Arizona running back Nic Grigsby has something to prove against USC

David Wharton Los Angeles Times

The message came across loud and clear.

Didn't matter that Nic Grigsby ranked among the top few rushers in the Pacific 10 Conference. Didn't matter that he had just gained 13 yards on a nifty run.

The moment the ball fumbled from his arms, the Arizona running back was banished to the sideline for the remainder of the game.

"It was a little lesson they wanted me to learn," Grigsby said of his benching last week at California. "Hit me right in the face."

So it is a penitent and angry young man who hopes to make amends when Arizona plays sixth-ranked USC in a critical game in Tucson on Saturday night.

The Trojans defense represents only half the test facing Grigsby. When he got yanked against Cal, freshman Keola Antolin exploded for 149 yards and three touchdowns.

Now Coach Mike Stoops, while suggesting that Grigsby remains the starter, is talking about using his backs as a one-two punch. And the small, quick Antolin looks an awful lot like Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers, who had a big game against USC this season.

Which only increases Grigsby's desire to prove himself to the coaches. "They want to see how I react," he said.

Challenges are nothing new to the sophomore from Whittier.

His high school career was a traveling road show, with a new stop almost every season. He began at Compton Dominguez High, then transferred to Santa Fe Springs St. Paul because his mother thought it would be safer.

Grigsby ran for 758 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior but had to leave St. Paul for financial reasons. He ended up at Whittier California, hardly an athletic powerhouse.

The good news? He dominated opponents to the tune of 1,273 yards as a senior.

The bad news? "Everything was slower, guys weren't as good," he recalled. "I didn't think it was getting me ready for college."

Still, Arizona offered him a scholarship and got a slashing runner who contributed immediately. He became a starter early in the 2007 season and led the team in rushing with 704 yards.

This fall started off well too, with Grigsby providing a steady counterpoint to the Wildcats passing attack led by quarterback Willie Tuitama. He ran for 614 yards through the first six games, ranking near the top of the Pac-10.

"He was very effective just slipping our guys and making them miss," said Washington Coach Tyrone Willingham, who watched Grigsby gain 113 yards against his team. "With their offensive scheme, it was a great complement."

But his aggressive style of running, his habit of letting the ball get away from his body, led to fumbles against New Mexico, UCLA and Stanford.

"I was just thinking about making big plays," Grigsby said, "not being aware of who was around me."

For Stoops, the quick turnover against Cal -- on Arizona's second play from scrimmage -- was the last straw. The coach said: "I think this is becoming habit-forming and there have got to be consequences."

Grigsby needed to be careful how he reacted.

Stoops wasn't happy with his body language on the sideline, but several days later, speaking to a reporter, the running back made a point of praising teammates -- Antolin in particular -- for the comeback victory against the Golden Bears. He talked about working harder in practice.

Other emotions lingered in the background.

"I was mad," he acknowledged. "It was hard watching that game."

Now he has a chance to show his coach that "I've learned my lesson." A chance to prove himself against one of the toughest defenses in college football.

Now he has a chance to take his anger out on USC.

USC's Joe McKnight to play Saturday

Gary Klein Los Angeles Times

It's getting crowded again in USC's backfield.

Sophomore tailback Joe McKnight, who did not play against Washington State because of a toe injury, practiced for the first time this week Thursday and will play Saturday at Arizona.

"I'm back," said McKnight, who rushed for a career-best 143 yards two weeks ago against Arizona State.

McKnight's return potentially jumbles a tailback rotation that worked smoothly and evenly against undermanned Washington State.

Redshirt freshman Broderick Green ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns in 18 carries in the Trojans' 69-0 victory. Junior Stafon Johnson had 112 yards in 11 carries and sophomore C.J. Gable ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns in 16 carries.

"It was a good game to mix everybody evenly but that was not by design until we realized how the game was going," Coach Pete Carroll said. "This is different. This will be like we always play and we'll just take the game as it comes to us."

Gable and Johnson will get the bulk of the work, Carroll said. And Johnson will continue to return punts.

Jacquizz revisited?

Arizona freshman running back Keola Antolin amassed 237 all-purpose yards last week against California, including 149 rushing.

The 5-foot-8 Antolin is similar in stature to Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who ran for 186 yards in 37 carries in the Beavers' 27-21 victory over the Trojans.

Asked whether a smallish running back presents a similar challenge, Carroll said, "We'll find out. I don't know that. That was a very odd game for us. . . . It was totally uncharacteristic for us to have so much of a problem.

"If it happens again, then we'll start taking a look at it. I don't think it's because of the guy's size."

Getting the message

As offensive lineman Butch Lewis left the field, he communicated in sign language with members of the football team from the visiting California School of the Deaf in Riverside.

Lewis said he is fluent in sign language because he has a sister who is deaf.

Before Lewis departed, offensive line coach Pat Ruel had summoned the sophomore for a five-minute meeting. Lewis did not play against Washington State because of illness and has been supplanted by Nick Howell as the starting right tackle.

"I told him I thought he needed to practice better," Ruel said. "We've counted on him in the past and he's come through. We just need to get him to the level he needs to be at."

Lewis agreed.

"It's kind of exciting to come back and have to fight for your job, to make sure you love the game again and really appreciate it," he said.

Quick kicks

Alex Parsons will start again at right guard. . . . Receiver Damian Williams practiced despite a shoulder sprain and will play against Arizona. "I've had a lot of rehab," he said. "I've been in the training room since 8 this morning." . . . Defensive tackle Fili Moala (ankle) did not practice but said he would play Saturday.

USC offensive tackle Lewis OK with being backup

Scott Wolf LA Daily News

USC offensive tackle Butch Lewis lost his starting spot because of a stomach virus, but the sophomore claims he is not sick about the demotion.

"If we weren't at USC, it would be different," Lewis said. "But we have the best athletes in the world."

Nick Howell, who had 22knockdowns in his first career start last weekend, will be ahead of Lewis. Alex Parsons, who filled in for starter Zack Heberer (turf toe) the past three games, will also hold on to his job.

"Lewis and Heberer will play early," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "It's a good situation for us. It just seems like the right thing to do. It's not important who starts but who finishes."

Lewis, who started the first five games, said he did not mind being behind Howell.

"Since I got here, Nick's been one of the best offensive linemen," Lewis said. "This makes me focus and work."

Lewis said he spoke to offensive line coach Pat Ruel several times his week about his status.

"He said he'll work us in," Lewis said.

Although he feels nearly 100 percent, Lewis said his conditioning remains an issue. "I'm just trying to get my stamina back up, I get a little tired," he said.

Carroll was asked if Arizona's 5-foot-8 freshman tailback, Keola Antonin, would pose similar problems for the Trojans as diminutive Oregon State freshman tailback Jacquizz Rodgers, who rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans in the Beavers' win Sept. 25

"We'll find out," Carroll said. "That (Oregon State game) was an odd game for us and totally uncharacteristic. I don't think it had anything to do with the guy's size. It wasn't how we prepared to look."

Tailback Joe McKnight (turf toe) participated in practice and is cleared to play Saturday.

"I'm very close to 100 percent," McKnight said. "When I make a cut and burst out, I only feel it a little bit."

Carroll said there are plays designed for McKnight in the game plan.

"C.J. (Gable) and Stafon (Johnson) will get the bulk of the work," Carroll said. "Joe does have his plays he likes to do."

Johnson will return punts against Arizona ,although McKnight practiced punt returns Thursday.

Defensive tackle Fili Moala rested a sore ankle but is expected to be OK. ... Wide receiver Damian Williams, who sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder, practiced and should be fine. Williams will wear extra padding on his shoulder for the game. ... Defensive end Gerald Washington (ankle) and offensive guard Thomas Herring (knee) are not expected to make the trip to Arizona. Washington said he will try to return next week.

Sanchez's family meets with adviser on NFL

Scott Wolf LA Daily News

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez has passed for more than 1,500 yards in six starts this season and has 19 touchdown passes with six interceptions.

So maybe it should not come as a surprise that his father and older brother met with a former NFL executive Monday night who advises college football players on subjects such as agent recruitment and pro-scouting evaluations.

Joe Mendes, a friend of USC coach Pete Carroll and former vice president for football operations for the Washington Redskins, is paid by USC to advise underclassmen about the NFL.

"We make him available as a resource," Carroll said. "He advises universities on the NFL and the business aspects that come to the front as you get eligible for the NFL draft.

"He'll give you everything. He's a research librarian on how guys make it and don't make it. It's so guys have someone to ask if they hesitant to ask the coaches a question. I've known him for 35 years."

Mendes, who is based in Virginia, also consults for other universities.

Mark Sanchez said he was unaware of the details of the meeting, which was set up by his father and brother.

"I haven't talked to them about it yet," he said Tuesday. "They just told me they were meeting with him."

Sanchez said he intends to return to USC for his senior year.

Home sweet home: USC center Kris O'Dowd lives five minutes from Arizona Stadium in Tucson and said he will have about 100 friends at Saturday's game against the Wildcats.

"I'll recognize a lot of people on the other side, but it's a business trip," O'Dowd said.

Arizona was one of O'Dowd's final three choices before he chose USC. But he said he still has a fondness for his hometown team.

"I'm a Trojan now, but I definitely root for them silently," O'Dowd said.

Fighting for spots: Offensive tackle Butch Lewis (virus) and offensive guard Zack Heberer (turf toe) practiced but each lost their starting spots to Nick Howell and Alex Parsons, at least temporarily.

"It's obvious they know (what happened)," Carroll said. "They're serious about it. It's hard on guys knowing someone is nipping at their heels, but it makes them better."

Heberer said he is 95 percent recovered. Carroll confirmed previous comments by offensive line coach Pat Ruel that Tyron Smith is pushing starting tackle Charles Brown.

"Tyron's closer than he's been," Carroll said.

McKnight update: Tailback Joe McKnight was held out of most of Tuesday's practice as he slowly comes back from a case of turf toe.

"I'm moving faster," McKnight said. "I'm going to play this Saturday."

Sick bay: Fullback Stanley Havili sprained his ankle against Washington State and is being brought along slowly.

Tailback Marc Tyler (pulled thigh muscle) will miss this week's game and hopes to return next week.

Wide receiver Vidal Hazelton practiced but will see a doctor this morning to officially be cleared.

Tight end Blake Ayles said doctors now think he injured his groin. His injury was previously diagnosed as a sports hernia and hip flexor. The injury has not sidelined him, however.

USC getting healthy just in time

Dan Weber PE.com

LOS ANGELES - It looks like all the "in-doubt" Trojans players could make it back for the first-place Pac-10 showdown at Arizona (5-2, 3-1) Saturday (7:15 p.m., FSN).

Joe McKnight, fitted with a protective plate that kept his right turf toe straight when he ran, looked good as new despite missing nearly 10 days of work and last week's Washington State game.

"I don't feel anything with it in there," McKnight said after a full day of work running and catching the ball, even returning punts. "It doesn't hurt at all. I should be ready to go."

"Joe did well today," USC coach Pete Carroll said.

So did wide receiver Damian Williams, who began rehabbing his mild right AC sprain "at 8 this morning," he said. A special pad to elevate his shoulder pads and cushion the joint along with a new tape job did the trick, Williams said.

"When I tell you I'm going to play, I'm going to play," he said.

That's exactly what defensive tackle Fili Moala said, after rolling his right ankle in practice Wednesday.

"I got to come out and run around," Moala said before finishing practice on the trainers table with ice on his ankle. "It felt pretty good running straight ahead."

Moala's chances of playing Saturday were "100 percent," he said, "with an ankle or not. My team needs me ... and I need my team."

After resting his sore hamstring the past two days, cornerback Cary Harris was back in full pads.

And fullback Stanley Havili had already gotten back a day earlier from his sprain, ending Thursday's work with a touchdown catch in scrimmage.

Howell, Parsons Stay as Right-Side Starters

Their work as stand-ins for the original starters on the right side of the USC offensive line has been good all along, especially last week at Washington State.

But Carroll said he decided to stay with last week's two starters -- tackle Nick Howell and guard Alex Parsons -- again this Saturday and back them up with the now-healthy pair of guard Zack Heberer and tackle Butch Lewis.

"It's a good situation for us," Carroll said. "All four of those guys are going to play ... It seems like the right thing to do after their work this week."

California School for the Deaf in the House

Lewis was hurrying off to class after practice but not before stopping off to say "Hi" to the two dozen red-and-black-clad football players from the California School for the Deaf, Riverside and its first-year head coach, Jason Coleman, at practice.

But the 300-pound Lewis could do so in their language as he signed to them on the fly.

"My sister is deaf," Lewis said, explaining that he knows sign language. "I was asking them where they were from, do they have a game this weekend and wishing them good luck."

With school out at CSDR until Monday and no game until Saturday, and with all the players staying in the dorms, Coleman followed up on his attendance at the USC coaches clinic by asking if he could bring his players over to practice.

"No problem," he said the USC football office told him.

Coleman's rebuilding team is 1-5 this season after going 0-10 a year ago.

The CSDR players finished up the day with linebacker Rey Maualuga letting them put on his helmet and pass it around as he lined up for a photo with the team.

CSDR runs a spread, no-huddle offense, Coleman said, and they all watch as he signs in the plays and then go on a silent snap count.

No redshirt for USC's Hazelton

DAN WEBER PE.com

LOS ANGELES - Will he or won't he?

That's been the question for the past three weeks or so since junior wide receiver Vidal Hazelton requested a redshirt season after spraining his left ankle, following a right ankle sprain suffered in the opener at Virginia.

Well, forget it.

"I'm cleared to play now," said Hazelton, who was kept out of last week's Washington State game after getting a concussion a week ago in practice.

After catching three touchdown passes, with another negated by a penalty, in an eye-opening effort at Wednesday's practice, Hazelton said, "I'm in the game plan" for Saturday's showdown at Arizona (5-2, 3-1). Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian added: "We have a nice little package for him."

But stopping and starting or planting on comeback routes will cause his ankle to hurt for several plays, said Hazelton, who has caught five passes for 33 yards in three games with no touchdowns.

"It still hurts," Hazelton said of the right ankle that has developed a bone bruise near the Achilles' tendon, even if it's not obvious. "I still have to deal with it."

Hazelton, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound Staten Island native and the nation's No. 2-rated prep receiver three years ago, has been passed up by Arkansas transfer Damian Williams (23 catches, 365 yards, five TDs) and sophomore Ronald Johnson (16 for 365, five TDs), both of whom have played all six games.

"I got hurt, guys moved up," Hazelton said. "Damian and RoJo were making plays. You can't deny that."

But the coaches could deny him his redshirt, and did. His next appearance in a game would exceed the limit for a medical redshirt request.

"The coaches didn't want it," Hazelton said. "It's better for the team" if he stays ready to play.

After staying late to catch extra passes from Mark Sanchez, Hazelton talked about a late jab to the facemask of safety Taylor Mays that earned him "a teachable moment" in a close-encounter session with Pete Carroll.

"Coach Carroll didn't like it," Hazelton said of his late jab, which came after Mays responded to a downfield block with a hit of his own.

"I didn't let it get to me," Hazelton said with a smile, not sounding like a guy ready to sit out in a red shirt. "And I won't forget it."

Williams, Moala Injured

Going after a pass that was slightly behind him, Williams came down with an awkward twist, landing hard, then leaving the field for the trainer's table.

"It's fine," he said after practice. "Don't ask."

And then he acknowledged that "it's a slight AC sprain" of the right collarbone-shoulder joint. But nothing that should affect him Saturday.

Same for defensive tackle Fili Moala, who rolled his right ankle in one-on-one work and sat out the rest of the day. He indicated the ankle would not be an issue.

Not Naming Starter Yet

Ask Carroll all you want about the battle for the right offensive tackle spot between Butch Lewis, the starter the first five games, and 287-pound Nick Howell, the junior who impressed with his physical play at Washington State when Lewis was out sick. Carroll's not going to answer.

"There's no reason to call it," Carroll said.

Mark Sanchez has come a long way

Gary Klein Los Angeles Times

What a difference a year makes.

That's what USC quarterback Mark Sanchez thought as he reflected on last season's game against Arizona when he started for the first time.

Sanchez, playing in place of injured John David Booty, overcame nerves and two interceptions to lead USC to a 20-13 victory at the Coliseum on Oct. 13, 2007, throwing a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to tight end Fred Davisfor the go-ahead score.

On Saturday, Sanchez will face the Wildcats again, this time in Tucson, and this time as the Pacific 10 Conference's passing efficiency leader.

"It's like night and day," Sanchez said this week. "I watched the film from last year and I'm like, 'What am I doing?' "

"I just wish I would have settled down sooner because I was on edge the whole first half -- pretty scared and timid. . . . I feel way better this year. It's not even comparable."

Sanchez has passed for 19 touchdowns with six interceptions.

After Tuesday's practice, Sanchez said he expected a raucous atmosphere at Arizona Stadium, where Wildcats fans will turn out en masse to rattle the Trojans.

"We warm up right in front of their student section," he said. "It's a pretty rowdy crowd. They get hostile and personal."

A sort of homecoming

Trojans center Kristofer O'Dowd, who grew up in Tucson not far from Arizona's campus, anticipates that about 100 friends and family members will attend the game.

O'Dowd, a sophomore, regularly attended games at Arizona Stadium and the Wildcats were among his top three choices coming out of Salpointe Catholic High.

"It's going to be like every other game," O'Dowd said. "It's just that I'll recognize a lot more people on the side."

Arizona Coach Mike Stoops is very familiar with a player who has become the leader of the Trojans' offensive line.

"His family has been in Tucson a long time," Stoops said. "In fact, I'm supposed to give his mother some tickets, so maybe he'll take it easy on us."

Said O'Dowd: "He was just joking around."

Quick kicks

Tailback Joe McKnight (toe) was limited to only a few drills but said he would play Saturday. . . . Juniors Nick Howell and Alex Parsons continued to work with the first unit at right tackle and right guard, respectively. . . . Fullback Stanley Havili is nursing a sore ankle.