DISTRACTIONS JUST PART OF THE SCENERY CARROLL TRIES TO KEEP FOCUSED ON TROJANS' SEASON OPENER.Byline: Scott Wolf Scott Richard Wolf (born June 4, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Steven Wolf and Susan Enowitch, Wolf was raised in West Orange, New Jersey. He graduated in 1986 from West Orange High School. Staff Writer After all the commotion of the past few weeks, playing the season opener will be a relief for USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . Instead of the circus atmosphere during the first two weeks of practice, when everything but the team's performance dominated public debate, the Trojans finally can turn the flood of TV and radio chatter toward Saturday's game against Virginia Tech. No other team in NCAA history The first game (basketball) played between teams representing different colleges or universities was played on November 6 1869 between Rutgers University and Princeton University, at College Field (now the site of the College Avenue Gymnasium), New Brunswick, New Jersey. has seen its star player - in this case Mike Williams Mike Williams may refer to:
abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association told the school Williams will not be allowed to play. ``Mike would be awesome, but I think we'll be fine without him,'' center Ryan Kalil Ryan Kalil (born March 29, 1985 in Corona, California, U.S.) is an American football offensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Pro career He ran a 4.94 40 yard dash at the 2007 NFL combine and bench pressed 225 pounds 34 times. said. And then there was last week, when police announced an investigation into an alleged sexual assault that focused on starting tailback Hershel Dennis Hershel Dennis (born July 12, 1984) is an college football running back, currently a student athlete at the University of Southern California. His nickname since childhood is "Patch". . At the height of the Dennis situation, there were six television cameras planted outside the gates of Howard Jones Field Howard Jones Field is the practice facility for the USC Trojans football team. It was expanded in the fall of 1998 to include Brian Kennedy Field. In early 1999, Goux's Gate — named after the late popular long-time former assistant coach Marv Goux — was erected at the just to record to the players walking to practice. All that makes playing the Hokies at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Saturday sound easy. ``Not too many of us read the papers, or watch the TV shows or listen to the radio,'' reserve quarterback Brandon Hance said. ``The peripheral issues are not really experienced by most of us. The team's done a good job focusing on its job.'' Hance said the team sympathizes with Dennis, but is not letting it affect their pregame preparation. ``We care about the welfare of a friend and teammate,'' Hance said. ``Outside of that, we just go about our normal activities.'' Part of the responsibility for keeping players away from the all the noise falls to the staff of coach Pete Carroll Peter C. Carroll (born September 15, 1951, in San Francisco, California) is the current head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans football team, having held that position since 2001. . As the team was preparing to leave Thursday for Saturday's game, it learned Williams' eligibility for this season was denied by the NCAA. Even for a team that pretty much operates in a bubble, that could be a big hit. ``The biggest thing is the coaches do a good job teaching us how to approach the game,'' Kalil said. ``Coach Carroll's big thing is for everyone to worry about themselves. I've learned not to worry about rankings or things I can't control.'' That might seem easier said than done. Especially when Williams was practicing with his teammates one day, then going home to Tampa, Fla., the next. Williams attended three practices during training camp but his intermittent appearances were shrugged off by his teammates. Carroll concedes a flurry of side issues since practice started three weeks ago, but he thinks it's just another reason for the Trojans to silence any doubters. ``There have been a number of distractions. A lot has to do with us being the No. 1 team and all of the things that are going on around us,'' he said. ``All of the stuff that has happened, we have treated with great respect. But it just makes it all that much more important for us to perform well.'' Perhaps the ultimate compliment, at least in Carroll's mind, comes from Hance. ``I think we've had a good camp,'' the backup quarterback said. ``I don't see much difference from last year.'' Overcoming a media circus media circus n → excesivo despliegue informativo media circus n (= event) → battage m médiatique (= group of journalists); cortège m is nothing new for the Trojans. Last year, they successfully avoided a meltdown after being snubbed by the Bowl Championship Series rankings formula, which deprived USC a trip to the national title game in New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded . Taking Carroll's cue, the players refused to obsess ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. over their dilemma and praised the idea of playing Michigan in the Rose Bowl. This year, gossiping about the off-field issues might sound interesting, but Kalil said discussing the team is usually the last thing on his mind at the end of the day. ``When you're here and have practice and go to meetings and lift weights and then talk football with your family, in your free time you want to talk about other things,'' he said. ``That's not what you want to talk about.'' It's hard to think the Trojans are too stressed out when one of its most explosive players, tailback Reggie Bush, usually spends his free time listening to music on his headphones Head-mounted speakers. Headphones have a strap that rests on top of the head, positioning a pair of speakers over both ears. For listening to music or monitoring live performances and audio tracks, both left and right channels are required. and keeping to himself. ``We can't let being first or all of the hype get to us,'' Bush said. ``It all depends on how level a head you have. We need to keep steady heads and we'll be fine.'' Scott Wolf, (818) 713-3607 scott.wolf(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: ``All of the stuff that has happened ... just makes it all that much more important for us to perform well,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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