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Forgive yourself if you don't understand Mitch Mustain's career trajectory -- it doesn't make much sense.

In 2006, the former USC quarterback was once the country's top football recruit, following his prep head coach to his hometown Arkansas Razorbacks, where he went 8-0 as a starter after making a storybook debut in a blowout loss to USC.

Then things quickly grew sour and he transferred cross-country to USC, where he sat out the 2007 season while redshirting, the 2008 season behind Mark Sanchez and the 2009 season after placing third in a three-way competition for the starting quarterback spot.

He finally got his chance when Matt Barkley got hurt in November 2010 and almost led the Trojans to a home win over Notre Dame before Ronald Johnson dropped a potential winning touchdown in the rain. In the midst of the pre-draft process the next February, Mustain was arrested on a felony narcotics charge for allegedly attempting to sell Adderall to an undercover officer.

That charge was reduced to a misdemeanor when it was determined the drug was not actually Adderall but Vyvanse, a common knock-off. He said he was using it to treat his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

But Mustain wasn't drafted in April and couldn't stick with a Canadian Football League team he signed with in the summer. He proceeded to sign with an Arena League team in October with plans to join them in training camp right around now, then was featured in the news again for a bizarre trailer to a documentary about him.

In the two-minute teaser, Mustain is shown making his collegiate debut against USC, going gun-shooting in a forest and broadly discussing his life.

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Notes and quotes from Trojans’ head coach Lane Kiffin conference call Sunday looking back at USC’s 56-48 loss to Stanford in triple overtime the previous day and looking forward at Friday’s upcoming matchup against Colorado in Boulder:

• Kiffin said he had breakfast Sunday morning with a friend, one who he said agreed with his assessment that the holding call late in the game on Stanford that led to a second-and-7 for the Cardinal should actually have resulted in a second-and-15. That friend? His 2-year-old son Knox. "It was interesting," Kiffin said. "I thought the game turned really on the T.J. McDonald penalty there. I wish it wouldn't have happened so we would've seen what happened."

• More complaints the Trojans head coach had with the officiating: He maintained that the final play of regulation should have been whistled dead with one second left and USC should have been awarded the timeout, as he said he was told it would be by the side judge, Brad Glenn. Kiffin said he was "basically lied to." We'll have more on this later.

• That said, Kiffin did again say that it was a "great college football game" and "probably an instant classic" between the two teams and expressed some pride with how his team played, considering the circumstances. But he still wasn't happy about it. "We're on the wrong end of these instant classics at the end," he said, referencing the last-second loss to Stanford last year in Palo Alto.

• Two noteworthy injuries from Saturday's game: linebacker Dion Bailey suffered a concussion and is day-to-day, running back Marc Tyler dislocated his shoulder again on USC's first play from scrimmage and has not yet been cleared to practice. Kiffin reported no other major injuries.

• Kiffin likened Curtis McNeal's game-ending fumble to the Ronald Johnson drop in the Notre Dame game last season. He said he met one-on-one with a tearful McNeal following the game and was impressed with his mindset in recovering from the incident. He also appeared to indicate that McNeal wouldn't be downgraded as much as running backs usually are under Kiffin for fumbling because of the circumstances in which it happened. McNeal also dropped the ball earlier in the game on a pitch play, but Kiffin said that "wasn't as bad" as a normal fumble.

• On McDonald's personal-foul penalty for targeting on Stanford receiver Chris Owusu, Kiffin said he didn't agree with the call and again said he didn't know of any way to coach his player out of making the hit. It was the fourth such call on McDonald this season after the three he got at Arizona State. "I don't really know how you coach out of that," Kiffin said. "I don't even know what to say to him. What do you even say? Don't hit him?"

• Kiffin pointed out that, while the USC defense was great for the first two and a half quarters, the Trojans were completely unable to stop Andrew Luck and the Cardinal later in the game, including in the overtime periods. "That was kind of a letdown because that was kind of similar to some issues from last year," Kiffin said.

USC Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin says it right away, like you're actually supposed to believe him when he says it.

"This has nothing to do with last year," he says of his team's opportunity to revenge last year's last-minute loss to Notre Dame at the Coliseum this weekend in South Bend, Indiana.

Then, a short time later, he contradicts himself. This really is about last year, it becomes clear.

"This isn't about me, this is about the players, us getting them ready and going out and playing," Kiffin said as he continued on with his initial charade and then broke away from it. "Sure, we felt at the time that we handed one away -- the ball was in our hands to walk into the end zone and finish the game. But unfortunately we didn't finish it off and even after that play had another chance to go down there after making the fourth down.

"Obviously it was heartbreaking, the worst loss that I've been a part of (as a head coach) ever probably, because of what was going on with the streak, but it's over now, this is a new team and going in this is a huge game."

Let's get it straight: This isn't about last year -- yet, when asked about this year's game, he goes off on a tangent about how close his Trojans were to winning last year's game and extending their streak of victories over Notre Dame to nine?

It sure sounds like USC's head coach still has that 20-16 loss on his mind -- not that there's anything wrong with that, necessarily. It's on a lot of fans' minds. It's on a lot of players' minds. It's on a lot of people's minds, in general.

"That one was different," Kiffin says, as he defends his terming it as his worst-ever loss while in charge of a team. "Because of the feeling of letting so many people down. Because so many coaches and players have been involved to take that streak over the years and then for it to be right there with so many opportunities for us to win that game, even with the backup quarterback and the backup right tackle, it was right there.

"It was tough."

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Freshman receiver Marqise Lee missed Wednesday's morning practice because of a family emergency.

He made sure everyone knew he was back by the evening.

The Gardena Serra High product put on display his well-established connection with quarterback Matt Barkley in the 2 1/2-hour night session, catching a number of balls and dropping none. Trojans coach Lane Kiffin made a point of praising him afterward, as he often has in the first two weeks of USC's fall camp.

"He was the star of the practice by far, with nobody even close to him," Kiffin said. "He continued to make a ton of plays."

Lee, like all USC freshmen, is not allowed to talk to the media until next week. But Robert Woods, his high school teammate, provided a quick look at his perspective earlier this week when he said Lee's performance has reminded him of his own from fall camp last year. And a number of his other teammates, Barkley and Brice Butler included, have spoke out on how his on-field and off-field play has resembled Woods'.

What does this all mean? Well, Lee's going to play this season, almost without a doubt. And he could even start across from Woods. As of right now, he's probably just behind Brandon Carswell for the No. 2 spot, meaning he'd still play a ton as a slot receiver.

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Former USC receiver Ronald Johnson is one of a number of former Trojans hoping to hear their names called at some point over the next three days, whether it's Tyron Smith, who's likely to be selected early on today, or running back Allen Bradford, who's a probable Saturday selection. Johnson's somewhere in the middle. Seven-round mock drafts across the internet typically have him projected to go in the fourth or fifth rounds, although it's not inconceivable he could get picked Friday, somewhere in the third round. We caught up with Johnson on Wednesday via phone from his home in Muskegon, Mich., as he counted down the hours until the selections start today at 5 p.m. PST:

Pedro Moura: What's your thought process like at this point, as we quickly approach crunch time before the draft and the nerves start to really hit?

Ronald Johnson: At this point, I'm just putting it in God's hands, you know? Putting it in his hands to help me become the receiver and person I need to become. And I've been training my butt off, so I can't wait to get out and show what I can do.

PM: You've been meeting with NFL teams frequently over the last several weeks, like the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears. What, in general, have they told you about how they see you contributing as a rookie in 2011?

RJ: A lot of teams say they need a deep threat. They want me to be that guy who can be explosive and also be the punt returner. For me coming in, that kinda helps me get on the field a lot faster, being a specialist and a receiver.

PM: What about the feedback you're getting concerning your final season as a Trojan? You finished just short of 700 yards as the team's second-leading receiver, but it wasn't quite the season you had been expecting. You did, after all, create a mini-Heisman campaign for yourself during the offseason.

RJ: Teams don't really think it adds up that my senior year went how it did. They all think it didn't really show the player I really am, so they look at it like, something went wrong -- as far as the coaching staff or me as a player. They know I'm a great player, but as far as my stats, it doesn't add up to them. It wasn't a straight disappointment, but they don't think it adds up.

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We went over all of USC's Pro Day happenings yesterday in a general recap post, a post focusing on the two Trojan top prospects and former QB Mitch Mustain. Now we present two of the better video interviews from the day: receiver Ronald Johnson (above) and tight end Jordan Cameron (below), with a highlight quote from each of the two to entice your viewing:

"Everyone talks about it. It's Blake Griffin -- everyone wants to know about him, what he's doing. Thankfully he's a good friend of mine, so it helps get my name out there a little bit. We play pick-up together in the summer and we were joking about making a video to showcase my athleticism. He was all for it and it kinda evolved into this skit with Mars Blackmon and that whole thing. And he was funny -- if you watch it, he's a pretty funny guy." -- Cameron on his dunk video with Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers

"With a 40, you can mess up anywhere -- from the beginning to the middle to the end. I don't think that really matters as much, but when you're on the field and you're running past guys, I don't think it really matters." -- Johnson on the meaning of a 40-yard dash to NFL teams

As our coverage of Pro Day continues, we've already went over Tyron Smith and Jurrell Casey's workouts on USC's campus on Wednesday and Mitch Mustain's rebound from his February arrest.

Other things of note from the festivities: 31 of the 32 NFL teams were represented, including three general managers and two head coaches, Oakland's Hue Jackson and Dallas' Jason Garrett. Former Trojans who aren't exiting college this year weren't allowed to participate because of the NFL lockout, putting guys like Keary Colbert out of commission, but former USC receiver Travon Patterson did return to campus after transferring to Colorado last summer. Discus thrower Aaron Dan, a graduating member of the Trojan track and field team, also participated.

And two last tidbits: most USC assistants were there for at least part of the day, but head coach Lane Kiffin was nowhere to be found. The 40-yard dash and bench-press leaders on the day were both players with very small chances to be drafted, receiver David Ausberry (4.46 40) and offensive guard Zack Heberer (38 reps of 225 pounds).

Now here's the key info on the other former Trojans who participated Wednesday who have legitimate shots to be drafted, player-by-player in alphabetical order:

- Running back Allen Bradford

Bradford was timed as fast as 4.54 seconds on some stopwatches but the general consensus had him somewhere in the 4.6 range, not a positive development for the back, who needed a better time to convince NFL teams of his viability as a feature back. He did prove himself, though, as a capable pass-catcher in drills with Mustain and seemed to be proud of that afterward.

"I think that was kinda my downside -- a lot of people didn't think I could catch the ball out of the backfield because I didn't get it thrown to me, but I didn't drop the ball and I finished well on my runs," he said Wednesday.

- Tight end Jordan Cameron

Cameron looked very good, if not great, in position drills, catching most everything thrown his way by Mustain. He chose not to participate in the 40-yard dash or the bench press because of his positive numbers in the combine in those.

We'll have more on Cameron tomorrow.

- Receiver Ronald Johnson

Johnson's 40 time wasn't great -- only 4.49 -- but he was solid in position drills and looked very agile in shuttle and three-cone drills.

"I didn't feel good about it, but it is what it is and I can't do it over," he said of the 40 time. "They can see my speed out on the field in my routes and in my breaks, so that should make up for the 40 I ran."

We'll have more on Johnson's performance tomorrow.

- Offensive guard Butch Lewis

Lewis did 31 repetitions of 225 pounds and was timed in the 40 as fast as 5.09 seconds, but he didn't look too crisp in offensive line drills.

- Linebacker Michael Morgan

Morgan didn't look good in position drills or shuttle drills, but he did run a solid 40-time in the low 4.4's, ranging from 4.47-4.49. He tripped up on the three-cone drill.

- Center Kristofer O'Dowd

O'Dowd has been perhaps the most surprising workout warrior of the former Trojans, a guy who many expected to be more of a gamer type who would struggle in workouts. He looked good at the NFL Combine last month and he looked good again Wednesday in the limited drills he did do -- specifically offensive line-specific blocking drills.

"Coming into the combine, I had the focus and drive to show who I am, to show what school I’m from and to show who we are as offensive linemen," O'Dowd said. "I’m very happy. I exceeded what my goals were at the combine. So I wanted to come out here, do a little workout and kind of show in my last interview who Kris O’Dowd is."

- Linebacker Malcolm Smith

Smith may have helped himself the most of anybody Wednesday, beating the speedster Johnson with a 40-yard dash timed as fast as 4.45 seconds and also pushing out 28 repetitions in the bench press. His other numbers were reported at 39 inches in the vertical jump and 10 feet, 5 inches in the broad jump, solid figures both.

He tripped up in the shuttle drill but rebounded to finish strong.

- Cornerback Shareece Wright

Wright pulled up during defensive back drills near the end of the workout and didn't get up for a while, but the school announced his injury wasn't believed to be more serious than a pulled hamstring.

He didn't run a 40 after running it in 4.46 seconds at the combine.

The annual athletic workout headquarters that is the NFL Combine finished Tuesday in Indianapolis. Here's a recap of what the eight former Trojans participating in the festivities did over the five days of competition:

Allen Bradford, RB, 5-11, 242 pounds

Bradford weighed in at a fairly remarkable 242 pounds, which made him the 4th-heaviest running back out of 39 participants at the position, and the three guys in front of him -- Georgia's Shaun Chapas, Pittsburgh's Henry Hynoski and Stanford's Owen Marecic -- were all college fullbacks. His 40-yard dash time of 4.58 wasn't spectacular, but it was a respectable 15th out of the 39 prospects. His 28 bench-press repetitions at 225 pounds were third-best among all offensive players at the combine, and reports had him looking better than expected in the passing drills.

What'll he probably try to do is lower his 40-time a few hundredths of a second for USC's Pro Day later this month. If he can't do that, he runs the risk of being pigeonholed into the fullback spot at the next level.

Jordan Cameron, TE, 6-5, 254 pounds

There were high expectations for Cameron in some circles, but the converted receiver came out and exceeded them over the weekend in Indy. He ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash time of any tight end (4.59) and recorded the second-highest vertical jump (37.5 inches) too. He won the 3-cone drill and also finished in the top five in the bench press and the broad jump and reportedly caught nearly everything thrown his way in pass-catching drills.

Cameron could have just played his way into a mid-round selection. At the very least, he'll be listed as a top sleeper pick on a ton of internet mock drafts over the next couple months.

Jurrell Casey, DT, 6-1, 300 pounds

Casey's 40 times had a wide variance, running as fast as 4.93 and as slow as 5.17. His overall time of 5.06 wasn't good enough to put him in the Top 15 in that category among defensive linemen, and none of his drill times were even close, either. For that, Casey probably goes down as someone who hurt himself a tad at the combine, although he wasn't really expected to wow anybody in the weight room to begin with. His stock is on the low end now, though, with most mock drafts sticking him around the second or third round.

Stanley Havili, FB, 6-0, 227 pounds

Havili did not work out at the combine, for reasons that are not currently clear. He did undergo shoulder surgery shortly after the end of the 2010 season and was sporting a sling on it in January, so he could be waiting until Pro Day to work out for NFL scouts. He did weigh in at 227 pounds, slightly more than the weight he played at while at USC but probably not enough to ease teams' doubts that he's too small to play fullback in the NFL.

Ronald Johnson, WR, 5-11, 199 pounds

Johnson finished with an official 40-time of 4.46, which tied for ninth-best among all receivers at the combine. He didn't participate in most of the other drills, but he did bench a respectable 16 repetitions. Johnson probably helped himself some with his measurements, though, as some scouts probably expected him to measure in smaller and lighter than those numbers.

He played at 185 in college, so the weight increase represents a significant improvement.

Kristofer O'Dowd, C, 6-4, 304 pounds

O’Dowd, a four-year starter who some scouts think has already reached his peak, finished tied for first among offensive linemen in the vertical jump (32.5) and tied for seventh in the 20-yard shuttle (4.59). He also ranked fifth in the bench press (31) and seventh in the 40-yard dash (5.16) and also finished in the top 10 in the broad jump.

So, yes, O'Dowd clearly helped himself.

Tyron Smith, RT, 6-5, 307 pounds

Smith didn't do anything besides the bench press -- and weigh in. But those two activities were plenty enough to create some buzz around him for Pro Day, as Smith weighed in at a hefty 307 pounds, 22 more than his listed playing weight during the 2010 season. He also did 29 bench-press reps.

Shareece Wright, CB, 5-11, 185 pounds

Wright ran a solid 4.46 40-yard dash time, which tied for seventh-best among cornerbacks, and recorded a 34.5 inch vertical jump and 9'5" broad jump. Reports had him looking polished during defensive back drills, which is a good sign for Wright, as one major criticism of him during his senior season was that he simply wasn't enough of a ballhawk for the next level.

USC's Pro Day is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on March 30, four weeks from today. A number of Trojans who didn't get combine invites are expected to work out for NFL scouts at USC's pro day, including linebackers Malcolm Smith and Michael Morgan, quarterback Mitch Mustain, running back C.J. Gable and receiver David Ausberry. Kicker Joe Houston, punter Jacob Harfman and offensive guards Butch Lewis and Zach Heberer are also possibilities.

The NFL combine begins Thursday in Indianapolis. Eight USC prospects have earned invites to the festivities and will attempt to showcase their talents to the bevy of coaches and scouts in attendance.

Let's take a look at each prospect, with an eye on draft position and potential workouts where they could excel during this next week. They're sorted in alphabetical order, with listed height and weights from their USC biographies. Keep in mind that these measurements will probably be heavily adjusted in the next week after players are officially measured by the NFL:

Allen Bradford, RB, 6-0, 235 pounds

Bradford has the body type NFL teams like to see in a big, bruising runner, but his speed is questionable at best. His goal in Indianapolis, then, is simple: run a 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds or faster to show scouts and coaches he can be more than just an occasional ball carrier.

Another necessary task to prove that: perform well in catching drills. Bradford caught only eight passes in four years at USC and has serious questions attached to his pass-play skills.

Jordan Cameron, TE, 6-5, 245 pounds

Cameron screams workout warrior in every sense of the phrase. He never produced much of anything while at USC -- he totaled 16 catches for 126 yards and 1 TD in two seasons, plus a redshirt year -- but always possessed the potential to start, the potential to be a great pass-catching weapon.

He still has that potential. Teams know he's quicker, more agile and in possession of better hands than the average tight end prospect. Where he needs to prove himself is in blocking, so he'll need to let loose on the weights and display that he has all of the necessary footwork down pat.

Jurrell Casey, DT, 6-1, 300 pounds

Casey has been criticized by scouts recently for not having an ideal body type. He's short and squatty, they say, and not a premiere athlete.

What's wrong with that? Casey is, regardless of natural athletic ability, one of the best run-stopping tackles in this draft, without a doubt. He won't be a 10-sack guy at the next level, but he's quick and smart enough to warrant selection as an early second-rounder. To do that, he's got to make a team fall in love with his motor and line-specific skills, so the defensive line drills will be big for him this week.

Showing up with a more chiseled upper body wouldn't hurt, either.

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PASADENA -- Notes, quotes and video from USC's 28-14 win over UCLA on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl:

• This one was interesting -- one of the Trojans' better defensive performances of the year sandwiched between a great running game and a mediocre passing game. Senior Allen Bradford ran the ball 28 times for 212 yards and added a 47-yard touchdown reception too. Remarkably, he averaged almost nine yards for each of his touches Saturday -- this, after earning a total of 20 touches in the six previous games. We'll have more from Bradford later in this post, but teammates had plenty of positives to say about him on his final night as a Trojan. Said fullback and fellow senior Stanley Havili: "He's faced adversity here. How you respond shows the character and the man that you are. Obviously Allen has been through his ups and downs. This is a way for him to go out on an awesome job." And quarterback Matt Barkley: "He was definitely a playmaker tonight." And running back Dillon Baxter: "I'm real excited for A.B. He had a rough year and for him to end it like this, I'm proud of him." Cornerback Nickell Robey simply called him a "beast."

• As for Barkley, although he wouldn't admit much after the game, he was obviously affected by his sprained left ankle. Considering that, his 15-of-26, two-interception, one-touchdown line looks a lot better than it would had he been healthy. Said Ronald Johnson, Barkley's leading receiver on the night with five catches for 36 yards: "He had a messed-up ankle, but it was great to have him back." Barkley analyzed his performance with an eye toward the future: "I've still got a lot to work on this offseason, I think, especially with timing with the receivers -- which has gotta be one of my big projects this offseason."

• The fourth-quarter scoring pass from Barkley to Bradford was definitely USC's play of the day -- with Bradford's 73-yard run the only other one coming close. On the swing pass that ended in the touchdown, Barkley said he checked down pre-snap into a new play and found Bradford at a perfect time in his route. Talking about the play postgame, Barkley went as far as comparing it to the glory years for the Trojans: "Plays like that are what USC football used to be and what it needs to be -- playmakers like that making guys miss, making guys fall to the ground."

• Lane Kiffin made an interesting observation near the end of his postgame press conference when he said that the style in which USC won the game -- old-fashioned, run-run-run -- is more attractive to recruits than other styles, giving USC a leg up on competition for L.A.-area prospects. Robey, a freshman, agreed and said that -- physicality -- was one of his most desired attributes when he was deciding on a school a year ago at this time: "That right there set the tone for the recruits. It set the tone for everybody around the team. It creates more fans. It's a great thing in all phases."

• Malcolm Smith extended his reputation as a "Bruin killer" -- per linebacker Michael Morgan and cornerback Shareece Wright -- with his 68-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown near the end of the first half. Last year, he scored USC's first touchdown against UCLA with a 62-yard interception return in the Coliseum. This time, he was a little bit emotional on the Rose Bowl field afterward."This is it, right here," Smith said. "Seeing the fans out here after the game -- this is it." And Morgan, quickly looking forward: "We have a great staff and a bunch of great young players. It's gonna be fun, man. I'm excited to watch these guys next year and in the years to come. It's gonna be a fun ride for these guys."

• Baxter's five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rhett Ellison was Baxter's second college completion and his first scoring pass. It was also only the second touchdown the true freshman has been involved in on the year -- an undoubtedly disappointing one for the 19-year-old, who ended up with 252 yards on the ground after Kiffin called him maybe the most talented player on the team in the preseason. His 4.3 yards per carry were the worst of the team's big four backs and significantly worse than Havili's. Baxter was quite happy about the touchdown after the game: "That was cool, bringing back high school memories," Baxter said. "It was cool to end the year like that, beating the Bruins and throwing a nice touchdown pass."

• Final notes: Walk-on Tony Burnett started over a healthy Jawanza Starling at safety and had six tackles, although he missed a chance to tackle Johnathan Franklin on the UCLA back's 59-yard run. Across from Burnett, Marshall Jones started and had 10 tackles, including one for loss. He was on the field at the end of the game when his brother, Malcolm Jones, but didn't tackle him. Both of the other set of the brothers on the two rosters, T.J. and Tevin McDonald, did not play. ... Baxter's touchdown pass was USC's first TD pass by a non-quarterback since Reggie Bush completed one to Dwayne Jarrett against Arizona State in 2004.

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Notes, quotes and video from Thursday's practice:

• Wednesday, quarterback Matt Barkley said his injured left ankle would be feeling three times better in time for the UCLA game Saturday. Thursday, he said it had improved as he'd expected and would be feeling "twice as [good]" for UCLA. That's a lot of linear growth for the 20-year-old sophomore, but his Coach -- Lane Kiffin -- shared a similar viewpoint on it after Thursday's practice, although it wasn't quite as mathematical. "I thought he looked obviously by far the best he’s looked since the injury," Kiffin said. "He did a lot of stuff today. I would anticipate him playing. It’ll be a decision as we get closer, but the way he looked today, and we’ll see how sore he is tomorrow.” When asked what specifically had improved, Barkley said he could tell the difference from Wednesday "in planting it and moving on it.

• Barkley has been sporting a fairly prominent brace on the ankle during practices this week, the same brace former Trojans like Troy Polamalu and Matt Leinart wore when dealing with high-ankle sprains during their USC careers. Barkley said he plans to wear it during the game and dismissed the prospects of it causing a lack of mobility, saying that he practiced running out on bootlegs during the warm-up portion of practice to test it out a bit.

• Injury report: Cornerback Torin Harris (shoulder) and safety T.J. McDonald (shoulder) did not practice. Defensive tackle DaJohn Harris, right tackle Tyron Smith (knee) and Barkley (ankle) participated on a limited basis. Cornerback Brian Baucham (shoulder/neck) was also listed as a non-participant by Kiffin but actually did participate quite a bit. He had not practiced earlier this week; if he is healthy enough to suit up Saturday, USC would not have to use a walk-on (Daniel Harper) as its nickel back, which the coaching staff had planned on doing. Starting corner Shareece Wright also ppeared to hurt his left ankle or toes near the end of practice during team drills; his status unclear.

• The running game has struggled the past two weeks for the Trojans, with Marc Tyler starting both games but not able to finish either of them. Kiffin has been noncommittal when asked to name a starting running back this week, and he presented a similar approach when asked to assess the collective performance of the backs in practice this week. “It’s kind of always hard to tell, because it’s a practice and you aren’t bringing guys to the ground," he said. "Obviously it would be very good for us to get that back. We’ve missed that the last two weeks, since the Arizona game, and our offense doesn’t do very much when our run game doesn’t go, because it kind of sets up everything else. I’m sure that will be a major part of the storyline of the game.”

• Final notes: The senior sendoff that has typically concluded USC's final open practice of the season has been pushed back to Friday, when the team will hold a brief afternoon walk-through before departing for their downtown hotel for the night. In past years, the proceedings had the underclassmen connect hands and create a tunnel from which the seniors could exit the practice field for the final time. ...Joked Kiffin when asked if he was worried that his job could be on the line with a loss on Saturday: "I guess I’m safe for 48 more hours. Maybe not if we only score one more touchdown."

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Kiffin spoke to the media after Thursday's practice and addressed the possibility of getting Ronald Johnson an early catch to bring his confidence back up, whether seniors will receive more playing time in the final game of their college careers and other topics.

See what he had to say for the final time after a 2010 practice:



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Redshirt junior middle linebacker Chris Galippo had quite a few interesting things to say about the USC-UCLA rivalry on Thursday, agreeing with the players' sentiment that this game is for them -- whereas the Notre Dame game was for the fans and alumni, as Kiffin first asserted.

See all of what Galippo had to say in advance of the game Saturday, including some thoughts on the parting seniors who want to leave with a victory over the Bruins:

Notes, quotes and video from Tuesday's practice:

• Quarterback Matt Barkley appears a whole lot more likely to play this week than last week, with the sophomore taking a good portion of snaps in scout-team play Tuesday and walking around without any real complications. Said USC Coach Lane Kiffin of Barkley's status, four days before the final game of the season: "I hope he’s going to play and I think he’s going to play, but I don’t know for sure he’ll play.” Backup Mitch Mustain, who started the Notre Dame game, is once again preparing as if he will start against UCLA. We'll have more on Barkley, including a video interview with the signal-caller, further down in this post:

• Injury report: safety T.J. McDonald (shoulder), right tackle Tyron Smith (knee) and cornerbacks Brian Baucham (neck) and Torin Harris (shoulder) did not practice. Defensive tackle DaJohn Harris, safety Jawanza Starling (hamstring) and Barkley (ankle) were limited. McDonald, who hurt his shoulder on the first series of Saturday's game against Notre Dame, said there was no chance he'll play against UCLA, although Kiffin didn't rule it out. Smith, who missed the Notre Dame game because of a knee injury, said he would begin practicing Wednesday and planned to play against the Bruins. Both Baucham and Harris look like longshots to play at this point.

• With those two likely out and McDonald out as well, it's fair to say that the secondary is in a shambles. Asked Tuesday if there were enough pieces back there to form a serviceable unit, Kiffin flatly said: "No. It’s just the way it is. If you lose that many like we have, and now our most consistent guy, T.J., being out as of now, and already the injuries that we have suffered there, there just aren’t many people to go to. It is what it is and we need whoever is in there to play well.” Behind the starting cornerbacks, Shareece Wright and Nickell Robey, USC will likely have only walk-ons Saturday, with junior Daniel Harper the best of those options. If Jawanza Starling returns -- he said Tuesday he was 100 percent -- and starts at one safety spot alongside Marshall Jones, walk-on Tony Burnett could also feasibly play some corner when extra defensive backs are needed. We'll have more on Burnett and his story on Wednesday.

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This season has been a series of new experiences for this USC football team.

No matter what happens Saturday, the Trojans will finish their worst season in nine years. They already lost to one rival, Notre Dame, for the first time since 2001. A loss to their crosstown rival would make 2010 seem like a return to the Paul Hackett years, a bog of mediocrity.

People expected the program to suffer under NCAA sanctions -- that’s kind of the point -- but a 7-6 season, with three straight losses at the end, would be worse than most fans had feared.

Just a couple of weeks ago, after a win at No. 18 Arizona, things appeared to be building toward a strong finish that would carry over to 2011.

“I was 100 percent confident that we were going to be 10-3 at the end of the season and we’d hit the road and sign a great recruiting class,” coach Lane Kiffin said.

Then the Trojans went to one of their least-favorite places, Oregon State, and got snowballed in a 29-point loss. The following week, they lost an emotionally wrenching game to the Fighting Irish. Now, this coaching staff is worried that those losses will carry over and that a sloppy finish to this season could spill into the players’ psyches going into next year.

The only way to stop that talk is to beat UCLA. That seemed a lot more likely two weeks ago.

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What are they playing for?

How many times have you heard that one? It’s the recurring question through this USC season, popping into interviews, conversations, sports-radio banter and blog posts. People have wondered about the Trojans’ motivation since the NCAA came down with a two-year bowl ban way back in June.

They wondered again after Washington ended USC's unbeaten streak before it was really worth mentioning, just 4-0. After they couldn’t take down Pac-10 heavyweights Stanford or Oregon, it came up again.

All along the way, it proved surprisingly moot. Though nobody else could see much reason to fight on, the players bounced back from week to week. Maybe they were playing for themselves or maybe they were playing for one other, but it didn’t look as if they were quitting.

After losing to Washington, they nearly beat Stanford on the road. They pummeled Cal and made it respectable against Oregon.

Then the schedule maker did them a favor. Even after their worst game of the year, a 36-7 spanking at Oregon State, it looked as if there would be plenty to keep their attention over the final two weeks. They were playing against their traditional rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA. Maybe the question could be buried, at least until next spring.

Now, after Saturday night’s loss in a cold drizzle to Notre Dame, the state of the Trojans’ psychology is more in question than ever before. You could see the desperation in receiver Ronald Johnson’s very being after he dropped what would have been the winning touchdown in that game. A day later, coach Lane Kiffin said Johnson’s angst was still lingering.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen a player ever take a game or play harder than Ronald did,” Kiffin said.

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Some items of note from coach Lane Kiffin's Sunday conference call, which looked back at Saturday's loss to Notre Dame and ahead to next week's season finale at UCLA:

• Ronald Johnson's final-drive drop on the wide-open Coliseum field was still a hot topic of conversation Sunday, and Kiffin said Johnson was still taking the play pretty hard, even almost 24 hours after the fact. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player take a game or a play harder than Ronald did,” Kiffin said. “He was obviously a wreck after the game. So emotional. He felt he had let so many people down." Kiffin also said he felt partly responsible for the way Johnson reacted to the play because of how much emphasis he placed in the week leading up to the game on playing for the Trojan faithful and coaching staff.

• Injury updates: Kiffin said Matt Barkley (high-ankle sprain) looked a lot better Sunday and said "he's anticipating himself playing" against UCLA. Barkley suited up for the Notre Dame game and came out for the coin toss but never got on the field during the game. Nothing else is known about safety T.J. McDonald's injury, believed to be a separated shoulder, but walk-on Tony Burnett is listed as a co-starter with McDonald at free safety for the UCLA game. Right tackle Tyron Smith also shares his spot with Butch Lewis after missing Saturday's game becaue of a knee injury. Kiffin had no update on cornerback Brian Baucham's status either; Baucham played most of the game Saturday as the nickel corner but left the Coliseum sporting a neck brace.

• Kiffin called the performance "well below our standard" and "very heartbreaking" for the players. He also failed to compliment Notre Dame much -- if at all -- on Sunday, seemingly putting much of the blame for the loss on his staff for an under-prepared team. "I just think that none of them ever imagined that we were going to lose this game," Kiffin said.

• Kiffin had a solid quip when talking about his team's failure -- once again -- to stop the opposition in the clutch, as the Irish put together a game-winning 77-yard drive in Saturday's final minutes. USC couldn't stop Notre Dame running backs Cierre Wood or Robert Hughes on that drive, and freshman quarterback Tommy Rees also came up with two clutch completions. Said an obviously peeved Kiffin: "We've probably set a record for the worst two-minute defense, not just this year but in the history of college football."