1998 USC Football Media Day
June 21, 1999 | Football
August 10, 1998
LOS ANGELES, Calif,
USC Coach Paul Hackett This is obviously an exciting day for us. There's a feeling of great excitement and anticipation because it's been a long time since I started this in January. When I arrived, there were a lot of uncertainties. Now, we know each other better and now it's time to get going. I'm very pleased with the conditioning of the squad. Some notes. Joel Sugg, because of a back injury, has decided to not be with the team anymore. Windrell Hayes is still up in the air. From a physical standpoint, I'm happy where the team is.
We're looking for two things when we go down to Irvine. The first part is to begin laying the foundation for the season. We had a taste of it in the spring and we got a feel for the new coaches and the new system but it was abbreviated. Now we must build the foundation and get down to finding out about our strengths and weaknesses. The second part is to prepare for the opener. We're facing a difficult opponent in Purdue, which led the Big Ten in passing last year.
It's no secret that we'll be leaning on our defense in the early goings. Our secondary and linebacker unites our experienced and it's only natural to feel more secure about the defense. I'm a little concerned with the depth on the defensive line. We've added Darren Collins and Matt Childers (who is a transfer and will have to sit out this year), but we still have some concerns there. We were not able to bring in a number of defensive linemen to give us depth and there is a development issue.
On the offensive line, we've added Derek Graf and Zach Wilson, two freshmen, but with the loss of Joel Sugg, we're still thin. It's a major job of ours in UC Irvine to establish the offensive line. We must make decisions, which will be extremely difficult. We have to establish starters as quickly as possible. Our hopes in the spring for the offensive line did not unfold. That's clearly the No. 1 priority right now. There are other uncertainties, but the line is the one that's unsettled.
I feel good about our receiving corps. I'm very disappointed about Rod Perry Jr. His departure will hurt us for the next four years. But with the guys we having coming back, it is still a strong unit. I'm as excited about the tight ends as with any group. Antoine Harris I liked as a freshman and will be a sophomore. I like what Lonnie Ford can do and we've added Scott Huber.
Mike Van Raaphorst has the inside track at quarterback. He's the starter and he'll have to play very good football to keep the others at bay. John Fox had a spectacular summer and Quincy Woods had a very good one. And we have a couple of freshmen, Carson Palmer and Jason Thomas, with exciting ability as well. They are great young people and we're happy to have them, but how fast they develop, we'll find out.
When I look at the competition at quarterback, it's exciting to us. Mike Van Raaphorst is going to have to hold them off. As I've told the team, I'm not interested in stars. I'm interested in becoming the best football team we can be by the end of our time in Irvine. The first three days, Mike will get about 50% of the snaps and the rest will divide it up. Then, after that, Mike will get 80-90%.
We'll try to decide on a No. 2 quarterback as soon as possible. All of the guys with the exception of Mike will get even time. Going into it, John Fox is the only one with significant experience, and that is something to consider.
I'm getting more and more excited about the running back position. With Sultan McCullough, Frank Strong and Chad Pierson, we have strength at the running back position. Chad Morton had a great summer, as did Malaefou MacKenzie, Petros Papadakis and Jabari Jackson. It's a very competitive group. There will be a lot of competition to get an opportunity at running back. There will be an opportunity for at least four tailbacks to get a good look. Petros, Jabari, Frank and Sultan will be behind the first group a little. At fullback, we get Marvin back and Brennan Ochs and Ted Iacenda, who we didn't get to see in the spring. We also add Chad Pierson, so we have some decisions to make there as well.
I think the time has come for us to go out and do something. It's time to go to Irvine, eliminate distractions and focus on each other and laying down the foundation.
It's important that our players understand that we're expecting a lot out of them mentally. We keep telling them that the biggest jump from high school to college isn't physical but mental and the biggest jump from college to the pros isn't physical but mental. This is very, very demanding and may not be for everyone. If you're confused, it's hard to play football. We may look confused more than we're not early, but it's important that we improve and at the end of the season, we're playing our best football. It doesn't mean we don't want to come out fast, but it's at the end of the season that we need to be humming.
(regarding a bye week after the opener) We have a unique situation in that we play and then have a bye and have a gap of time in between. We have the opportunity to sit back and evaluate and see where we are. We have a chance to see what worked and what didn't and we have a chance to make changes if necessary.
(on how physical the practices will be) I'm a big proponent of having your best offensive unit practice against your best defensive unit. But because we're practicing so long, we'll have to pick our spots as to how physical we will be.
Getting in sync will be a big part of our time at Irvine and in our scrimmages. We're preparing to play Purdue and we haven't played a game together yet. We'll practice it as much as we can. We have good people and they've done all of these things before, but they haven't done it with me.
Our goal is the Rose Bowl. Nothing else. It doesn't matter how we get there. You may ask, 'Is he nuts?' I still have to get a sense of where we're at and how we stack up. It just so happens that our opener is a pressure-cooker against a good team in the Big Ten and we'll have a week after to see where we are.
1998 USC FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY - PLAYER QUOTES
DAYLON McCUTCHEON, senior cornerback
(On the difference between being a freshman and senior) My freshman year I was so excited, but so unsure and lost. I didn't know what my role on this team would be. As a freshman, you don't even know if you're going to have a role. I was lucky to get some breaks and establish myself ... One of the best things about me is my confidence. I know I can go out there and get the job done. I have the same confidence in my teammates ... I expect to have a great senior year, and that the team will have a great season. The sky's the limit.
(On this season) I think we're capable of beating any team on the schedule. We have great athletes. The only team that can beat us is ourselves if we do what we're capable.
(On his senior year) I'm very excited. I came in as a freshman and we won the Rose Bowl, and that's what I expected every year. But we had two disappointing seasons. I'm looking forward to going out on the top. I want to teach the new guys what being a Trojan is about, what it means to put on this uniform.
CHRIS CLAIBORNE, junior linebacker
(On the defense) I want the linebackers to be the strength of this team. The team just needs to jell together. The defensive line will be very good and will surprise people. A lot of people think that will be our weakness but they thought that last year and the line was great.
(On Hackett) Coach Hackett wants to take care of things. In some ways, it's like high school because we have to do what needs to be done in the classroom, or it can all be taken away. The number one thing he wants to install is class. He wants us to be organized and do things as a team.
(On spring practice) The linebackers did really well as a group. They're trying to help us all develop and improve. Some players aren't as good against the run, some players aren't as good against the pass. They're trying to make us good at all of the skills. The main thing is being disciplined throughout the game.
R. JAY SOWARD, junior wide receiver
(On his one-game suspension) I didn't think he'd go through with it but he's pretty serious ... His first goal is to have us take care of business. I should have taken care of it a long time ago. This taught me to take care of my responsibilities. I got a 3.0 GPA and I thought he might let me play, but he couldn't go back on his word. I know it's for my own good.
(On his summer) I gained 12 pounds. The extra muscle doesn't bother me at all. It's a very good 12 pounds. I'm very happy with the way things are going. There's a new outlook, a new attitude. It's fun. I'm looking forward to going out and playing football.
MIKE VAN RAAPHORST, sophomore quarterback
(On winning the quarterback job) When you're competing for a position, you can't worry about the other players. You can only worry about yourself. That's what worked for me last spring.
(On this summer) I worked on a lot of little things: stretching out my routes, working on my hands, trying to make my feet faster, putting on muscle.
(On Hackett's offense) There's a lot of stuff to learn, but that's how Coach Hackett's offense is. There's a ton of information. I think the ability to do well in the classroom applies to this situation, and that's something I pride myself on.
(On the team improving) We want to earn respect. We haven't had it in a while, and everyone sick of that and we want to get it back.
TRAVIS CLARIDGE, junior offensive tackle
Everyone's excited. We all worked hard over the summer. We know there's still a lot to do. The team's a lot more disciplined now and that's better for all of us. Coach Hackett is a real details coach, and that's exactly what this team needs.
(On goals) Our first goal is to play together as a team. Goal number two is that we all need to do well in the classroom. If we do well on both of those, everything else will come together.
(On the offensive line) It will all come together. Everyone's in shape. Donta Kendrick worked hard this summer, Jason Grain worked hard this summer, everyone worked hard. I'm pretty excited about the offensive line.
(On people calling the offensive line a question mark) There are a lot of questions marks on this team. The coaching staff is a question mark. Who's going to play at tailback is a question mark. You can't worry about it. We're all good football players if we were recruited to play here.
CHAD MORTON, junior tailback
(On starting at tailback) I don't feel that I've earned the starting job yet. I feel like I still have to prove myself. The new guys are coming in this fall and I still have to beat them out. A lot can happen down at Irvine. Someone could move from No. 4 on the list to No. 1. I just have to work extra hard to earn the position.
(On no longer playing defense) It will be easier to stay focused. I won't have to watch tape on both offenses and defenses. It's a lot less stressful. Sometimes this summer, playing 1-on-1, I'd still mess with it, but I'm going to have to stay away from that so I don't get hurt.
RASHARD COOK, senior safety
(On the changes) It almost feels like I'm a freshman again. There's a whole different outlook here. Everyone's excited. Everyone worked hard all summer. We had a great conditioning program and we're ready to put it to use. Everything's different. They're trying to make everything better. There's a new practice field, there's adding on to the weight room. It's everything we need to be better.
(On the defense) We should be good. We have enough talent on the defense. The next three weeks, everyone just needs to get on the same page. We can't mess up because other teams are going to be good.
(On personal goals) I just want to be the best player I can be. I'd like to help make the players around me better. At the end of the season, we'll look at the record and see what happens.
