R Jay Soward

Deep in overtime, with his team clinging to the lead, UCLA free safety Shaun Williams found himself face-to-face with a defensive back's nightmare. All day long he watched in horror as Trojan receiver R. Jay Soward carved up the Bruin secondary. The freshman found gaping holes in zone defenses and outran stumbling cornerbacks on the way to six receptions for 260 yards and three touchdowns.

Jacksonville Jaguar receiver R. Jay Soward repeatedly threatened police officers and was charged with disorderly conduct after being arrested at a theme park in Orlando. Officers said Soward, serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, was arrested after police found him intoxicated on a substance "other than alcohol." The arrest occurred July 21 but was not reported in media until this week. Soward is free on $250 bond pending a court date.

On further review, Mike Van Raaphorst might be just fine as USC's quarterback. And after the first look of the season at Trojan speedster R. Jay Soward--if you didn't blink--it's all the more remarkable Coach Paul Hackett voluntarily chose to hold him out of USC's first game--and survived unbeaten to tell the tale. In a pedal-to-the-medal debut in front of 49,927 Saturday night at the Coliseum, Soward scored three touchdowns in No.

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.

USC linebacker Chris Claiborne said he plans to wait until Tuesday to announce whether he's leaving early for the NFL, but he's going, going . . . As for receiver R. Jay Soward, he's here one day, gone the next. "I'm going to the NFL. I just announced it," Soward said and turned his back for a moment, then turned around laughing. "No, I'm staying in school." Soward, who had six catches for 64 yards, has said he is leaning toward staying and would make up his mind after the game.

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.

Jacksonville Jaguar receiver R. Jay Soward will sit out the first four games of the season for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. The Jaguars put Soward on the reserve list for non-football-related illness before the final game of a disappointing 2000 rookie season. Coach Tom Coughlin fined Soward numerous times last season for several team violations. At one point, Coughlin began sending a limo service to Soward's house to ensure he would make team meetings on time.

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.

Are we in a pattern here? At USC, R. Jay Soward is the preferred new spelling for E-X-P-L-O-S-I-V-E. After his first game as a Trojan, the USC freshman receiver-kick returner was averaging 97 yards a catch. At Arizona State, he rendered a screaming crowd of 74,947 mute with a 98-yard kickoff return, giving USC a 28-21 lead. At Washington State last Saturday night, he ran the second-half kickoff back 78 yards, tying the score, 10-10.