WITH JARRETT INJURED, USC TURNS TO TURNER WIDEOUT EXPECTED TO GET HIS FIRST START FOR TROJANS.

Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL Staff Writer

Playing without Dwayne Jarrett today against Washington State will be different for a USC team that has come to count on the All-America receiver over the past three seasons.

For John David Booty, the absence won't be so odd. Booty will miss his top target, but he is used to taking the field with Jarrett on the sideline.

Last year, Booty entered the game usually at the time when Jarrett was on his way out.

Booty, who led the second-team offense, had his own aspiring version of Jarrett in then-freshman Patrick Turner.

With Jarrett out with a sprained shoulder, Turner is expected to make his first college start today.

``I feel it's my time now to show what I can do, now that I'm older, been in the system and know how things go around here,'' Turner said.

``I'm just going in there with the mindset to make sure the team doesn't lose a step with Dwayne out.''

Booty never will be known for his connection with Jarrett. Matt Leinart's name will always be linked with Jarrett first, just as Steve Young couldn't separate Jerry Rice from Joe Montana in the hearts of fans.

Booty-to-Turner is a connection the two can make their own. It's the future of USC, if Jarrett goes to the NFL after the season and Booty returns for his senior year.

``I hope that's the case,'' Booty said of forming a well-known tandem with Turner. ``That definitely wouldn't be a bad thing to get going. As much as we can get him involved, that's great because it just sets us up for next year.''

Booty and Turner became quick friends based on being two of the few Southerners on the team. Turner is from Tennessee and Booty from Louisiana. As leaders of the second team, they showed glimpses of their chemistry at the end of blowout games last season.

Turner caught his first touchdown for the Trojans on 21-yard pass from Booty early in the fourth quarter of USC's 70-17 win over Arkansas, then caught a 31-yard scoring pass against Washington. Two of Booty's three touchdown passes entering this season were to Turner.

``It's a natural thing that happens all the time,'' Turner said. ``When you're down there on the second team working with each other day after day, you can't help but have a good feel for each other. I feel his tendencies. That helps.''

The connection hasn't been as visible this year. Booty's first touchdown of the season went to Turner, but Turner has just four catches for 28 yards in three games, as Booty has worked on building relationships with veterans Jarrett and Steve Smith.

Turner drew comparisons to Jarrett from the moment he committed to USC. Both are 6-foot-5 receivers. Turner has a thicker body, which the Trojans have used in blocking situations.

``He has a lot of the talent and skills that Dwayne has,'' Smith said of Turner. ``We're not losing much with him starting, just experience.''

Jarrett was a star at USC from the beginning, scoring 13 touchdowns as a freshman. That total is one less than the Trojans' freshman record for receiving touchdowns, set by Mike Williams two years earlier.

Those performances might have given fans unrealistic expectations for freshman receivers. Turner's situation entering USC was different from that of Jarrett, who found out just prior to the beginning of his first year that Williams would not be reinstated to the team.

Turner is playing behind one of the best starting wide receiver duos in college football, two players expected to be first-day NFL draft picks in April.

At times, it has seemed like Turner doesn't have the same fire as they do, or the same demand for the ball. His laid-back Southern attitude can be misconstrued as a lack of intensity. But Turner said it was only right for him to defer to the established veterans.

``I always want playing time, but I understood who was in front of me,'' Turner said. ``They're two legitimate football players. I'm learning from them.''

Turner-time might not hit full stride for another year. But the next few weeks, beginning with today's game, it should be an intriguing preview. Jarrett may need a few weeks to fully recover from a sprained left shoulder.

``This is really going to help him with his confidence, just to get him in there and get him a lot of plays, get him in tough situations,'' Smith said.

Turner already has a quarterback who believes in him and feels comfortable throwing him the ball.

``You don't know who can be a great player until they've played a lot,'' Booty said. ``I really think Patrick has the chance to be an all-world receiver here.''

[e-mail]

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) TURNER

(2) Receiver Patrick Turner already has a good rapport with QB John David Booty.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

USC (3-0, 1-0) vs. WASHINGTON ST. (3-1, 1-0)

- Scott Wolf