USC quarterbacks under pressure
After one week and four practices in the spring, the race to replace John David Booty at quarterback remains at a standstill.
The three-man competition is still open, with none of the participants distancing themselves from the others Sunday.
Junior Mark Sanchez led the team on a touchdown drive during the 11-on-11 drills at the end of practice.
Redshirt sophomore Mitch Mustain capped the day by connecting with sophomore wide receiver Ronald Johnson on a long touchdown pass on the final play of practice.
Coaches also praised redshirt freshman Aaron Corp for his stellar play.
But offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said each quarterback was still making mistakes.
"As a group, I thought we made some day one mistakes," Sarkisian said. "We reverted back a little bit, and I think that's why we weren't as sharp offensively as we have been the past couple days."
USC coach Pete Carroll said an intensified pass-rush flustered the quarterbacks Sunday.
While he noted that the defense continued to win the blitz periods of practice, Carroll said that it was not anything to be expected, and that he was not surprised by the three signal-callers' performances at this point in the year.
"I think they're all in the same boat right now," Carroll said. "Relative to how long they've been with us, I think you can tell that they're still affected by the rush."
Sanchez elected to look at last year's spring practice tapes to evaluate himself and how he handled pressure.
Despite being unable to connect with tight end Anthony McCoy on what would have been a touchdown pass during practice, Sanchez said he feels he has improved at not forcing throws that might result in interceptions.
"The big lesson is that when you miss the easy [pass], you still have to get three points," Sanchez said. "I was upset for missing the pass, but I think I'm growing in my decision making."
In addition to making plays, the eventual starter will need to be able to play the role of caretaker for the entire offense, Sarkisian said.
"I want to see these guys go out and manage the football team," he said. "We don't get to be out there on Saturday afternoons. When a guy is out there lined up wrong, or a guy doesn't understand what the play is, we want to see them be able to fix those problems."
Carroll praised all three quarterbacks for their ability to improvise when pressured and scramble out of the pocket.
"We're more mobile than we were at quarterback before," Carroll said. "All three quarterbacks can take off and run."
Running back Joe McKnight worked out with the wide receivers Sunday in an effort to expand his role in the offense.
The sophomore from River Ridge, La., will remain at running back, but could see a diversified role in the Trojans' passing game.
"This is the farthest we've taken the running backs with running routes," Carroll said. "He can play like a receiver, but he's going to do it from the running back position."
As a freshman, Joe McKnight caught 23 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Linebacker Rey Maualuga missed practice with an unknown injury that was not believed to be serious by USC coaches.
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