tirebiter
03-30-2008, 11:16 PM
Williams trips on USC's 'open door'
Wide receiver twists an ankle while avoiding a collision with a child, one of numerous onlookers Trojans allow on sideline during spring practice.
By Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
USC's open-door policy for spring practice allows hundreds of fans and other interested onlookers to roam the sideline during workouts and mingle with players and coaches on the field afterward.
On Sunday, wide receiver Damian Williams was nearly undone by the Trojans' welcome mat.
Williams, who has been enjoying a highlight-reel spring, was knocked out of practice after twisting his ankle while avoiding a collision with a child.
"I was trying not to hit that little kid," Williams said. "I didn't want to take him into the wall."
The incident occurred about 90 minutes into the two-hour workout, which drew a crowd that gathered in clusters four to five deep along the length of the sideline near the entry gate of USC's practice facility.
During a scrimmage drill, quarterback Aaron Corp rolled left to avoid the rush and made a nice throw to Williams near the sideline. The crowd cleared an opening as Williams' momentum carried him out of bounds, but with the child in his way, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver slipped on the patch of artificial turf that flanks the gateway, fell to the ground and then crashed into a wood fence.
Williams got to his feet -- "I don't like to lay there and show people I'm hurt," he said -- and then hustled back onto the field. Williams, however, limped noticeably and spent the rest of the workout on the trainer's table with an ice pack on his left ankle.
Afterward, still wearing the ice pack, the sophomore transfer from Arkansas said he hoped to practice this week and was thankful for not being more seriously injured.
Williams is expected to fortify a receiving corps that struggled last season.
Coach Pete Carroll also expects the unit to get a boost from tailback Joe McKnight, who participated in receivers drills during the first half of practice.
"This is the [furthest] we've taken a running back in running routes and feeling confident in the ability to continue this," Carroll said after practice.
Later, he added, "It just gives us more choices and takes the pressure off our receivers a little bit. It goes from a group that was in question to be one of the stronger groups, which is really cool."
McKnight said he could play receiver but still considered himself a tailback.
"All the running backs have a couple plays where they go to wide receiver, not just me," he said.
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Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez, Mitch Mustain and Corp struggled at times for the second time in four workouts.
"I don't think any of them have played great, by any means, but I don't think any of them have eliminated themselves from this race," offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. "I think they're playing pretty consistent and they're trying to feel their way."
Practice ended on a long touchdown pass from Mustain to receiver Ronald Johnson, who had dropped a pass in the end zone from Sanchez.
"It was an ugly throw but better than what I'd been doing all day," Mustain said. "I'll take it."
So will Sarkisian.
"That's the difference, kind of, in our opinion of a guy being great and a guy being good; when you get opportunities to make big plays you've got to make them," he said.
Sarkisian said he expects the quarterbacks to sharpen their game management skills this week.
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Junior tailback Stafon Johnson had the highlight play of the day, stutter-stepping through the line on his way to a long touchdown run. . . . Linebacker Rey Maualuga sat out after straining his left hamstring early in practice. He said he hoped to practice this week. . . . Carroll on the search for a replacement for snapper Will Collins: "We're not even a C-minus." . . . Carroll, accustomed to seeing a cardinal-and-gold crowd at the Coliseum, got an eyeful of blue when he attended Saturday night's exhibition between the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. "It was kind of unnerving," he said, chuckling. "It didn't feel right."
gary.klein@latimes.com
Wide receiver twists an ankle while avoiding a collision with a child, one of numerous onlookers Trojans allow on sideline during spring practice.
By Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
USC's open-door policy for spring practice allows hundreds of fans and other interested onlookers to roam the sideline during workouts and mingle with players and coaches on the field afterward.
On Sunday, wide receiver Damian Williams was nearly undone by the Trojans' welcome mat.
Williams, who has been enjoying a highlight-reel spring, was knocked out of practice after twisting his ankle while avoiding a collision with a child.
"I was trying not to hit that little kid," Williams said. "I didn't want to take him into the wall."
The incident occurred about 90 minutes into the two-hour workout, which drew a crowd that gathered in clusters four to five deep along the length of the sideline near the entry gate of USC's practice facility.
During a scrimmage drill, quarterback Aaron Corp rolled left to avoid the rush and made a nice throw to Williams near the sideline. The crowd cleared an opening as Williams' momentum carried him out of bounds, but with the child in his way, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver slipped on the patch of artificial turf that flanks the gateway, fell to the ground and then crashed into a wood fence.
Williams got to his feet -- "I don't like to lay there and show people I'm hurt," he said -- and then hustled back onto the field. Williams, however, limped noticeably and spent the rest of the workout on the trainer's table with an ice pack on his left ankle.
Afterward, still wearing the ice pack, the sophomore transfer from Arkansas said he hoped to practice this week and was thankful for not being more seriously injured.
Williams is expected to fortify a receiving corps that struggled last season.
Coach Pete Carroll also expects the unit to get a boost from tailback Joe McKnight, who participated in receivers drills during the first half of practice.
"This is the [furthest] we've taken a running back in running routes and feeling confident in the ability to continue this," Carroll said after practice.
Later, he added, "It just gives us more choices and takes the pressure off our receivers a little bit. It goes from a group that was in question to be one of the stronger groups, which is really cool."
McKnight said he could play receiver but still considered himself a tailback.
"All the running backs have a couple plays where they go to wide receiver, not just me," he said.
------
Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez, Mitch Mustain and Corp struggled at times for the second time in four workouts.
"I don't think any of them have played great, by any means, but I don't think any of them have eliminated themselves from this race," offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. "I think they're playing pretty consistent and they're trying to feel their way."
Practice ended on a long touchdown pass from Mustain to receiver Ronald Johnson, who had dropped a pass in the end zone from Sanchez.
"It was an ugly throw but better than what I'd been doing all day," Mustain said. "I'll take it."
So will Sarkisian.
"That's the difference, kind of, in our opinion of a guy being great and a guy being good; when you get opportunities to make big plays you've got to make them," he said.
Sarkisian said he expects the quarterbacks to sharpen their game management skills this week.
------
Junior tailback Stafon Johnson had the highlight play of the day, stutter-stepping through the line on his way to a long touchdown run. . . . Linebacker Rey Maualuga sat out after straining his left hamstring early in practice. He said he hoped to practice this week. . . . Carroll on the search for a replacement for snapper Will Collins: "We're not even a C-minus." . . . Carroll, accustomed to seeing a cardinal-and-gold crowd at the Coliseum, got an eyeful of blue when he attended Saturday night's exhibition between the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. "It was kind of unnerving," he said, chuckling. "It didn't feel right."
gary.klein@latimes.com