• C.J. Gable ran with the first-team offense.
• Aaron Corp ran the scout team.
• Kristofer O’Dowd ran well.

With Allen Bradford and Joe McKnight nursing knee injuries, the coaching staff had no choice but to turn to Gable, last season’s starter and this season’s odd man out.

Gable made some nifty runs and drew praise afterward from Trojans coach Pete Carroll.

“C.J.’s ready to go,” Carroll said. “He’s been waiting. He’s done a great job being patient about it. It’s been hard for him so far, but he’ll jump to the call whenever he gets the chance. He’s a great team player for us.

“I don’t mind him being frustrated. I think he should be because of the kind of guy he is and the kind of competitor he is. But I think he’s dealt with it very well. He worked on the service team for us when we needed him. I think he’s been just right. I hope he gets the chance to jump in and play some more in really critical situations, because he can answer that call. He’s done it for years, and I know he can do it now.”

Corp doesn’t have the same wealth of experience, only bad experiences from what was supposed to be his breakout season. He did not land on the scout team by demotion but by default: Usual scout-team QB Garrett Green was needed to play wide receiver, another area hit hard by the injury bug.

With all due respect to Green — among the best athletes on the team — I can’t help but wonder if the swifter, more elusive Corp wouldn’t have better prepared USC’s defense for Jeremiah Masoli.

It was just three months ago that Corp and O’Dowd were the starting QB and center. Injuries derailed both, but O’Dowd seems to be on the comeback trail. I saw him pulling on outside running plays and looking quicker and niftier than he has in weeks.

“He’s looking stronger,” Carroll said. “He needed a break. We piled it on him, and he was willing to stay in there and keep battling. But we had such a good alternative with Jeff (Byers) and with Butch (Lewis) going that I think it was the right thing to do in long haul for Kris. I think it was pretty clear that it helped us.”

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: Barkley hates losing (he just doesn’t show it)
• USC football: Further injury updates
• USC football: Leg injuries limit McKnight, Bradford
• USC football: ASU’s Erickson braces for ’scary’ Trojans
• USC football: Have opponents ‘caught up’ to the Trojans?
• USC football poll: How will the season end?
• USC football: Trojans won’t lose again this season
• USC football: Carroll, Galippo point fingers — at themselves
• USC football: Galippo should be available for ASU
• USC football poll: What is the worst loss of the Carroll Era?

Post from: USC

The Trojans’ very recent past was a bye week that gave the coaches a glimpse at the future.

Freshman safeties T.J. McDonald (right) and Jawanza Starling received a ton of invaluable reps, and it isn’t difficult to envision the pair starting side by side sometime soon.

The thing defensive coordinator and secondary coach Rocky Seto likes best about them? They’re quick studies.

“They learn their lessons,” Seto said late last week.

“They may be out of position (on one play), and then they get it, which is neat. They’ve taken, I don’t know, 70 reps the last couple days. Think about those 70 lessons.”

The coaching staff obviously was impressed from the start with McDonald, who became the second-string strong safety despite missing a large chunk of training camp because of a sprained ankle.

“Some guys come in a little more prepared than others,” said Seto, who compared McDonald to recent Trojan Kevin Ellison. It’s no coincidence that both come from football families, T.J. having played for father Tim McDonald, a former USC All-American and NFL All-Pro.

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: A most productive weekend
• USC football: The value and versatility of Garrett Green
• USC football: 5 games that mean something to the Trojans
• USC football: The latest on Stafon Johnson’s recovery
• USC football: Carroll hits recruiting trail feeling good
• USC football: Is Mustain No. 2 on the depth chart?
• USC football: Rick Neuheisel burns on Trojans
• USC football: Everson Griffen isn’t satisfied
• USC football: ‘Marvelous’ test results for Stafon Johnson
• USC football: Armond Armstead ahead of schedule

Post from: USC

Here are some random thoughts on the win:

- It was a win, but a frustrating one.  The 1st quarter started smoothly with a quick 3-and-out from Wazzu followed by a quick TD from SC, but then 3 holding penalties, 1 offsides, 1 personal foul, and 1 roughing the kicker happened.  Let's not even talk about the 3rd quarter...

- Nice to see Brice Butler get his 1st career TD.  There was a overhead shot during the broadcast and you could see Brice start from the slot, move inside on the safety and then get nice separation off the break on the corner route; the defender really had no chance on the play.  You can watch Brice talk about the play here.

- Matt Barkley's throw to Damian Williams on the 3rd TD was a thing of beauty and the play of the day.  The anticipation and quick-decision showed why he is so highly-regarded.  If you look at the play, Matt drops back looking left, checks off, makes a split-second decision to throw to Damian, and then delivers a perfect touch pass (while getting hit) over the Wazzu linebackers' heads and between the safeties.

Credit also goes to Coach Bates/Morton for calling a great play.  In post-game interviews, the coaches/players talked about seeing large gaps in the middle of the field while studying game tapes last week.  If you watch the play closely, the formation is trips right and 1 receiver to the left; off the snap every receiver runs a streak up field, but the key to the play is the SC tackles let the ends run by them and Joe McKnight, rather than block, jumps forward to mimic a screen play which causes Wazzu's linebackers to bite and take a step forward allowing Damian to run right by them and split the safeties. Great play all-around.

- Want to talk about a player doing work?  Nick Perry has 6 sacks already playing limited minutes.  He is currently the Pac-10 leader in the category.  Nick just has that sixth sense for getting to the quarterback; he set a Michigan state record with 36 sacks in 2007 as a HS senior.

- Some prospects that showed up for Saturday's game:  Sharrif Floyd (official visit), Ronald Powell, Robert Woods, George Farmer, Marquis Lee, George Uko, Dietrich Riley, Dion Bailey, Joshua Shaw, Antwaun Woods, Demetrius Wright, and more.  The list of visitors could literally make up one side of a HS All-American game.

- Some big injuries from the game: Hebron Fangupo (broken fibula) and Marshall Jones (cracked vertebra) are out for the season.  Jordan Campbell also sprained his ankle and Garrett Green suffered a concussion.

- Have to give props to my man Allen Bradford for running pissed off all game. His stiff-arm on the run in the 2nd quarter was vicious.  Allen NEEDS MORE CARRIES.

Onto Cal, which should be an interesting game.  My head says this game should match up well for SC since we usually win against teams that rely heavily on the run, but considering how undisciplined and inconsistent our offense has looked, it's hard for me to feel confident.  Despite Cal's beatdown last week, this game still deserves a lot of hype, since it essentially makes or breaks both teams' seasons.  It should be a tough one.

The good news for Corp was that X-rays showed the ligaments remained intact. Now all Corp can do is sit around; watching Barkley lead his team; waiting for the results of the MRI; waiting to get back into the swing of things before the train passes him by.

Follow the jump for the complete list.

Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, you're about to enter the Trojan DePo.

USCFootball.com has devised a rating system to determine who will be USC's next starting QB, but until the Numerati get to quantifying the data and advancing their algorithm, we can rely on these four points from John Skinner's "The Skinny on SC Sports" as a barometer and road map for likely outcomes and decisions.

The QB Race: After two workouts and reading what the coaches are saying, Aaron Corp seems to have pulled ahead in the QB race. However, the majority of spring practice remains and Pete Carroll is known to manipulate the media and throw a few curveballs out to the public that don't mimic reality inside the coaches office. According to OC Bates, he would like to have the starter announced by the end of spring practice.

QB Race Part II: The staff is impressed with how well Matt Barkley has done despite just stepping off a high school field. His ability to make plays has raised eyebrows but with that comes quite a few mistakes. I believe this will ultimately eliminate him from the starting QB race this season allowing him to work on it throughout a redshirt year. Once he calms down and makes the proper reads he will be the best QB in the program.

QB Race Part III: The jack of all trades QB Garrett Green was the first casulty of the QB battle. He was working out with WR's in the second spring practice. Garrett is a very heady player and would do just fine as SC's quarterback. He would not make the big plays with his arm but would run the offense very efficiently. The crazy thing is that Green could probably start at 6 or 7 Pac-10 schools... wow, that is SC's 4th string QB... talk about an abundance of talent.

QB Race Part IV: Even if Corp performs better than Mustain, I could still see Mustain being named the starter. As long as he continues to improve on not turning the ball over, his experience of playing in the SEC and his ability to connect with SC's #1 receiver Damian Williams could win over the coaches. His experience level could mean a lot heading into Columbus, Ohio...

[Thanks John!]

Well, meet the latest version of “the player” - Reggie Bush.

Not coincidentally, the man who referred to the former USC Heisman Trophy winner that way is a Parcells disciple - New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton.

He did it twice while talking about Bush earlier this week at the NFL owners meeting in Dana Point. I don’t think Payton meant anything negative by it, as both references came in a complimentary context.

No. 1: “I’m excited about the player in that the first 4-5 weeks last year, he was outstanding, prior to his injury at Carolina. He’s got a grasp as to what we’re doing. One of his best characteristics is his competitiveness, his will to win. The key will be keeping him healthy, having that proper balance in touches.”

No. 2: “For almost the first six weeks of the season he was leading the league in scoring. I liked this player a lot.”

So it all seems well and good - as long as Kim Kardashian doesn’t hear about her boyfriend’s player status out of context.

Related link:

• GQ’s video and photo shoot with Reggie and Kim

More from the USC blog:

• USC spring football preview: Specialists
• The maturation of Matt Leinart
• USC spring football preview: Defensive backs
• USC football: Garrett Green isn’t in the spring mix
• USC football: Blake Ayles to miss spring practice
• USC basketball: The Trojans’ uncertain future
• NFL draft: Sanchez vs. Stafford — tall tales
• USC spring football preview: Linebackers
• It’s official: Larry Scott is the new Pac-10 commish
• Report: New Pac-10 commissioner named
• NFL draft: Could Mark Sanchez be a Bronco?

THE PARTICIPANTS
Matt Barkley (freshman), Aaron Corp (redshirt sophomore), Garrett Green (senior), John Manoogian (redshirt freshman), Chris McCaffery (sophomore), Mitch Mustain (junior transfer).

THE KEY PLAYERS
Barkley, Corp, Mustain

PETE CARROLL SAYS
“The competition for the starting quarterback job will be as wide open as we’ve ever had. Each player brings his own high-level skill set into play. We’re excited to see how they will battle during the spring, and we’ll be closely monitoring their leadership ability. We’ve set no deadline on naming a starter. We’ll let them compete and see what happens. Every day will be important.”

THREE QUESTIONS (AND ANSWERS)
1. Does Barkley really have a chance to win the starting job?
The coaches have said he does, and Carroll isn’t afraid to play freshmen. But it took Corp and Mustain more than a year to get the playbook down. So no.

2. Does Green really have a chance to win the starting job?
Last month new QB coach Jeremy Bates called it a four-way race. But starting Green wouldn’t be in the program’s best long-term interest, even if he shows signs of being the best short-term solution.

3. So who will win the starting job then?
Knowing how important ball security is to Carroll — nothing ranks higher on his personal football food chain — the pick remains Corp. Mustain still has to show he won’t make the killer mistakes that plagued him in practice last season, and seeing is believing on that front.

YOUR TURN

PREVIEW SCHEDULE

• Tuesday, March 17: Quarterbacks
• Wednesday, March 18: Running backs
• Thursday, March 19: Wide receivers
• Friday, March 20: Tight ends
• Monday, March 23: Offensive linemen
• Tuesday, March 24: Defensive linemen
• Wednesday, March 25: Linebackers
• Thursday, March 26: Defensive backs
• Friday, March 27: Specialists

More from the USC blog:

• NCAA Tournament: Notes from USC’s shootaround
• NCAA Tournament: The truth about USC’s injuries
• NCAA Tournament: Game time set for USC-BC
• NCAA tournament: Oh, no, not Minneapolis again
• NCAA tournament: Family ties–BC and the Goodfellas
• NCAA Tournament poll: How far will USC go?
• NCAA tournament: An early look at Boston College
• NCAA Tournament: USC to face Boston College
• Pac-10 Tournament: 5 reasons I was wrong about USC
• Pac-10 tournament: USC upsets ASU with late rally

And kudos to 4th-string QB Garrett Green, who delivered a nice block for Broderick Green during the WSU game.