR Jamere Holland to the ground on a slant route during 7-on-7s. CB Cary Harris also got into the act by christening new scholarship holder WR Brad Walker with what Scout calls the “hit of the week” on a swing route. Josh Pinkard (who for the first time this week saw first-team action at both cornerback and safety) and CB Terrell Thomas were also standouts on Thursday.
• Malcolm Smith, Shareece Wright, and Chris Galippo each had an interception on Thursday.
• WR Patrick Turner had a spectacular catch on a fade route into the end zone from John David Booty in 7-on-7. According to the Trojan Ticker, the two are apparently building up quite a connection by rooming together during Fall Camp.

Injuries and problems

• Freshman RB Marc Tyler, who just this summer had the screws removed from his broken leg (injured during a high school playoff game last year), was held out of practice Thursday after participating Wednesday because X-rays revealed healing issues in his surgically repaired ankle.
• Freshman WR Brandon Carswell, cleared by the NCAA to practice on Wednesday, sat out with a bruised thigh sustained from a hard hit in 11-on-11 drills.
• Senior RB Herschel Dennis also did not practice due to a sore left knee - the same knee in which he tore ligaments in two of the last three years.
• WR Damian Williams ran routes for the first time today, though he’s not yet cleared for contact after spring surgery on both shoulders.
• According to Scout, QB Mark Sanchez, who is technically competing for the starting job though will most likely backup JD Booty, has struggled at times over the past two days. “He has not looked sharp as one might expect, missing some short throws, and making some ill-advised throws when his first option is covered.”
• Though Joe McKnight made several notable hustle plays on Thursday, Rivals reports that he was called out by Carroll (”You can’t make a worse play than that…Joe, what were you thinking there?”) for allowing a punt to drop and not getting out of the ball’s way which brushed against him and caused a near turnover.

Also of note

• For the first time in camp, the offense ran plays out of the shotgun, though the first snap resulted in a fumble - the only fumbled snap of the day. Sarkisian remarked, “After (the first snap) it was fine…All in all, it was good. I thought it was productive in third-and-long.” (Wolf)
• Kicker David Buehler was 3 for 5 in field goal attempts, good from 20, 32, and 40, but missing from 37 and 43. Reserve Joe Houston was 1-for-2 from 42 yards.
• The LA Times reports that Josh Pinkard’s arraignment for suspicion of driving under the influence has been continued to September, according to his lawyer Carmen Trutanich.
• According to Wolf, the freshman football players will be spread out through the campus instead of living in just one area this year in order to give them a living experience that resembles what normal students encounter.

Sarkisian runs the show for a day (LA Times)
Thursday’s Practice Insider: Get that ball (Rivals, $)
Day 4 Practice Notes (Scout)
Former Notre Dame High player Stanton could be added to Trojans (LA Daily News)
Dispatch from practice No. 4 (Trojan Ticker)
New Policy (Scott Wolf)