Athletic director Mike Garrett heard from the critics upon his surprise hiring of Pete Carroll in December 2000. Carroll had 12 seasons as an NFL defensive assistant and a 34-33 record while leading the New England Patriots and New York Jets. But he possessed no college head coaching experience and, more importantly, had been detached from the college scene since 1983.

There were concerns about his ability to recruit, to motivate student-athletes, and to restore one of college football’s dormant power programs. All of those worries seemed reasonable after the Trojans opened last season 1-4. But to Carroll’s credit, Southern Cal quieted the naysayers with a promising mid-season turnaround.

USC rebounded to win five of its final six regular-season games, earning a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl, and Carroll’s defense paved the way. The Trojans led the Pac-10 in scoring defense (17.9 points), surrendering only 37 points during the final four weeks. Carroll’s defensive expertise will be tested this fall, with only five returnees. However, the offense welcomes back eight starters, lending credence to Carroll’s stated mission of guiding USC back to the Rose Bowl.

At the outset of 2001, few knew what to make of this program. An uninspiring 21-10 victory over San Jose State in the opener told fans little, except that Sultan McCullough -- with 167 yards and three touchdowns -- was ready to become the featured back. But in the following game, No. 12 Kansas State held McCullough to 40 yards on 16 carries, escaping the Los Angeles Coliseum with a 10-6 win. The Trojans then had No. 7 Oregon on the ropes in Eugene, Ore., coming from 15 points down in the third quarter to take a one-point lead midway through the fourth. But Joey Harrington rallied Oregon to its fourth consecutive win over USC, 24-22, driving the Ducks 61 yards to set up the game-winning kick with 12 seconds left. Two close losses to ranked teams hardly left Carroll’s team ready to crumble, but the bad luck continued with narrow defeats to Stanford (21-16) and No. 11 Washington (27-24).

Against the Cardinal, USC managed only 28 yards rushing, which proved particularly detrimental when the Trojans came up empty on four trips inside the Stanford 36. In Seattle, Southern Cal was victimized by another late field goal as John Anderson kicked a 32-yarder in the closing two minutes. That left USC with its worst start since 1958 and Carroll wondering when his team’s string of misfortune would end.

The atmosphere brightened as the Trojans shredded Arizona State, 48-17, behind three touchdown passes from Carson Palmer and a cast of runners who stepped up after McCullough injured his ankle in the opening quarter. But on a subsequent road trip to South Bend, USC fell, 27-16, as Notre Dame controlled the ball for more than 18 minutes in the second half. The Trojans improved to 3-5 after a 41-34 win at Arizona in which Kris Richard’s 58-yard interception return with 1:50 to play was the difference.

Southern Cal reversed its trend of dropping close games with a 16-13 overtime decision over Oregon State. Palmer was sacked six times, before his 4-yard touchdown on a bootleg was the decisive score. Carroll’s club also benefited from a pair of missed kicks by OSU in the fourth quarter. USC then romped to a 55-14 victory over Cal, forcing four turnovers and seven sacks.

That allowed Southern Cal to enter its rivalry showdown against UCLA at .500 and on the brink of bowl eligibility. With Bruins tailback DeShaun Foster suspended, Carroll’s defense turned in a dominant day, allowing only 28 yards rushing and 112 yards overall. In blanking UCLA for the first time since 1947, the Trojans picked off three passes, one of which was returned 36 yards by Antuan Simmons for a score.

Paired against Utah in the bowl game, USC scrounged up only a single yard rushing and punted on eight of its 11 possessions during a 10-6 loss.

Palmer (6-5, 225) opens his senior season third on the school’s career list in total offense (7,081 yards) and completions (618). Assuming he stays healthy, Carson should overtake Rodney Peete and Rob Johnson in both categories by mid-season.

Palmer’s 2001 campaign was more than adequate, considering he was without a consistent rushing attack to keep defenses off balance. He completed 221-of-377 passes for 2,717 yards and 13 touchdowns, but Palmer needs to trim his 12 interceptions.

Palmer is an accomplished drop-back passer, but Carroll is not resigned to leaving Palmer in the pocket. In fact, he wants to use his quarterback on everything from rollouts to option plays as a means of putting pressure on opposing defenses.

Palmer’s other growth needs to come in the area of fourth-quarter performance. The Trojans allowed several winnable games to get away last season, and if Palmer wants to be remembered among the program’s best quarterbacks, he will need to pull off some crunch-time comebacks.

With Palmer gearing for what could be an All-Pac-10 season, Carroll and offensive coordinator Norm Chow can be patient in evaluating the reserves.

Sophomore Matt Cassell (6-5, 225) threw two passes in 2001, while red-shirt freshmen Matt Leinhart (6-6, 215) and Billy Hart (6-3, 205) are awaiting their first collegiate action.

Through a little more than five games, McCullough (6-0, 190) had 410 yards and five touchdowns on 115 carries. But when a strained abdominal muscle required surgery, the Trojans’ running game suffered. A program historically recognized for its student-body sweeps and galloping tailbacks managed only 1,052 yards rushing -- the lowest team total since USC began keeping records in 1948. The Trojans’ average of 87.7 yards per game ranked 109th nationally out of 115 teams.

"We need to develop our running game so that it complements our ability to throw the football," Carroll said.

A healthy McCullough is a start, especially if he can regain his form of the 2000 season, when he gained 1,163 yards. A former 100-meter champion in the Pac-10, Sultan has 10.17 speed, making him the fastest USC player ever timed. But McCullough could wind up sharing the tailback spot with Justin Fargas (6-1, 210), a power-running senior who transferred after three injury-plagued seasons at Michigan. As a Wolverines freshman, Fargas ran for 277 yards and one touchdown before breaking his leg against Wisconsin. The break failed to heal properly, resulting in three surgeries that placed two titanium rods, two metal plates and 12 screws in his leg. By his junior season, Fargas was moved to safety, cementing his change of campuses.

Among the top fullbacks is senior Sunny Byrd (6-0, 215), who became the poster child for toughness last season, when he shifted to tailback on the fly and promptly banged his way to 336 yards and four touchdowns. Byrd, who added 11 receptions for 73 yards, returned to his natural position in the spring, but not without winning over his coach and teammates.

Palmer will have plenty of weapons with whom he’s familiar, the best among them being senior split end Kareem Kelly (6-0, 190), who has caught a pass in all 35 games as a Trojan.

Kelly arrived at USC as a speed guy -- he was a three-time California prep sprint champion and continues to run track at Southern Cal -- but during three seasons he has evolved into a reliable route-runner. In 2001, his 46 catches, 768 yards and three touchdowns were all team highs. His wheels came into play on several deep balls, including a 93-yard score against Oregon and a 58-yard strike against Washington.

The former Pac-10 Freshman of the Year has 158 career catches, which is fifth on USC’s list and 20th in conference history. His 2,499 career receiving yards stands 14th in the league and he is on pace to surpass Johnnie Morton’s school mark of 3,201.

Making Kelly more dangerous is junior flanker Keary Colbert (6-1, 200), who provides sure hands and above-average speed at the No. 2 receiver. Colbert’s consistency over his first two college seasons is noticeable: 33 catches for 480 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman, followed by 34 catches for 442 yards and two scores as a sophomore.

With Kelly nursing a tight hamstring during spring drills, the reserve cluster of juniors Donald Hale (6-1, 185) and Devin Pitts (6-4, 185), senior Grant Mattos (6-2, 225) and junior-college signee Jason Mitchell (6-1, 195) got more reps. Mattos made 10 catches in a 2001 season cut short by a knee sprain, while Pitts made 15 receptions for 96 yards and Hale grabbed six passes for 93 yards.

Carroll is also intrigued by the prospect of the pending arrival of prep All-American Mike Williams (6-5, 210).

Tight end Kori Dickerson enjoyed a productive senior season (23 catches for 326 yards and two touchdowns) and will spend this summer attempting to stick with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent. However, USC has a proven returnee in junior Alex Holmes (6-2, 265), who made 20 receptions for 150 yards and two scores while playing behind Dickerson.

The Trojans have four holdovers from an offensive line that must improve. USC had the Pac-10’s worst rushing offense and the pass protection wasn’t much better. Southern Cal allowed 32 sacks -- the second most in the conference, ahead of only Arizona State (35).

Line coach Tim Davis lived with the growing pains last season, but he expects higher performance this fall as the group grows more cohesive.

Junior left tackle Jacob Rogers (6-6, 305) started 11 games and played in all 12 a year ago, missing only the opening half of the Oregon State game with a hyper-extended elbow. Recruited to USC as a tight end, Rogers has bulked up during the last three seasons while maintaining good agility -- hence his trusted spot as Palmer’s blindside protector.

Eric Torres (6-5, 300), another junior, returns at right tackle after starting 12 games.

Junior Lenny Vandermade (6-3, 275) enters his third season as a starter, although he will likely move from center to left guard -- the spot he played five games as a freshman.

But no one has as much experience as senior right guard Zach Wilson (6-5, 300), who enters his fourth season having made 40 starts.

The center spot could go to versatile junior Norm Katnik (6-4, 275). He started six games at three positions in 2001 and, going back to his freshman year, has played every position along the front line.

The Trojans staff isn’t comfortable with the line’s depth. Senior backup tackle Phillip Eaves (6-6, 310) has one more season to make his mark. Formerly a highly regarded junior college signee, Eaves played in 11 games last season, almost exclusively on field goal and extra-point units.

Joe McGuire (6-5, 300), Nate Steinbacher (6-5, 300) and walk-on Justin Brown (6-6, 320) are the other reserves at tackle. McGuire, a third-year sophomore, has endured arthroscopic surgeries on his knee and shoulder, along with a herniated disc, so he is due for an injury-free season.

Senior David Davis (5-11, 160) came to USC as one of the nation’s top-rated junior college kickers and put together a somewhat awkward season. He became the Pac-10’s most accurate field-goal kicker, hitting 15-of-18 attempts (83.3 percent). But he missed three extra-points, including a critical blocked one in a 10-6 loss to Kansas State.

Davis doesn’t possess a booming leg, so Carroll says, "range will always be a question. We’re not going to kick a lot of long field goals, but he’s good from 40-45 yards."

Southern Cal lost a pair of NFL-caliber players in defensive end Lonnie Ford and defensive tackle Ryan Nielsen, but there is loads of ability left.

Carroll has a gem in sophomore defensive tackle Shaun Cody (6-5, 275), who was selected Freshman All-America by The Sporting News and the Football Writers of America. Cody is an athletic force who began last season at defensive end but quickly moved inside, where he finished with 39 tackles, including seven for loss.

Sophomore defensive end Kenechi Udeze (6-3, 280) was a second-team Freshman All-America, making nine of his 35 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and forcing three fumbles. One of those was returned for a touchdown against California.

Those young talents, surrounding senior nose tackle Bernard Riley (6-3, 315), were dominant during the spring.

Behind Cody is senior Anthony Daye (6-1, 260), while sophomores Mike Patterson (6-2, 285) and Spencer Torgan (6-1, 270) are working at nose tackle.

Sophomore A.J. Single (6-2, 275), who moved from linebacker to center last season, has returned to the defense, working behind Udeze.

At the other defensive end, senior Omar Nazel (6-5, 235) appears ready to step in after playing behind Ford. In a backup role last season, Nazel made 15 tackles, three sacks and an interception.

USC began the 2001 season with three new starters, but the unit is a source of comfort this fall, with senior Mike Pollard (6-0, 225) and sophomore Matt Grootegoed (5-11, 205) returning. The only one missing is Frank Strong, who signed a free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers.

Grootegoed, the strong side starter, made 32 tackles, including eight for loss. He will be backed up by junior Chris Prosser (6-2, 225), who has five career starts, and junior Alex Bottom (6-4, 225), who previously played tight end.

Pollard manned the middle with 81 tackles, including eight behind the line, and seven deflections. His backup is sophomore Lee Webb (5-11, 240).

At the weak-side position, junior Melvin Simmons (6-1, 215) is prepped for a breakout season after transferring from Washington State, where he was a starter in 2000.

Senior Aaron Graham (6-1, 225), sophomore Bobby Otani (6-1, 210) and red-shirt freshman Collin Ashton (6-1, 210) are pushing for time.

The USC secondary was hit hard by graduation, with cornerbacks Kris Richard (third round, Seattle Seahawks) and Chris Cash (sixth round, Detroit Lions) being selected in the NFL draft. In addition, safety-cornerback Antuan Simmons signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers. The trio combined for 21 interceptions during their careers and helped the Trojans rank second in pass defense last season, but their departures are offset by the return of Thorpe Award candidate Troy Polamalu (5-10, 215).

The senior strong safety registered 98 tackles last season, third-most in the conference, before adding an amazing 20 stops in the Las Vegas Bowl. He became Southern Cal’s first All-American defensive back since Mark Carrier in 1989, returning two of his three picks for scores and blocking three punts.

At free safety, senior DeShaun Hill (5-11, 200) has made eight career starts, intercepting two passes last season.

The cornerback races are wide open, although seniors Kevin Arbet (5-11, 190) and Darrell Rideaux (5-9, 170) give USC two reliable options.

Senior Miguel Fletcher (5-11, 195) and converted receiver Marcell Allmond (6-0, 200) are in the hunt, just as junior-college transfer Ronald Nunn (5-10, 170) expects to be.

Freshman Tom Malone (6-0, 185) enrolled early and impressed Carroll with his towering punts during the spring.

Malone average 43.4 yards per kick as a high school senior in Lake Elsinore, Calif.

The 2001 highlight for Southern Cal was five blocked punts, but USC aims to improve on its 8.1-yard return average, which was sixth in the Pac-10. The Trojans weren’t much better on kick returns, at 18.9 yards, with no scores on runbacks.

Arbet (9.0 average on 25 punt returns) and Rideaux (19.1 on 19 kickoff returns) are back, but they could face challenges from incoming freshmen such as Darnell Bing (6-2, 220), Herschel Dennis (5-11, 175) and Justin Wyatt (5-10, 175).

Given Carroll’s defensive tendencies, it comes as no shock that USC signed a bounty of top defenders, especially along the defensive line, where tackles Fred Matua (6-3, 205) and Manuel Wright (6-6, 285) are monsters that can play this fall. Matua of Lakewood, Calif., missed most of his senior prep season with a broken leg, but now is fully recovered. Wright was credited with 142 tackles as a senior in Long Beach, including 16 sacks and 20 pass deflections.

Junior-college defensive ends Van Brown (6-5, 255) and Daniel Urquhart (6-2, 250) also expect to step into the playing rotation right away.

Safeties Bing of Lakewood and Mike Ross (6-0, 185) of St. Petersburg, Fla., were top tacklers in high school who also possess exciting coverage skills. Cornerback Wyatt allowed only three passes to be completed against him as a senior in Compton, Calif.

At receiver, Southern Cal went cross-country to sign Tampa’s Mike Williams (6-5, 210), a Randy Moss-style target. Williams caught 73 balls for 24 touchdowns during his final two prep seasons. Junior Jason Mitchell (6-1, 190) also could make an impact after catching 105 passes and 16 touchdowns in his two years at Harbor (Calif.) Junior College.

USC signed only one tailback, but he was the man the Trojans prized most. Hershel Dennis of Long Beach ran for more than 2,100 yards as a high school junior and tacked on 1,706 yards last season, playing for a Poly High team that frequently didn’t need him in the second half.

If not for one of the nation’s most trying schedules, USC could be in for a banner season. However, a non-conference slate that starts with Auburn, Colorado and Kansas State is only a notch below what Carroll used to experience in the NFL’s AFC East.

As for Pac-10 play, Southern Cal misses an up-and-coming Arizona team, but plays road games at Washington State and Oregon. The Trojans also wrap up the regular season by playing host to Notre Dame, so they can’t afford to take a single week off.

The offense will be more balanced, which could transform Palmer into an All-America candidate, and the defense has enough talent to overcome six departed starters. USC will need to avoid the spate of injuries that riddled last season’s squad -- and catch a number of lucky bounces -- to win 10 games.

But this team is good enough to make two short trips to Pasadena -- one for the Nov. 23 match-up against UCLA and another for the Rose Bowl.