Trojans Shrug Off Talk of Their Demise
Quarterback John David Booty is one of several Trojans with the task of replacing a star at Southern Cal.
(Oscar Hidalgo - AP)
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Friday, August 25, 2006
The folks at Southern California heard the same thing a few years ago.
After quarterback Carson Palmer and safety Troy Polamalu left for the NFL, pundits and experts labeled the Trojans vulnerable targets for the rest of the Pacific-10. But Matt Leinart and Co. emerged, and the Trojans went on to win the Associated Press national championship after the 2003 season, the start of the Trojans' title runs.
"We find ourselves in a position that we had been in a few years back," Trojans Coach Pete Carroll said at Pac-10 media day earlier this month. "Hopefully, we'll be able to respond in a similar fashion."
During his highly successful tenure at USC, Carroll said that major question marks loomed before each season. The issue this season is simple.
"How do you replace the Heismans?" he said.
USC lost one of the most talented backfields in the history of college football in Leinart and running back Reggie Bush, who both won the Heisman Trophy. The explosive LenDale White is gone, too.
The offseason also has proved to be tumultuous, with a probe into Bush's parents' housing situation while he was at USC, an NCAA investigation into wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett's eligibility status and the departure of safety Brandon Ting following a positive steroid test.
Those distractions came amid the familiar talk that the Trojans' Pac-10 reign could be over.
But Carroll, who enters his sixth season at USC, doesn't seem overly concerned.
A few weeks ago, Carroll entered a team meeting wearing a replica of fictitious racecar driver Ricky Bobby's racing suit from the movie "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." As he started addressing the team, actor and rabid Trojans fan Will Ferrell -- the star of the movie -- showed up in the same get-up.
Doomsday predictions don't seem to be fazing the architects of the Trojans' dynasty.
"This is an opportunity to show that we have staying power," said Carroll, who has landed top-flight recruiting classes during his tenure. "What's unique about this team is we have the culmination of the last three big-time recruiting classes we've had. There's a lot of guys who can play, and a lot of guys who can battle for playing time."
