Team Scrimmages at Coliseum

USC held a 100-play scrimmage at the Coliseum on Tuesday in a break from training camp at UC Irvine.

Quarterback Carson Palmer, looking considerably more polished as he prepares for his sophomore season, completed 11 of 14 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

“Look at Carson this year,� USC Coach Paul Hackett said. “All he was throwing was [deep routes] at this time last year.�

The offense, though, apparently isn’t as far ahead of the defense as was expected and struggled with penalties.

Defensive standouts included safety David Gibson, who had five tackles, two for losses; junior college transfer Markus Steele, who had five tackles and a fumble recovery from his linebacker spot, and freshman walk-on cornerback Kevin Arbet, who had five tackles, two for losses, a sack and deflected two passes.

In the battle for No. 2 tailback, Sultan McCullough gained 64 yards in 15 carries, Frank Strong picked up 21 yards and two touchdowns in seven carries, and Jabari Jackson gained 17 yards in four carries.

Starter Chad Morton gained only 25 yards in six carries. Hackett said Morton was “behind where he was a year ago,� but attributed it to the tailback being tired after working hard to prepare for the season.

David Bell kicked field goals of 29 and 26 yards, and David Newbury kicked a 46-yarder.

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Receiver R. Jay Soward left the field because of a sprained right knee after only a few plays, but after the scrimmage was able to walk off unaided. . . .

Defensive end Lonnie Ford sprained an ankle and left the field on crutches.

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Tailback Petros Papadakis is expected to receive an extra year of eligibility after missing this season because of foot surgery, Hackett said after receiving an interpretation of a similar case from the Pacific 10 Conference.

Papadakis originally planned to play at California but left the school before the 1995 season and enrolled at USC in the spring of 1996, then redshirted that fall.

Hackett announced that junior college receiver Craig Mitchell had not qualified for admission to USC and would not join the team.