Updates: FB20071013

It wasn’t always pretty, and the dynamic, high-scoring USC of old seems to be a distant memory, but the tenth-ranked Trojans (5-1, 3-1) managed a 20-13 victory over the Arizona Wildcats (2-5, 1-3) on Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum, recovering from a 13-10 fourth-quarter deficit and rebounding from a painful upset loss to Stanford last […]

Trojan fans are encouraged to wear cardinal to the sold-out Coliseum on Saturday as USC takes on the Arizona Wildcats in a regionally-televised game (ABC, 12:30p). Friday’s walk-through didn’t reveal any major developments; the most significant news item–that sophomore Mark Sanchez will make his first start at quarterback in place of the injured John David […]

Asked to distinguish Mark Sanchez from John David Booty, Pete Carroll offered, “[Sanchez] has a huge arm. He can throw the ball a mile, and he loves to air it out…He’s apt to take some shots if they’re there.” While the play-calling focus for Sanchez in his first college start will probably be an extremely […]

Head coach Pete Carroll made the obvious official late Thursday afternoon when he announced that redshirt sophomore Mark Sanchez will make his first career start on Saturday against Arizona in place of injured QB John David Booty (fractured finger). Carroll added that Booty would be available to play if needed.

Scott Wolf, venturing beyond the veil of his notorious blog, discusses some sacred cows of the USC football program (including Pete Carroll’s coaching, the use of Stafon Johnson, and Joe McKnight’s lack of impact) in his latest video practice report for CBS and KCAL.
Trojan Insider Wolf Reports SC Practice 10/10 (CBS2.com)

No, Pete Carroll did not name a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against Arizona. But after John David Booty (fractured finger) sat out of practice for the third consecutive day, even he seemed to expect Mark Sanchez to start. And Booty isn’t the only one who is likely to be out on Saturday. We examine […]

Though it won’t be a certainty until later in the week, all signs from Tuesday’s practice and Pete Carroll’s press conference point to third-year sophomore Mark Sanchez starting at quarterback on Saturday against Arizona. John David Booty threw about 50 passes before practice, and though he was able to grip the ball, his release still bothered him. […]

There wasn’t a whole lot of good news coming out of Howard Jones Field on Monday, at least as far as injuries are concerned. We run down the latest on the status of USC’s injured players–including QB John David Booty–in our daily coverage roundup.

Tenth-ranked USC (4-1, 2-1) hopes to rebound from its first loss of the season–and perhaps one of the most shocking defeats in school history–when it plays host to the struggling Arizona Wildcats (2-4, 1-2) in a rare afternoon home game on Saturday at the Coliseum. The Wildcats feature a mostly one-dimensional, pass-oriented offense under new […]

When asked if he would give backup quarterback Mark Sanchez a shot at starting this week in light of John David Booty’s four interception performance against Stanford, Pete Carroll seemed to have ruled out the possibility: “I’m not doing that. That’s not what I would be thinking. It’s not a one-guy deal. It’s real easy to […]