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Â	AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian
Â	Pete Carroll and the Trojans have their sights set on a Pac-10 title.

LOS ANGELES -- Sat down with USC coach Pete Carroll on Sunday night. He ate ice cream and answered questions.

What's your feeling on this scenario: Let's say Mitch Mustain starts at quarterback against Virginia and has a lights out game. Do you have a philosophical opinion on whether an injured starter [Mark Sanchez] always retains his job or do you go with the hot hand against Ohio State?

Pete Carroll: I would never... I can't even answer a question about that. To surmise what's going to happen with one guy and then what we're going to do with the next guy? I wouldn't even tell you what the first stage of it is let alone the second or third. So I'm not going to answer that. Too much conjecture there.

You talk about getting better and growing every year. What have you changed in the past couple of years about how you do things?

PC: Not very much. We do mostly the same stuff with just small changes. It depends on our staff continuity. This year, we've got 99 percent staff continuity so it's really easy [only staff change was the GA who works with the secondary]. We're able to do more things with that. When we're bringing new people along, we can't do that. We can't afford to go off and experiment. This year, we've done more things but it's kind of like if you have a philosophy then why would you change? The consistency is part of the philosophy -- how you recruit, where you recruit, who you recruit. The consistency of what the expectations are, the consistency of the standards for practice, the offseason programs. All of those things are the same. We get better at them. We get better versed on knowing what we want and getting more astute as we go along but we don't change much.

I know this is going to sound pretty stupid, but you're the only coach who can be asked this: Is winning the Rose Bowl ever not enough?

PC: No. You've got to understand that our mindset is to focus only on what we can control. We can only control getting to the Rose Bowl. Winning our conference and going to the Rose Bowl is what our goal is every year. Our goal isn't about national championships, because we don't have control of that -- that's in somebody else's hands. We found that out years ago [2003], when we were No. 1 but then we were No. 3. We already knew that but that just proved it. If we win our games and we're out there and they want us to go somewhere else, then we'll go. We love the Rose Bowl.

Does it ever register with you that there's such a small margin for error for USC that if you don't win the national championship then some believe it hasn't had a successful season?

PC: I know people say that but I don't care. They can say whatever they want.

Could you give me a couple of names of younger guys who have stepped up in preseason practices?

PC: A guy who's had a really good camp is Travon Patterson, a wide receiver. He's caught touchdowns on every big day, every big scrimmage we've had. He's playing fast and has made a lot of plays for us. The guys who have done a lot of good stuff are the freshmen -- [TE] Blake Ayles is a guy you might not have expected to but he's looked great. The other guy is [RB] Allen Bradford. He's had a great camp again. I really like [WR] Jordan Cameron. All four of the freshmen defensive linemen [Armond Armstead, Jurrell Casey, Wes Horton and Malik Jackson] -- they look great. These guys have a chance to play early. Uona Kaveinga has been playing second-team "Mike" linebacker. [Safety] Drew McAllister has looked really good -- he's had three or four picks in big, scrimmage-type situations and hit well. It's been a really solid freshmen class. The offensive linemen have looked good but it's going to take them some time.

Things get a little juicer in Part II, when Carroll talks about new UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, his future and what he thinks of his legacy.

Actually, they are still going with Corp. Bradford gains 2 yards on a carry.
Corp escapes a sack and gains about 19 yards on a scramble. Joe McKnight jukes a couple times and gains 14 yards. Corp's pass in deflected by Taylor Mays. McKnight then drops Corp's pass to avert a potential good gain.
Corp calmly rolls out and finds Damian Willaims for 12 yards. Corp then fumbles the snap and Stafon Johnson picks up the ball, lose of five. Corp's pass is deflected, looks like Wes Horton got it. On 3rd and 16, Corp's pass is incomplete.
Time to catch a breath. Corp looks calm, his arm is not the strongest but he plays under control and can avoid the rush.
Mustain back in the game. Green loses a yard. Mustain throws to Adam Goodman, who can't hold on to it. Mustain then throws incomplete to David Ausberry, who is well covered.
Garrett Green in at QB. B. Green carries for a loss of one. Green then throws to Blake Ayles, but for no gain and follows with an incomplete pass.
Mustain throws to Goodman for 9 yards. Bradford then loses a couple yards. Mustain throws behind Ronald Johnson, incomplete.
Corp back in and throws an incomplete pass. He then finds Travon Patterson open for about 17 yards. He throws a nice ball to Scott Stephens, who drops it, but pass intereference is called. Corp is sacked by Derek Simmons. Corp finds Patterson for 19 yards.
Corp scrambles for 10 yards. Corp fumbles another snap and this time the defense recovers.
Looks like its halftime. We've got some center-QB snap issues with both quarterbacks and the running game is not impressive.
Second half. Mustain in. B. Green gains no yards and Mustain finds Brandon Carswell for about seven yards. Mustain to a diving D.J. Shoemate for about 4 yards. Marc Tyler enters and gains a yard. B. Green then gains 2 yards. Mustain then finds Tyler for 13 yards, but it's called back. Mustain throws a short pass to Carswell, who drops it.
Corp in and gets sacked. He then scrambles for five yards when the protection breaks down.
Corp throws to McKnight, who is hit hard by Kevin Ellison and drops. That hit leads to some unsportsmanlike conduct on both sides for offsetting penalties.
Garrett Green back in. He throws incomplete, then finds Blake Ayles, who gains 11 yards and looks like he has the wheels to maybe break some runs off passes this season. Green finds a wide-open Stephens for 7 yards.
TOUCHDOWN -- Green down sideline to Carswell for 42 yards.
Mustain at QB. McKnight gains about six and then Mustain finds Rhett Ellison for 14 yards. Mustain then hits Ellison again for seven yards. A defensive penalty on a play where Ellison catches a 3 yard pass.
Mustain then throws to Bradford, who gains 18 yards. McKnight gains 6 yards. Mustain's pass is intercepted in the end zone, maybe by Brian Baucham.
It's over!

Corp to Travon Patterson for 2 yards. Corp in the shotgun, throws for a yard to D.J. Shoemate under a strong rush.
Mitch Mustain is in with a new group. He rolls out and finds Patterson for 9 yards. Broderick Green carries for no gain on the next play. Mustain throws a little pass to Green, who runs 16 yards.
More Green on a rush, for no gain. Green again for a couple yards. Mustain gets sacked on the next play. Change of possession.
Corp finds Anthony McCoy over the middle for 8 yards. Allen Bradford loses 1 yard on a carry. On 3rd down, Gerald Washington blocks Corp's pass. Next!
Actually, they are still going with Corp. Bradford gains 2 yards on a carry.
Corp escapes a sack and gains about 19 yards on a scramble. Joe McKnight jukes a couple times and gains 14 yards. Corp's pass in deflected by Taylor Mays. McKnight then drops Corp's pass to avert a potential good gain.
Corp calmly rolls out and finds Damian Willaims for 12 yards. Corp then fumbles the snap and Stafon Johnson picks up the ball, lose of five. Corp's pass is deflected, looks like Wes Horton got it. On 3rd and 16, Corp's pass is incomplete.
Time to catch a breath. Corp looks calm, his arm is not the strongest but he plays under control and can avoid the rush.
Mustain back in the game. Green loses a yard. Mustain throws to Adam Goodman, who can't hold on to it. Mustain then throws incomplete to David Ausberry, who is well covered.
Garrett Green in at QB. B. Green carries for a loss of one. Green then throws to Blake Ayles, but for no gain and follows with an incomplete pass.
Mustain throws to Goodman for 9 yards. Bradford then loses a couple yards. Mustain throws behind Ronald Johnson, incomplete.
Corp back in and throws an incomplete pass. He then finds Travon Patterson open for about 17 yards. He throws a nice ball to Scott Stephens, who drops it, but pass intereference is called. Corp is sacked by Derek Simmons. Corp finds Patterson for 19 yards.
Corp scrambles for 10 yards. Corp fumbles another snap and this time the defense recovers.

From a practice this week, here were the 40 times for USC's wide receivers:

1) Ronald Johnson 4.43
2) Damian Williams 4.46
3) David Ausberry 4.48
4) Brandon Carswell 4.49
5) Vidal Hazelton 4.52
6) Garrett Green 4.56
7) Patrick Turner 4.64

Track star Travon Patterson, who did not run, would probably be the fastest. And speed will not play much of a factor if the ball is not delivered or the ball is not caught (something that has plagued USC in the last year).

The wide receivers [Inside USC]

Make that a thin cardinal line protecting USC's backfield, which also happens to be hamstrung by injuries. While every team looses players during the season (Cal lost to Oregon State without their starting QB, Stanford beat USC without their's), can anybody in the nation match up with the Trojan's carnage?

From USC football's weekly press release:

Already this season, 11 starters or projected starters have missed games with injuries:  S-CB Josh Pinkard (6 games), C Matt Spanos (3 games), TB C.J. Gable (3 games), LB Brian Cushing (3 games), CB Shareece Wright (2 games), OG Chilo Rachal (2 games), C Kristofer O’Dowd (2 games), QB John David Booty (1 game), CB Cary Harris (1 game), WR Patrick Turner (1 game) and TB Chauncey Washington (1 game).

Also, a number of key backups have missed games due to injuries: CB Kevin Thomas (6 games), OG-C Nick Howell (6 games), TB Broderick Green (6 games), TE Jimmy Miller (5 games), LB Chris Galippo (3 games), TB Stafon Johnson (2 games), WR Travon Patterson (2 games), OT Butch Lewis (2 games), OT Charles Brown (1 game), QB Mark Sanchez (1 game), S Will Harris (1 game) and CB Vincent Joseph (1 game).  Pinkard, Gable, Thomas, Howell, Green, Galippo, Patterson have season-ending injuries.

The impact of these injuries has been enormous. The team could be one fractured finger or a healed foot away from a 6-0 record.

Looking ahead to Notre Dame, here's more from the Sports Information Department:

POSSIBLE:  TB Stafon Johnson (foot), OT Sam Baker (hamstring), S Kevin Ellison (nose), OT Charles Brown (ankle), LB Rey Maualuga (hip), OG Zack Heberer (shoulder), QB John David Booty (finger), LB Brian Cushing (ankle), OG Chilo Rachal (knee), CB Shareece Wright (hamstring), C Kristofer O’Dowd (kneecap), TE Jimmy Miller (back).

OUT:  TB C.J. Gable (abdomen), WR Travon Patterson (foot), LB Chris Galippo (back), S-CB Josh Pinkard (knee), OG-C Nick Howell (hernia), TB Broderick Green (foot), CB Kevin Thomas (shoulder), OT Martin Coleman (shoulder), DE Trey Henderson, WR Damian Williams (shoulder).

That ignores all the players who are just dinged up (see Jeff Byers, pictured above) and leaves out two recently announced injuries to Kyle Moore and Terrell Thomas (hamstring).

Here's what John David Booty's hand looked like after practice today. He didn't throw at all, but he's supposed to try tomorrow with a glove.

But both had big days Wednesday and reminded you that the Trojans may not have had anyone step up and stake out any of the wide receivers' spots just yet, but it's not because of the lack of numbers there.

• The team continued to work on special teams, and today the focus was on the punt coverage and field goal units. Junior kicker Dave Buehler had a solid workout, showing good accuracy and a strong leg. I didn't get a total count on his attempts, but his only miss came when he hit the right upright from at least 40 yards out. It is obvious that Buehler has the skill necessary to be an efficient kicker at this level, the only question is if that incredibly clutch 49 yard kick he made against UC-Berkeley last season was an aberration or a sign of things to come.
  

• The offensive star of the morning workout, again, was David Ausberry. This guy is a fucking "beast." I know the term "beast" has been overused lately, but Ausberry is very deserving of it. It's debatable whether he's the best WR on the team, but he's by far the most impressive. Just watching him play on the practice field makes you say "Wow!" He has soft hands and is a mismatch nightmare for whichever defensive back that lines up against him. With Travon Patterson and Jamere Holland sitting out, Ausberry often lined up at split end (X), with Ronald Johnson at flanker (Z), and Patrick Turner in the slot. That's a line-up that very few teams in college football can match-up against.
  

• Offensively, the first team offensive line and most of the running backs had a light session during the scrimmage type 11-on-11 team period. The focus during this period seemed to be on the passing game, as the offense went against the defense (which was rotating players regularly).
  

• There wasn't any contact, as the workout was brisk and smooth, but look for that to change in the afternoon session. We'll get a better look at the defense once the team comes out in full pads again.
  

Booty connects with Patrick Turner at USC-Washington, 2006
Image by Rod Mar / The Seattle Times

The USC football team tops 2007 pre-season polls released by the majority of major media outlets. This is despite the fact that the Trojans lost their top receivers (ranked one, two and five in total yds) to the NFL. With Jarret, Smith and McFoy gone pro, USC is left nearly void of experienced wide-outs. This year Patrick Turner stands to prove why he's #1.

It's summer time once again. And once again USC ranks supreme by the sporting god fortune-tellers and media-psychics. That's due in part to the return of a defensive line that just dominated Michigan in the Rose Bowl. It's partly because of the strength of QB John David Booty, a front-runner for the 2007 Heisman. And, of course, it's partly because of the win record of head coach "Big Balls" Pete Carroll (as he's known around campus). But one factor seems missing from the pre-season equation: big offense.