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SI Scouting Reports 1. Nebraska 2. Florida State 3. Alabama 4. Michigan 5. Wisconsin 6. Kansas State 7. Georgia 8. Clemson 9. Texas 10. Miami 11. Florida 12. Virginia Tech 13. Washington 14. Tennessee 15. TCU 16. Purdue 17. Mississippi 18. USC 19. Penn State 20. Southern Miss 21. Illinois 22. Ohio State 23. Oklahoma 24. Colorado State 25. Colorado ----------------- The Master List: 1-115 Lower Division Rankings

18. USC

Palmer is back in good health, and for the Trojans that could make all the difference

By Alan Shipnuck

The Book An opposing team's coach sizes up the Trojans "They are the most skilled team in the Pac-10.... Having a healthy Palmer at quarterback is huge. He's a big strong guy with good field vision.... McCullough can fly, and their offensive line is solid as always.... Kelly is one of the most explosive and exciting players in the country.... Their defense is big, athletic and aggressive. To get them on their heels you better put a lot of pressure on their secondary."

Near the end of the first half against Oregon early last season, Southern Cal quarterback Carson Palmer took off on an ill-advised scramble that left him with a broken collarbone -- and the Trojans with a shattered season. Completing 73.6% of his passes, Palmer had led the Trojans to victories in their first two games, but with the sophomore sidelined for the rest of the season, they would lose that third game to the Ducks and then drop five of their next six.

Palmer's pro-sized body is big, strong and, most important, repaired.  John W. McDonough

With a body (6'5", 220 pounds) built for the NFL, and great passing ability, Palmer, in 1998, had become the second true freshman in school history to start at quarterback, and USC went 8-5. But Palmer approached the position with a laid-back attitude reflective of his surfer-dude upbringing in Orange County, preferring on-field improvisation to preparation. That all changed last fall when he was forced to break down film and help prepare each week's game plan. Such immersion in the complicated West Coast offense had never occurred to him during his whirlwind freshman season. "Carson played only 2 1/2 games last year, but his development has been staggering," says coach Paul Hackett.

Palmer's maturation is just one of the enticing developments at USC. The Trojans boast one of the best defenses in the country and retain 10 starters from a playmaking unit that led the nation in takeaways (39) while also scoring eight touchdowns. Southern Cal has a formidable linebacking duo in seniors Zeke Moreno (team-high 108 tackles) and Markus Steele (team-leading 15 tackles for losses).

The offense has a few question marks, beginning at tailback. With 1,000-yard rusher Chad Morton now with the New Orleans Saints, Hackett plans to go with a tailback-by-committee, using 215-pound bruiser Malaefou MacKenzie, speedy Sultan McCullough and Petros Papadakis, a short-yardage specialist. The receiving corps is led by sophomore Kareem Kelly, the Pac-10 freshman of the year in '99.

As for Palmer, who was granted a redshirt year, he's learned from his mistakes and has developed a new strategy. "Next time," he says, "I'll go out-of-bounds."

Issue date: August 14, 2000

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