To break a 12-12 tie in the final team period at the end of Tuesday's practice, Coach Carroll found a creative way to determine a victor between the offense and defense.
And everyone loved it.
Realizing rainy days don't come very often, the ever-playful Carroll said the only way to settle the tie was to put offensive line coach Pat Ruel against defensive line coach Jethro Franklin in a slip-and-slide competition on the most puddle-filled part of the field.
So with the players forming a tunnel on either side of the runway where the battle was taking place, the 58-year-old Ruel and 43-year-old Franklin went through two rounds of hilarious sliding before Franklin emerged -- soaked and muddied -- as the champion. The defense was awarded the overall practice victory, but all were in good spirits after the childlike festivities.
Offensive line coach Pat Ruel slides through the puddles on the Trojans' practice field.
Defensive line coach Jethro Franklin dives into the puddles.
Soaked and muddied from his battle with Pat Ruel, Jethro Franklin calls his defensive linemen together at the end of the slip-and-slide competition.
