Notable plays from Josh Pinkard's (6th year) senior season at USC.

• 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

Defense highlights:

History repeats itself for the Golden Bears; they enter the season with lots of hype, only to fold like a bad hand in poker. Time for them to enter hibernation!

Cal's Heisman hopeful tailback, Jahvid Bust, was held to a season-low 47 rushing yards against USC. Meanwhile Joe McKnight looked the best out there, rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

Cal's quarterback, Kevin Riley, really outdid himself this time. Just when you thought his passing completion rate of 38.7% against Oregon could not get any worse, he sunk to a new low against the Trojans with a completion rate of 37.5%.

Here's a look at what Stafon Johnson has done so far this season. It would have been nice to make this video in January including more great highlight clips from the other 8 or 9 games, but the most important thing is a full, speedy recovery. Fight on, Stafon Johnson!

The offense got off to a strong start, but they were inconsistent and fumbled more than they should have, but on the bright side, coaches opened up the playbook and allowed Matt Barkley to complete some deep passes. However this offense, and the receiving game in particular, needs to play better. Trojan fans eagerly await the return of the fastest receiver, Ronald Johnson, who suffered a shoulder injury in the scrimmage game in August.

This defense is impressive. They almost held the Cougars to a shutout if it were not for Aaron Corp's fumble late in the game. Defensive back Marshall Jones and defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo each suffered season ending injuries in this game. Injuries are part of the game, and this is why it never hurts to have depth like USC does. Pete Carroll and coaching staff "stockpile" talent, and given the current waves of injuries, this is when the depth is tested.

Starting center Kristofer O'Dowd, regarded as a linchpin for an experienced line expected to ease the transition of a new quarterback, suffered a dislocated right kneecap during the first series of a scrimmage Monday night at the Coliseum.

O'Dowd, a junior coming off shoulder surgery, went down at the end of a mistake-prone first series on a running play that ended with Joe McKnight's fumble.

Senior Alex Parsons replaced O'Dowd, who is expected to be sidelined three to four weeks.

"We're fortunate that we have depth, but it's just a crusher that he got banged up like that," Coach Pete Carroll.

As a freshman in 2007, O'Dowd also dislocated his right kneecap in the fourth game against Washington and missed four games.

Yes, we have some depth but losing O'Dowd is tough. If we are to believe that he will only be out 4 weeks he could still miss the Ohio State game. That could hurt us tremendously. I would not be surprised though if he was on the field for that game.

We'll see...

This is the same injury he suffered in his freshman season.

This is what I wrote then...

Make no mistake this can be a serious injury. This is not as common as the ACL injury in athletes but an ACL injury must be ruled out and that can be done with a number of different tests. Surgery is not indicated unless the injury is recurrent and is usually a last resort.

Treatment for this injury obviously depends on how severe the injury is, but special care is taken to strengthen the Vastus Medialis of the Quad Muscle structure. This muscle helps to place a medial pull on the patella, reducing the lateral, dislocating force.

Here is a little anatomy and physiology from the Athletic Advisor:

The Dislocated Patella(Click Here for an MRI of a dislocated patella)

The patella (knee cap) is a sesamoid bone. A sesamoid bone is one that is encased in tendon or ligament. The patella is located inside the quadriceps tendon. The patella acts as a fulcrum to increase the strength of the quad muscle. It is held in place by the quadriceps tendon above, the patellar tendon below, and very thin ligaments on either side. The patello-femoral joint is formed by the patella and trochlear groove of the femur.

Due to the twisting nature of sports, the patella can dislocate (come out of joint) with an awkward twist of the femur (thigh) on the tibia (shin). A twisting motion causes the patella to shift to the side. Usually, the patella moves laterally (to the outside). This occurs because the quadriceps muscle contracts to maintain the stability of the body. The shin has shifted so that the line of pull of the quads causes the patella to shift laterally. The patella is pulled laterally because it wants to remain in line with the muscle.

The patella can dislocate more easily in some people than others. Individuals with a greater "Q-angle" are at a greater risk for patellar dislocations. The "Q-angle" is formed by envisioning a circle around the patella, the line of pull of the quad muscle forms the tail of the "Q." If the tail of the "Q" is more than 25 degrees off of the center of the quad-patella-patellar tendon line of pull, it is considered an abnormally high "Q-angle."

This places the patella at a greater risk to slide off of the femur. The quad-patella-patellar tendon mechanism wants to form a straight line when the quad muscle contracts, due to this, the patella is pulled laterally. This places a person with a high "Q-angle" at a greater risk for patellar dislocations.

Another risk factor for patellar dislocations is a malformed patella or trochlear groove (the groove located between the two heads of the femur) . The back side of the patella should have a peak, like an inverted mountain top. The trochlear groove should look like the valley between mountains. If either the mountain or the groove are not large enough, the patella is more prone to dislocate.

This is demonstrated by the x-ray. The back side of the patella is flat. This accounts for the sideward lean of the patella. This patella is prone to dislocate and is partially dislocated or subluxed in the x-ray. X-rays are necessary to rule a fracture of the patella. In some cases the mountain peak of the patella will be "knocked off" when it impacts with the femur. This piece of bone can cause severe damage to the joint if it is not properly addressed.

The retinaculum is the band of connective tissue that attaches to the medial and lateral structures of the knee joint, including the patella and patellar tendon. In a patellar dislocation this is either stretched or torn. Most surgeons I have discussed this with pretty much agree that this is usually a tear and not a stretch of the retinaculum. The amount of stress placed upon the tissues during this injury usually result in a some sort of a tear.

I am not surprised that he had a recurrence of this injury. With as hard as these guys play this is one of those injuries that can happen repeatedly as more stress is placed on the joint.

I have faith that Parsons will step up but lets not kid ourselves, losing O'Dowd could have some major implications.

More on last nights scrimmage later...

Filed under: Giants, MLB Injuries

Randy Johnson Out 2-3 Weeks originally appeared on Fanhouse MLB Blog on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:05:00 EDT . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Receiver Brandon Carswell:

(on whether Hazelton ever talked about leaving) “Not about leaving. Sometimes he would be like, ‘Man, I just need to work harder. Something’s going on to where I’m not playing.’ It’s just really surprising, though.”

(on whether he’s sad to see Hazleton go) “Oh yeah, definitely. We’re all brothers. It’s going to be really hard to replace a guy like that. He was really a playmaker. He came out here and worked hard.”

Defensive end Kyle Moore:

(on what he said to Hazelton on Tuesday) “I just told him I’m going to miss him.”

(on whether this signifies a trend in the program after Broderick Green also left) “No. People transfer from everywhere. … I hate to see him go, but you gotta do what you gotta do.”

Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian:

(on why Hazelton lost playing time) “Everything on this field is based on competition. We try to play the guys that have competed and are doing things right on a consistent basis. That’s where the chips fell.”

(on how injuries affected Hazleton) “None of those things helped. When you’re healthy and you’re feeling good, it’s a lot easier to come out and battle. When you’ve got a nick here, a nick there, an illness here, a something there, it hinders your ability to compete on a daily basis, on a consistent basis.”

Quarterback Mark Sanchez:

(on whether anything was different about Hazelton this season) “He was injured early, with the ankle injury. That didn’t really help. In the end it was his decision. He’s taken off, and we wish him the best. It’s too bad. He’s a good player. He’s going to be good wherever he goes.”

(on whether it’s disheartening to lose another player) “It happens. Guys compete so much … if they can’t do it anymore, then maybe this isn’t the right spot for them. There’s always going to be good guys here.”

WR coach John Morton:

(on whether he was suprised Hazelton left) “A little bit. We’ve been working on some things. We thought he was improving.”

(on how Hazelton handled falling down the depth chart) “He was a No. 1 guy. When you lose your starting spot, obviously you struggle with it. It’s my job to help him through that, help him fight through adversity, help him along, just to keep fighting. He was a competitor. Competitors fight. It’s just that he was fighting, and other guys were making plays. We’ve got to play the guys who are playing the best.”

(on Hazelton’s frustratio level because of the injuries) “Vidal was a physical player, so there was always something he was getting. That’s hard for a player. You’ve got to fight through it. … Not only do you lose your starting role, you’re getting injured, there’s a lot of things you’ve got to fight through. … It was my job to help him through certain things. It’s how he responds to it. He struggled in the beginning, but then he came along and started fighting.”

(on how hard it is to see Hazelton leave after investing so much time in him) “We did invest a lot of time. You put all that hard work into it, and you want to see a kid succeed. You don’t want to see anybody let go. That was one of the frustrating things. When you work hard, you want to see some results. Again, when the guys in front of him are making plays, when you get an opportunity you have to take advantage of it. And if you don’t, you stay status quo.”

Coach Pete Carroll:

(on whether Hazelton’s decision surprised him) “Just timing-wise maybe a little bit. But it’s best at this point, with all that’s going on here, that he isn’t with us now. It could have gone the other way. It’s hard on him. I noticed also with Broderick when his deal came up, it’s hard for the guys to stay in it and stay focused (when they’re not playing). They think they can, but it’s difficult. … Hopefully it’ll turn out well. He’s a very good football player. He’s a tough kid, and a great, competitive kid.”

(on whether Morton pushed for Hazleton to play more) “Yeah, he was always fighting. These guys fight for all their guys. They want all the play time they can get. They know the competitive kids need to be out there. We tried the best we could. But sometimes other guys take spots away. That’s part of the competition of this program. It’s tough to be here. It’s a challenge to be here. Sometimes it might be better for somebody to go somewhere else, particularly when they have other issues, too, that coincide.”

(on how Hazelton handled his fall down the depth chart) “He battled. He fought and battled. Then he encountered one issue after another injury-wise and couldn’t get back out here on a steady basis. … He didn’t have a good, constant run at getting back out there. He kept having to take a step backward to heal, and other guys kept rolling. It’s just competition. A lot of factors enter in. You get banged up and you lose your turn, other guys fill in. … That’s how it goes. I love that aspect of our program. We continue to promote the competitive side of it. Guys continue to battle for what they get. Everything counts. Our guys are into it. Our guys understand it. It’s why we have such good practices and we hold can hold such a level of performance. To me, practice is everything. There’s much more time spent out here, showing where you fit in, who you are and what you’re all about.”

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: Carroll glad to have timeout back
• USC football: Injuries kick Shoemate to fullback
• USC football: Injury updates, other tidbits
• USC football: Why Vidal Hazelton is leaving USC
• USC football: Vidal Hazelton transfers
• USC football: Jersey switch to cost just one timeout
• USC football: In Carroll’s words (with commentary)
• Sanchez, Matthews make Pac-10 All-Academic team
• USC football: Seniors say Rose Bowl is bittersweet

With Rhett Ellison (leg) and Jimmy Miller (illness) out, and Blake Ayles (groin, back) limited, the coaching staff moved defensive tackle DaJohn Harris to tight end.

Harris, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound redshirt freshman, played tight end at Serra High of Gardena. He impressed in limited reps Tuesday.

” ‘The Juice’ is loose,” quarterback Mark Sanchez said of Harris, whose nickname is “Juicy.”

“He did well. Soft hands. And he’s moving a lot better than maybe people thought. I had faith in him the whole time, I want to put that on record.”

Harris knows only a handful of plays at this point. USC coach Pete Carroll isn’t sure if the move will be permanent but said Harris could help at tight end over the next few weeks, particularly as a blocker.

Ayles, who had trouble getting out of his stance at times Tuesday, remains hopeful of playing Saturday.

Related links:

• If McKnight is out, USC will go Green
• McKnight still out, other injury notes

Although Evan Sharpley had seemed to play his way into the starting job at Notre Dame a few weeks ago, it was only on Tuesday that Irish head coach Charlie Weis gave him the nod.

During his weekly news conference, Weis told reporters, ""I think Evan this week gives us the best chance of winning," implying that Sharpley had wrestled the job away from high school phenom Jimmy Clausen. However, it is what he did not say that is more telling.

According to Clausen's high school teammate and USC running back Marc Tyler, the reason Jimmy won't be playing has nothing to do with his sucktitude and the Irish's 1-6 record--Clausen is injured: ""I wish he were starting," Tyler said. "He said his hip bothered him."

So Saint Charlie foold the Domer Nation and the press! What a genius!!!

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