Ranking the Pac-10's 30 best players: No. 1

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

No. 1

	Kevin Terrell/Getty Images
	USC's Taylor Mays is the Pac-10's only returning consensus first-team All-American.

Taylor Mays, S, USC: The good news here is no one will disagree with this one. No one who regularly reads the Pac-10 Blog could possibly question ranking No. 1 the conference's only returning consensus first-team All-American, the most important member of the Trojans' All-Universe 2008 defense and the almost certain first Pac-10 player taken in the 2010 NFL draft. Oh, and the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Mays also is the best all-around athlete in college football. And possibly all of football. One of the great fascinations of the 2010 draft will be who goes first between Tennessee's Eric Berry -- also a mega-talented safety -- and Mays, with both likely going in the top 10. You know how many teams use Cover 2 to prevent offenses from making big plays downfield in the passing game? USC did that. Only it played Cover 2 with Mays playing the role of two safeties as a lone centerfielder. Sure, Mays' zero interceptions last year is a hole on his resume, even though his role limited his opportunities for picks. And a few folks snicker that a handful of Mays' team-high nine pass deflections in 2008 should have been interception. Mays, who's started 38 consecutive games, has yet to demonstrate great hands (which Berry has). But USC had the nation's best pass defense in 2008 because of Mays. The Trojans gave up only six touchdown passes all season. Foes completed only 52 percent of their passes and averaged 134 yards per game. It wasn't mostly because of the Trojans' cornerbacks, who were good but didn't earn first- or second-team all-conference honors. It wasn't because of strong safety Kevin Ellison, who was more of a glorified linebacker. It wasn't because of an overwhelming pass rush; USC only had 29 sacks. Mays' presence was a giant sign posted in the secondary: "Don't even think about it." And few teams did. And when they did, well, you've seen the clips of Mays' bone-jarring hits.

2. Jahvid Best, RB, California
3. Rob Gronkowski, TE, Arizona
4. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
5. Kristofer O'Dowd, C, USC
6. Brian Price, DT, UCLA
7. Damian Williams, WR, USC
8. Syd'Quan Thompson, CB, California
9. Jeremiah Masoli, QB, Oregon
10. Walter Thurmond, CB, Oregon
11. Jake Locker, QB, Washington
12. Joe McKnight, RB, USC
13. Dexter Davis, DE, Arizona State
14. LeGarrette Blount, RB, Oregon
15. Alterraun Verner, CB, UCLA
16. Ed Dickson, TE, Oregon
17. Charles Brown, OT, USC
18. Will Tukuafu, DE, Oregon
19. Josh Pinkard, DB, USC
20. Reggie Carter, LB, UCLA
21. Stafon Johnson, RB, USC
22. James Rodgers, WR, Oregon State
23. Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, DE, Washington
24. Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State; Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State
25. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
26. Tyson Alualu, DE, California
27. Devin Ross, CB, Arizona
28. Keaton Kristick, LB, Oregon State
29. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
30. Everson Griffen, DE, USC

USC football: It’s a two-QB race

Michael Lev OCRegister.com

Pete Carroll and his staff won’t say it, but I will:

What began as a three-man competition to become USC’s starting quarterback in 2009 is now a two-man race.

Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley are the two. Mitch Mustain is the odd man out.

Simply put, Corp and Barkley have moved the offensive more consistently than Mustain has, in practice and scrimmage settings.

Whatever magic Mustain had as a national high school player of the year hasn’t materialized since he became a Trojan. Two theories why: (1) The adjustment from a shotgun spread attack to USC’s pro-style offense is more difficult than you might think; (2) the coaches have so ingrained in Mustain’s head to not throw interceptions that he has lost his aggressiveness.

Only occasionally has Mustain truly “let it go” in the practices I have witnessed. His numbers in the two scrimmages so far bear this out as well: Mustain is 10 of 18 for 64 yards. That’s less than 4 yards per attempt, and it’s not indicative of a quarterback who is seeing receivers come open down the field and delivering the ball to them.

If I’m right about Corp and Barkley separating from Mustain (or vice versa; it’s the same net result), then the question becomes which one Carroll & Co. will select. And the answer depends entirely on what they want.

If they want fewer turnovers but are willing to sacrifice touchdown passes, then the choice should be Corp. If they want more touchdown passes but are willing to tolerate more turnovers, then the choice should be Barkley.

Corp, amazingly, hasn’t thrown an interception the entire spring. He also has been more inclined to throw to checkdown receivers than Barkley, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Remember: Carroll, a defensive coach, stresses taking care of the ball above all else.

Corp took more shots in Saturday’s scrimmage, including a 15-yard in route that Ronald Johnson turned into a 61-yard touchdown. Corp also missed several open receivers, leading him to feel “frustrated” afterward. The throws were all just slightly off. They were throws Corp should make, and he has seven more practices to prove he can.

Barkley can make every throw; the question is whether he can make all the right decisions. He definitely made an incorrect one in the second half Saturday, trying to throw back to the hash after rolling almost all the way to the right sideline. Uona Kaveinga picked it off. It was a classic “freshman mistake.” It wasn’t the first Barkley has made this spring, and it no doubt won’t be the last.

But on his next possession, Barkley reacted as if it never happened. He hit Anthony McCoy for 30 yards on a first-and-25 and finished the drive with an 8-yard dart to Damian Williams, the two of them taking advantage of Marshall Jones playing too far off in a third-and-goal situation.

That was a relatively easy decision for Barkley, going to USC’s best receiver when he had room to operate. The same can’t be said of the choice Carroll and his staff must make.

USC football meets it halfway

Scott Wolf Press-Telegram

USC just crossed the halfway point of spring practice and some personalities already emerged that could provide an early answer for some of the big questions for next season. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights after two weeks:

Tailback Curtis McNeal: The redshirt freshman is perhaps the biggest winner. For one thing he is currently the only completely healthy running back and he used it to his advantage by showing surprising blocking skills to complement his quickness. McNeal gained 101 yards in Saturday's scrimmage largely because he got more carries (13) than planned after Marc Tyler injured his hip.

Quarterback Matt Barkley: He is technically a high school senior but he is pushing frontrunner Aaron Corp to be the starting quarterback. If he cuts down on his interceptions, like he did in practices late last week, things could get really interesting. But will Pete Carroll risk playing a true freshman if it increases the chance for turnovers?

Linebacker Malcolm Smith: He already looks as athletic and physically imposing as some of USC's marquee linebackers of the past few years. Plus he makes big plays in practice, something his predecessors did not always do consistently.

Offensive tackle Tyron Smith: His ability cries out for a spot in the lineup and the coaches moved him to right tackle in hopes he could start there next season. He probably should have redshirted last season but it will not matter if he can improve his pass blocking enough to warrant being a full-time starter next year.

Defensive end Armond Armstead: The 290-pound sophomore was supposed to move from defensive tackle as an experiment but after two practices it was declared a permanent switch.

Wide receiver David Ausberry: Carroll said the junior is having his best spring but it really looks like the Trojans are just throwing to him more often now that Patrick Turner is no longer around.

Quarterback Mitch Mustain: Maybe it just seems like the junior is not getting the same share of first-team snaps as his competitors. The first scrimmage definitely worked against him as he was the only quarterback who did not play with the first team. Barkley's ascension does not help.

Tailback C.J. Gable: The junior fumbled early, which reminded everyone of his conflicts with the coaches following fumbles against UCLA and Penn State. Then he got hurt, which makes it difficult to predict his spot in the tailback rotation.

The previous coaching setup: USC's special teams look more organized and crisper with an actual special teams coach for the first time since 2004. The only question is whether assistant coach Brian Schneider will be able to find adequate replacements for kicker David Buehler and punter Greg Woidneck. The answer will not come until the fall when junior-college transfer Jake Harfman competes at both positions.

Linebacker Luthur Brown: The oft-injured senior looked like he could push middle linebacker Chris Galippo for playing time but strained his shoulder again and is out for the rest of spring drills.

Tight end: With Blake Ayles recovering from knee surgery, the position looked thinner than ever once starter Anthony McCoy pulled his hamstring. USC better hope those two stay healthy next year.