Game faces on

Nothing spectacularly great. Nothing spectacularly bad.

USC's final training camp scrimmage at the Coliseum was a mostly staid affair, which suited Trojans players and coaches just fine.

"I thought, all in all, this was a terrific day for us," Coach Pete Carroll said Thursday after the starters outlasted the reserves, 28-7.

The preternaturally positive Carroll and his hyper-efficiency-conscious offensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian, had reason to feel satisfied. The Trojans completed their "mock-game" with a performance that lacked sizzle but also was nearly devoid of glaring mistakes.

With the season opener at Virginia just over a week away, both coaches noted that quarterbacks Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain did not commit a turnover and that no one got hurt in the 78-play controlled scrimmage.

The Trojans still need to clean up penalties (eight were called against the starters) and eliminate fumbles by tight ends (two), but they appear to have solved many of the problems that plagued them in their first two scrimmages.

"Now we're into game prep, so it's going to be kind of cool to turn our focus to that," said Carroll, whose team will practice today and then conclude training camp Saturday.

It appears more and more likely that the Trojans will begin preparations for Virginia with starting quarterback Mark Sanchez in the fold.

Two weeks after dislocating his left kneecap, Sanchez went through pregame one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills, and then watched Corp and Mustain compete for what now looks to be a backup role. He is expected to take part in a full practice Monday.

Nevertheless, Corp and Mustain knew that Sarkisian was focusing on game-management skills and both had their moments directing the first-team offense. Perhaps more important, neither quarterback had a pass intercepted or fumbled a snap.

Corp, who took all of the first-team snaps in practice Wednesday, started Thursday. The redshirt freshman completed eight of 10 passes for 85 yards and led a scoring drive behind an offensive line that showed improved protection from the last scrimmage.

Asked if he thought he had earned a start if Sanchez could not play in the opener, or the No. 2 spot if Sanchez returns, Corp said, "I really don't know. I'm not going to say anything until the coaches give me that nod."