USC's quarterback situation took an intriguing turn Tuesday when John David Booty surprised himself and coaches with an impressive showing in his first extensive workout since breaking a finger against Stanford.
Booty, wearing a receivers glove to protect the middle finger on his right hand, did not take snaps but threw passes with good velocity and accuracy while alternating with Mark Sanchez.
Sanchez, coming off a victory over Arizona in his first start, began the week as the No. 1 quarterback going into Saturday's game at Notre Dame. But Booty put himself back in the picture.
"We tell Mark, 'You're starting until you're not,' " Coach Pete Carroll said. "But this was a very good day for John David. Everybody was a little surprised."
Booty said some of his throws were low because the ball stuck to the glove, but he was clearly encouraged and seemed more animated on the field.
"It didn't really seem to be anything I couldn't take or deal with," he said of occasional pain in his finger. "If I feel like I can take it and throw the ball accurately I'll be good to go."
Booty, Carroll and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian are waiting to see how Booty's finger responds to the workout.
Carroll reiterated that he was in no hurry to name a starter.
Meanwhile, Sanchez continued to prepare for what could be his first start on the road. The third-year sophomore from Mission Viejo is working to correct mistakes that resulted in two first-half interceptions against Arizona.
"I should play like a seasoned veteran being around here so long," Sanchez said. "The emotional side kind of took over a little bit and my focus wavered there in the second quarter, so I'm excited to get back into it and hopefully play again this Saturday and really clean up those mistakes and let them know I can be a technician and a real quarterback and not just an emotional head case or something."
Carroll and USC players praised Sanchez for his fearless 10-yard fourth-quarter scramble against Arizona, but chastised the quarterback for holding the ball in a vulnerable position.
"The only thing he could have done worse is gone behind his back for a layin or something," Carroll joked.
Said Sanchez: "One of the guys said I looked like Bambi on ice, so that was pretty embarrassing."
USC punt returner Desmond Reed, who suffered a season-ending knee injury at Notre Dame Stadium in 2005, said he was not apprehensive about returning to Notre Dame Stadium.
