Brandon Ting

Brandon Ting, a USC defensive back who unexpectedly left the program last week, had tested positive for steroids, sources said Tuesday. On Friday, USC announced that Ting and his twin brother, Ryan, also a defensive back, had decided to stop playing football so they could concentrate on preparing for medical school. The Tings, who are seniors, played mainly as back-ups and on special teams last season. Brandon Ting could not be reached for comment.

Brandon Ting, a USC defensive back who unexpectedly left the program last week, had tested positive for steroids, sources said Tuesday. On Friday, USC announced that Ting and his twin brother, Ryan, also a defensive back, had decided to stop playing football so they could concentrate on preparing for medical school. The Tings, who are seniors, played mainly as back-ups and on special teams last season. Brandon Ting could not be reached for comment.

Matt Leinart's December calendar is filling up quickly. On Tuesday, Leinart was chosen as one of three finalists for the Davey O'Brien Award, presented to the nation's top quarterback. Utah's Alex Smith and Oklahoma's Jason White are the other finalists. Leinart, White and Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson also were selected as finalists for the Maxwell Award, presented to the nation's outstanding player. Winners for both awards will be announced Dec. 9 in Orlando.

USC fullback Brandon Hancock could not help noticing just about every time his cellphone rang this week. "Quite a few 559-area-code numbers were popping up on the old caller ID," said Hancock, a fourth-year junior from Fresno. More than perhaps any other USC player, Hancock is looking forward to tonight's game against 16th-ranked Fresno State at the Coliseum. Hancock attended Clovis West High in Fresno and said he grew up idolizing Fresno State players.

As the USC football team arrived for the start of training camp Wednesday morning, about a dozen players were told to report for drug testing at noon, their names selected at random. "Everyone knows we're getting tested at the end of the summer," offensive tackle Kyle Williams said. "They say [the selection] is done by computer, that they just press a button."

USC Coach Pete Carroll all but named Matt Leinart the starting quarterback for the season opener Thursday after the sophomore continued an impressive training camp by toughing out a hand injury. Leinart and the Trojans received a scare when the left-hander bruised his throwing hand while trying to block on a reverse. Leinart was relieved when X-rays revealed no broken bones. He felt even better after Carroll gave him his strongest endorsement to date.

From the day in February when USC reluctantly put Fresno State on its schedule, the Trojans knew they faced a potential hazard on their road to a third consecutive national championship. Fresno State lives by the motto "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere." And on Saturday night at the Coliseum, the Bulldogs proved it was not just wordplay. Safety Darnell Bing's interception in the end zone in the final minute secured top-ranked USC's 50-42 victory before a sellout crowd of 90,007.

Darkness shrouded USC's campus Thursday when quarterback Mark Sanchez pushed through the gate at Howard Jones Field just before 6 a.m. A few minutes later, John David Booty arrived, joining about three dozen teammates trying to keep warm in a cold wind.

One week from today, on the first day college football programs can sign high school seniors to letters of intent, Pete Carroll of USC and Karl Dorrell of UCLA will be able to end their NCAA-mandated vows of silence and discuss their 2003 recruiting classes. Consider this a preview of what the atmosphere will be on each campus: At USC, they will be popping corks to celebrate the best recruiting class since the Trojans won three national championships in the 1970s.

Pete Carroll could barely keep it together. Standing before a capacity crowd at USC's annual football awards banquet last month, Carroll was breezing through a speech when he glanced toward the Trojans' seniors lined up across the stage. "Always be humble," Carroll said, his eyes welling. "Always be kind," he managed, his voice catching in his throat. "Always be respectful. Always compete." Carroll had reason to get misty.