Passing the Test

The staple of the program over the last few years, which features two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks, took a giant step back last year with the well documented struggles of a young receiver corp.

A new quarterback at the helm and a brand new weapon poised to become the Trojan’s go-to-guy later, and things seem right back on track.

Through two games, both convincing victories over high caliber opponents, and pundits abroad can be heard with mumbles of a possible Mark Sanchez for Heisman campaign.

Given these are lofty expectations to throw on a quarterback just over a week shy of conference play, the stats do not lie. Sanchez has thrown for 510 yards through two games, including touchdown strikes to six different receivers.

Possibly even more impressive is the fact that Sanchez has only thrown two interceptions to go along with his seven touchdown connections.

The lone receiver on the roster with more then a single touchdown grab on the year is Arkansas transfer Damian Williams, a redshirt sophomore who has been Sanchez’ safety nest early on.

“Of course I’m going to look for Damian (Williams),” said Sanchez. “If a play breaks down I know he is going to find the open area.”

Much of the success can be attributed to the tight-knit nature of the unit, something Sanchez admits may have absent to this group last year.

“It’s a total family,” said Sanchez of this wide receiver group. “I don’t feel like they’re my friends or my teammates, they’re members of my family.”

That family attitude has transcended past the overall team mantra into individual position groups, something that allows different players to shine on any given night with no resentment amongst one another.

The beneficiary of a great off-season, Williams believes that the key to his success thus far was the countless hours of work logged in over the summer with his quarterback. Work that went far beyond the regimented practice schedule.

“Mark (Sanchez) and I worked a lot together over the summer,” said Williams of the obvious chemistry. “Whether it was here (USC) or in Orange County we were just out there working hard, trying to get stuff down pat.”

Mission accomplished early on.

“We’ve always tried to follow the guy that’s hot,” admitted Carroll. “He seems to really be on it.”

Number six understands that in order to keep this hot-streak alive, he must look to more then just Williams for success, although the Arkansas native’s recent efforts have not gone unnoticed.

“Damian is just really lighting it up right now,” added Sanchez on his new favorite target. “He’s having a great time, and hopefully he can carry it out.

“Don’t sleep on those other wide-outs, those guys are great.”

Playing the slot receiver position has given Williams plenty of opportunities to show his knack for splitting defenses and routinely coming up with big catches to move the chains.

“We have a lot of plays,” joked Williams. “I’m just able to get open in a lot of different situations. Being in the slot it makes it a little bit easier for you.”

As a freshman at Arkansas, Williams’ role primarily placed him on the outside along the sideline, allowing him to become more of a downfield threat.

“I enjoy being in there (the slot),” said Williams of his role within the offense. “At that spot it comes down to getting a rhythm, and that’s really what it boils down to.”

His time at USC, however, has drawn plenty of comparisons to some Trojan greats who came before him. Namely former slot receiver and current New York Giant Steve Smith.

“He (Williams) feels like Steve Smith out here,” said head coach Pete Carroll. “We feel like he’s a guy that can consistently find the open spots and get himself in the right place.

“Quarterbacks trust him and they can believe in him. They know he is going to make good decisions for them.”

The trust factor between Sanchez and Williams seems to be at an all-time high, although their work together has been somewhat limited due to the amount of time Williams has been donning the cardinal and gold.

If Saturday night’s performance against a top-five Buckeye team were any indication of things to come, they have surely made up for lost time.

“It felt really good to get in the end-zone,” admitted Williams. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in there (end-zone).

“We still have a lot of work to do though.”

Past their obvious connection on the football field, the two seem to share a very similar outlook about the game. Never become satisfied.

“Even after a big win and as well as people think I did, there is still a whole lot of stuff left to clean up,” explained Sanchez.

The Mission Viejo graduate and former five-star quarterback prospect entered the USC program with plenty of expectations. Those expectations, at least for three years, seemed to rest on the back-burner.

With the Trojans’ sporting a near unanimous #1 ranking in each of the major polls, and possible talks of hoisting a Heisman trophy and BCS national championship trophy, Sanchez is putting forth his best efforts in blocking those thoughts out.

“That’s all stuff on the outside,” commented Sanchez on the team‘s recent success. “The Heisman talk and the national championship talk, that’s all stuff that stays out of our locker room.”

Did Sanchez say completely out of the locker room?

“We joke about it,” he admitted with a grin. “But it’s not something that’s at the forefront of our mind. We’re focusing on Oregon State.”

The well-spoken, yet humble gun-slinger from Orange County realizes just how far he has come to earn the starting job at USC, and everything that comes along with playing the position.

“That outside stuff is nice,” revealed Sanchez. “It reflects well on this team. I just happen to be the guy who gets a lot of the credit and a lot of the scrutiny.

“Both of which I don’t deserve.”

Williams and Sanchez nearly hooked up on another touchdown connection as the half was winding down against the Buckeyes. A play that resulted in an interception by Ohio State cornerback Chimdi Chekwa.

“I should have caught the ball,” explained Williams of the interception at the end of the first half. “That’s all there is to it.”

That unselfish attitude seems to be the hallmark of this year’s team, a team poised to do very big things on the national scene.

For now, Trojan fans can enjoy the recent performance of their receivers, and Carroll held nothing back when talking about his newest receiving threat.

“He’s (Damian Williams) been a factor,” said head coach Pete Carroll of the overall improvement of the passing game. “He really could have had four touchdown catches in this game (Ohio State).”