Usc Quarterback

USC tailback Curtis McNeal enjoyed his most productive game of the season Saturday in USC's 38-17 victory over Arizona State at the Coliseum. With junior Silas Redd sidelined because of an undisclosed injury, McNeal rushed for a season-high 163 yards and two touchdowns in 31 carries. He also turned a screen pass into a 22-yard touchdown. McNeal, a fifth-year senior, was the Trojans' top returning tailback after gaining 1,005 yards last season. But Redd's transfer from Penn State to USC before the start of training camp reduced McNeal's role.

Who says we don't have a pro football team here in L.A.? We certainly do -- they're called the USC Trojans! Leinart, Williams, Bush, White, Colbert and Dennis are great young players behind an awesome offensive line, and the entire defense is just plain terrific. Kudos to Coaches Carroll and Chow who have put together a pro-style powerhouse that I predict will run roughshod over Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. Joel Rapp Los Angeles As a longtime Trojan fan, I am dismayed by the hype for a team that is still a year away from "The Big One."

Bryan Hinkle returned a blocked field goal 65 yards for a touchdown, and Rick Woods scored on a 22-yard interception return as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 41-28, Friday night at Irving, Tex. The victory was the first in three exhibition appearances for the Steelers, while the Cowboys fell to 0-4.

Albert Pujols is back in the Angels lineup as the designated hitter for Tuesday night's game against the Boston Red Sox after missing four games because of right calf inflammation, but don't expect the slugger to be stealing bases or running from first to third on singles. “He can put a little governor on and not be at risk running the bases,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He's at a level where he's comfortable swinging the bat and nursing his way around the bases. He wasn't comfortable - and neither was our training staff - with that in Detroit” over the weekend.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley took a pounding in USC's 21-14 loss at Stanford. Barkley, now 0-4 against the Cardinal, was hit "more often and harder than he's ever been hit while we've been here," not only while passing but also on running plays, USC Coach Lane Kiffin said Sunday. "He's pretty beat up, mentally and physically," said Kiffin, whose team plays California on Saturday at the Coliseum. "You can imagine the disappointment of a 22-year-old. "He's come back, and all you put into it and a game goes the way that it did and he's never beaten those guys.

USC 38, Utah 28 (final) Kelvin York, who had been headed to USC before sustaining a knee injury, just made the score a little more respectable by running five yards for a Utah touchdown to cap an 11-play, 63-yard drive with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter. USC 38, Utah 21 (9:30 left in fourth quarter) Good thing Utah got those two early touchdowns off USC turnovers. Because otherwise the score would be really lopsided right now. USC's defense just came up with a turnover for a touchdown of its own. It came on an interception and 38-yard return by Nickell Robey.

Matt Barkley envisions his main role in any Heisman Trophy campaign to be devoid of endless interviews, slickly produced highlight reels, social media posts, high-tech phone applications and promotional gimmicks. "My campaign," the USC quarterback says, "is on the field. " Barkley, though, easily handled a bull-rush of attention at Pac-12 Conference media day earlier this week. He saw the demands coming the second he passed on the opportunity to turn pro and announced he would return to USC for his senior season.

Rodney Peete walked into a Century City hotel suite early Sunday evening with disappointment etched on his face. "A day that was supposed to be one of the most exciting days of my life turned out to be the most disappointing," the USC quarterback said. Peete, runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, anticipated that he would be chosen no later than the second round of the National Football League draft. However, as the day droned by, through five rounds, Peete was still on the outside looking in. The charismatic quarterback, who holds virtually every USC passing record, was passed up through 139 choices.

Sean Salisbury, who couldn't hold his job as USC's starting quarterback last season and then was passed over by all 28 NFL teams in last April's draft, made the Seattle Seahawks' 45-man roster Tuesday. The Seahawks kept three quarterbacks, starter Dave Krieg, veteran backup Gale Gilbert and Salisbury, who was signed as a free agent.

Time: 3:30 p.m. * Site: Coliseum * Records: USC 4-1, Cal 3-1. * TV: Fox Sports West 2 * Radio: XTRA (690) THE OFFENSES * These are not well-oiled machines--or very good advertisements for the West Coast offense. Cal ranks 109th among 112 Division I-A teams in total offense and last in the Pacific 10 at about 256 yards a game--including a paltry 68.5 yards rushing. USC, at about 307 yards a game, ranks 84th in the nation and eighth in the Pac-10.