R J Soward

All R. Jay Soward has to do is jog by, and you'll feel a little breeze. If he's sprinting, watch out. "He'll run by your ear in a minute," USC cornerback Brian Kelly said. "With the talent he has, he's dangerous." With the mouth he has, he can be dangerous too. Soward's laughing banter doesn't have a bit of belligerence in it, but it always comes thisclose to being bulletin-board material. Those who know the Trojans' live-wire receiver can only smile and roll their eyes.

Jacksonville receiver and former USC standout R. Jay Soward was suspended indefinitely Monday for breaking team rules, making it even less likely the troubled receiver will play for the team again. Coach Tom Coughlin said the Jaguars were checking with the league and the NFL Players Association to determine how long the team could suspend Soward. The collective-bargaining agreement says teams may suspend a player for up to four weeks for conduct detrimental to the league.

Today ought to be as good as it gets for the UCLA-USC rivalry, with UCLA's national championship hopes at stake in addition to the usual city bragging rights. There's just one thing preventing this matchup from being perfect: a sound R. Jay Soward. When USC's wide receiver/kick returner extraordinaire suffered a sprained ankle at Stanford two weeks ago, he took some of the excitement to the sideline with him. Everyone should want to see Soward at full strength. USC needs his big-play potential.

Two of the top receiver prospects in Saturday's NFL draft come from Los Angeles, but there's a catch. Two catches, actually. Danny Farmer leaves UCLA acknowledging that his disappointing senior season, through no fault of his skills, could cost him in this weekend's NFL draft, bringing additional scrutiny on his decision not to make himself available after a great '98 season. R.

UCLA and quarterback Cade McNown will open the football season under the rather bearable burden of expectations after being picked to win the Pacific 10 Conference title in a preseason poll, but USC, picked fourth, will have to try to fend off Purdue on Aug. 30 without receiver R. Jay Soward.

If you hadn't been playing close attention to R. Jay Soward's career these past four seasons, just think of Friday's game against Louisiana Tech as one giant Cliff's Note. He showed flashes of brilliance. He wasn't fit. He left you wanting more. After a 53-yard touchdown catch, two other receptions, 47 yards on two reverse runs and a couple of punt returns, a virus got the best of him. The man blessed with all that speed and those elusive moves sat motionless on a bench for 90 minutes.

Normally, sophomore R. Jay Soward is chatty and outgoing, as vibrant a presence in USC's locker room as he is on the field. But Saturday was not a normal day for Soward or the Trojans. Soward, the big-play wide receiver who leads the Trojans with seven touchdowns, failed to catch a pass Saturday in USC's 27-0 loss to seventh-ranked Washington at Husky Stadium.

The best thing you can say about R. Jay Soward's story is that it isn't over yet. It doesn't have to raise the question, "What if?" or become a tale of wasted opportunities. They already have one of those in the Soward family. Soward is a history major at USC, but he needs to look no further than his father to learn all the lessons from the past he needs to know. Rodney Soward's football career ended some 20 years ago at Cal Poly Pomona, stopped short, he believes, by himself.

Two of the top receiver prospects in Saturday's NFL draft come from Los Angeles, but there's a catch. Two catches, actually. Danny Farmer leaves UCLA acknowledging that his disappointing senior season, through no fault of his skills, could cost him in this weekend's NFL draft, bringing additional scrutiny on his decision not to make himself available after a great '98 season. R.

USC receiver R. Jay Soward, who left Saturday's game early in the first quarter because of a sprained right ankle, indicated that he did not think it was serious enough for him to sit out USC's next game in two weeks against UCLA. "Yeah, that was for the TV," Soward said of his apparent pain after the injury, "so UCLA would say, 'Oh, he's not playing this year.' " In a slightly more official pronouncement, USC officials said that X-rays showed that there was no serious damage to Soward's ankle.

If you hadn't been playing close attention to R. Jay Soward's career these past four seasons, just think of Friday's game against Louisiana Tech as one giant Cliff's Note. He showed flashes of brilliance. He wasn't fit. He left you wanting more. After a 53-yard touchdown catch, two other receptions, 47 yards on two reverse runs and a couple of punt returns, a virus got the best of him. The man blessed with all that speed and those elusive moves sat motionless on a bench for 90 minutes.

The best thing you can say about R. Jay Soward's story is that it isn't over yet. It doesn't have to raise the question, "What if?" or become a tale of wasted opportunities. They already have one of those in the Soward family. Soward is a history major at USC, but he needs to look no further than his father to learn all the lessons from the past he needs to know. Rodney Soward's football career ended some 20 years ago at Cal Poly Pomona, stopped short, he believes, by himself.

When the biggest question as USC opens training camp at UC Irvine today is how receiver R. Jay Soward spent his summer, face it, things are looking pretty good for the Trojans. Quarterback controversy? There isn't even a quarterback question anymore with sophomore Carson Palmer taking the snaps. It's true the Trojans have to rebuild a defense that lost Chris Claiborne, Rashard Cook and Daylon McCutcheon as they prepare for their Sept.

Today ought to be as good as it gets for the UCLA-USC rivalry, with UCLA's national championship hopes at stake in addition to the usual city bragging rights. There's just one thing preventing this matchup from being perfect: a sound R. Jay Soward. When USC's wide receiver/kick returner extraordinaire suffered a sprained ankle at Stanford two weeks ago, he took some of the excitement to the sideline with him. Everyone should want to see Soward at full strength. USC needs his big-play potential.

USC receiver R. Jay Soward, who left Saturday's game early in the first quarter because of a sprained right ankle, indicated that he did not think it was serious enough for him to sit out USC's next game in two weeks against UCLA. "Yeah, that was for the TV," Soward said of his apparent pain after the injury, "so UCLA would say, 'Oh, he's not playing this year.' " In a slightly more official pronouncement, USC officials said that X-rays showed that there was no serious damage to Soward's ankle.

R. Jay Soward ran a little pass route Tuesday, pulled off his helmet and made an announcement for anybody within earshot of Howard Jones Field. "I'm back!" The one-game suspension imposed by Coach Paul Hackett for Soward's academic shortcomings is over--and Soward admits now he kept hoping it would somehow end before USC's game against Purdue did. "I dreamed about it all week. I had a dream he came in at halftime and said, 'R. Jay, get dressed!' " Soward said. "He stuck by his decision, though.

When the biggest question as USC opens training camp at UC Irvine today is how receiver R. Jay Soward spent his summer, face it, things are looking pretty good for the Trojans. Quarterback controversy? There isn't even a quarterback question anymore with sophomore Carson Palmer taking the snaps. It's true the Trojans have to rebuild a defense that lost Chris Claiborne, Rashard Cook and Daylon McCutcheon as they prepare for their Sept.

R. Jay Soward ran a little pass route Tuesday, pulled off his helmet and made an announcement for anybody within earshot of Howard Jones Field. "I'm back!" The one-game suspension imposed by Coach Paul Hackett for Soward's academic shortcomings is over--and Soward admits now he kept hoping it would somehow end before USC's game against Purdue did. "I dreamed about it all week. I had a dream he came in at halftime and said, 'R. Jay, get dressed!' " Soward said. "He stuck by his decision, though.

UCLA and quarterback Cade McNown will open the football season under the rather bearable burden of expectations after being picked to win the Pacific 10 Conference title in a preseason poll, but USC, picked fourth, will have to try to fend off Purdue on Aug. 30 without receiver R. Jay Soward.

USC Coach Paul Hackett has put receiver R. Jay Soward, one of the Trojans' best offensive weapons, and reserve safety Darnell Lacy on notice that if they don't improve their performance in the classroom, they won't be performing on the football field. After already suspending the players from spring practices--which conclude Saturday--earlier this month, Hackett suspended both players from USC's Aug.