Practice leaves a good taste for Trojans
USC FYI
After time off for Christmas holiday, and holiday meals, players say they are eager to get back to work in preparation for the Rose Bowl game against Penn State.
After spending several days consuming holiday meals and watching other teams play in bowl games, USC players were eager to get back to practice for Thursday's Rose Bowl game against Penn State.
"All you see is that Rose Bowl commercial," quarterback Mark Sanchez said Friday. "That's pretty cool, so I'm glad it's finally here."
As a helicopter hovered low over USC's practice fields in an attempt to dry the grass from recent rains, the Trojans went through a one-hour non-contact workout on the artificial turf at the campus track stadium.
"We're shaking off a little rust from all those Christmas dinners," Sanchez said. "Guys are coming back after eating quite a bit and sitting around a little bit, but we have our legs back."
Their mind-set too, Coach Pete Carroll said.
"This is the finish time," he said. "You can just tell that everybody was pumped up in the meetings."
Since USC is playing in the Rose Bowl for the fourth consecutive season, the Trojans are participating in the same pre-bowl events, including Friday's post-practice trip to Disneyland, a dinner Sunday at Lawry's in Beverly Hills and an evening at a comedy club.
Now that the game is finally within sight, several players said they were happy about the routine.
"I'm not bored," senior linebacker Rey Maualuga said. "I'm looking forward to everything that's going to be thrown our way. We know what to expect, so we're not overly anxious of what's going to happen next."
Sanchez also seemed to appreciate the comfort of familiarity.
"I think I've got the same [hotel] room of a couple years ago, so that's perfect for me," he said.
On the mend
Tailback Stafon Johnson returned to practice after sitting out the last workout before the break because of a kneecap injury.
Johnson had no problems running straight ahead and said that by the end of the practice week, "I'll be able to go full speed and go all the way and get my cuts back and all that stuff. It's sore but I can play through it."
Receiver Damian Williams, who suffered a shoulder injury against UCLA on Dec. 6, practiced but doctors have not cleared him for contact. Williams, the Trojans' leading receiver, does not expect to be cleared until game time.
"You know you're going to get hit," he said. "You just have to deal with it."
