FROM NEWS RELEASE
Athlon ranks USC No. 23 in its preseason top 25 and predicts the Trojans to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. Three USC players receive preseason All-Pac-10 recognition — junior Taj Gibson (first team), junior Daniel Hackett (third team) and freshman Demar DeRozan (third team). Gibson also receives honorable mention All-American honors.   

The magazine becomes available on Tuesday.

USC coach Pete Carroll called true freshman defensive tackle Jurrell Casey the MVP of Friday’s practice after he tipped a pass from quarterback Mark Sanchez and returned it for a touchdown.

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USC coach Pete Carroll said Friday that he expects Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells, who is not playing against Ohio on Saturday, to return for next week’s game against the Trojans on Sept. 13.

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The Pac-10 has won 10 of 16 games against the SEC in the BCS era. Still, the consensus is that the Pac-10 is a much inferior conference.

Carroll was asked if he was surprised by the conference’s success against other BCS conferences this past weekend — UCLA beat Tennessee and Cal beat Michigan State.

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QB Mark Sanchez practiced just twice this fall before suffering a dislocated kneecap. In the same week he returned he had to immediately prepare for Virginia.

He figures to be in a much different situation when USC plays Ohio State next Saturday.

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Coach Pete Carroll was asked Thursday which of his players never let up in practice. His response?

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Running back Broderick Green said he has been feeling left out of USC’s tailback mix and needed to speak with Coach Pete Carroll. They met for 10 minutes Wednesday.

It might have come at linebacker Rey Maualuga’s expense Thursday.

Green took a handoff outside and flattened Maualuga in practice, prompting Carroll to call it the “play of the day.” The 6-2, 235-pound back said Carroll made clear during their talk that he wants Green to be a “hammer.”

“Pound the defense, push the pile, I have that mindset now,” Green said. “It’s already my style, but I’m more aggressive now because I’m more hungry.

“I felt like (the meeting) helped big time.”

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To some respect, this has been the week of the freshmen and the reserves.

“They can move themselves up in the eyes of the coaches and the depth chart,” Carroll said. “That’s exactly what we’re looking for.”

So far freshman left tackle Tyron Smith seems to have caught Carroll’s attention.

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• Receiver Vidal Hazelton (ankle) and linebacker Luthur Brown (back) did not practice, as scheduled. Running back Marc Tyler (sore ribs) was also held out.
• Coach Carroll said there is no update on the status of defensive end Nick Perry and running back Curtis McNeal, neither of which has qualified. The deadline to enroll for the fall semester is next Friday. “Sometimes guys just don’t get it done and it takes them all the way into overtime,” Carroll said. “Those two guys are in overtime now.”
• A dozen USC players and coaches visited the Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Thursday morning.
• USC will practice at 7 a.m. today.

Maybe it’s because he is a freshman. Maybe it’s his size and talent. Maybe it’s just his long hair. Either way, tight end Blake Ayles (Orange Lutheran High) seems to attract all types of attention from his teammates.

He has earned their respect because he might be a starter before the season is over. But he also has experienced their disdain. From the onset of fall practice Ayles has consistently been involved in plays in which teammates playfully ridiculed him after. 

There were two instances Wednesday.

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