Palmer in position for standout season
By Mel Kiper Jr.
NEWS & NOTES: May 31
A key transfer who will be back on the field this season is former Michigan running back Justin Fargas. After sitting out the 2001 campaign, Fargas has emerged as a potential Pac-10 standout with USC.
Sultan McCullough rushed for 410 yards in six games last season before going down with an abdominal injury.
He turned heads with his performance on the scout team last year and is now part of a Trojan backfield that includes speedy senior Sultan McCullough ane Malaefou McKenzie, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility.
With talent in the backfield along with the return of receivers Kareem Kelly and Keary Colbert, things are in place for experienced fifth-year senior Carson Palmer to finally put it all together and firmly establish himself as one of the elite college quarterbacks.
While he has had his moments of greatness, Palmer has lacked the necessary consistency. He needs to make more sound decisions with the football. While he has thrown for nearly 8,000 yards during his college career, Palmer has tossed the same number (39) of interceptions as TD passes.
In his defense, Palmer has worked with four different QB coaches during his stay with the Trojans. Fortunately, this will be his second straight year directing coordinator Norm Chow's offense, so there is finally some continuity. And in the spring, Palmer was intercepted just once, providing a great deal of hope for the upcoming season.
The USC offensive line is more of a good-news, bad-news situation. While all five starters return, the group must significantly improve on its performance of 2001. Because the line lacks a real All-American-caliber performer, the possibility exists that a pair of highly touted freshmen, Winston Justice and Kyle Williams, could push their way onto the field.
Reportedly, the Trojan defense, the strength of head coach Pete Carroll's team last year, struggled during the spring against Palmer and company. The front-seven standouts figure to be a pair of sophomores, super-quick defensive tackle Shaun Cody and potential sack artist Kenechi Udeze at defensive end. With the addition of outside linebacker Melvin Simmons, who sat out last year after transferring from Washington State, the Trojans are much deeper at linebacker than they were at this time last season.
The major concern is a deep patrol that lost its three top cover men: Kris Richard, Chris Cash, and Antuan Simmons. Fortunately, the Trojans return one of the country's top defensive players in rugged senior strong safety Troy Polamalu. The first Trojan safety since Mark Carrier in 1989 to earn All-America honors, Polamalu led the Trojans last season with 118 tackles. The pressure will be squarely on the shoulders of seniors Darrell Rideaux and Kevin Arbet to get the job done as the new starting cornerbacks.
While the Trojans look good overall on paper, the schedule will be as demanding as ever. After opening at home against Auburn, the Trojans go on the road to face Colorado and Kansas State. In October, they also have to travel to Pullman, Wash., to take on a dangerous Washington State squad before facing the talented, tough, and extremely well-coached Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
WITH TROJANS, IT'S ANOTHER CHANCE FOR HANCE
Entering the 2001 season, it looked as though Brandon Hance was not only the heir apparent to Drew Brees as Purdue's starting quarterback, but also a budding star in the Big Ten. But the freshman completed just 52.7 percent of his passes, while throwing 10 interceptions compared to eight TD passes.
Late in the campaign, it was evident that freshman Kyle Orton had seized control of Joe Tiller's offense. So Hance, who made his mark at the prep level in Woodland Hills, Calif., was transferred to USC, where he will have to sit out the 2002 campaign.
With Palmer's college career coming to an end after this season, Hance will have an opportunity to contend for the starting job in 2003.
SUN DEVILS SEARCH FOR POST-KROHN QB
With Jeff Krohn transferring from Arizona State to Massachusetts of the Division I-AA ranks, there is a battle being waged to see who will open the season as the Sun Devils' starting signal-caller.
Krohn started nine games last year as a third-year sophomore, completing 54 percent of his aerials, while tossing 19 TD passes compared to seven interceptions. He's eligible to move right in as the starting QB at UMass.
In the mix for ASU's starting QB job are redshirt freshman Chad Christensen, 6-foot-5, 220-pound sophomore Andrew Walter, and 6-4, 215-pounder Andy Goodenough, a transfer from Palomar Junior College (Calif.), where he threw 33 TD passes and just nine interceptions.
Walter started two games for the Sun Devils last year, but he completed just 48.8 percent of his aerials. Christensen excelled on the scout team last year and brings an impressive all-around package of skills. The 6-2, 200-pounder has the ability to create with his legs when things break down. The mobility Christensen possesses could be a key because the Sun Devils have to make up for the graduation loss of four starters along the offensive line, led by super blue-chip left tackle Levi Jones and top-flight anchor Scott Peters, who started the final 44 games of his college career.
Whoever wins the QB job has the unenviable task of opening the season in Lincoln, Neb., against the Cornhuskers. Fortunately, ASU returns home the next two weeks, facing Eastern Washington and Central Florida. In fact, after opening at Lincoln, Dirk Koetter's squad will play host to six of their following eight opponents at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
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