• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Back on track, Southern California hosts Arizona State

Oct 11, 2008 - 10:15 AM Arizona State (2-3) at Southern California (3-1), 3:30 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Southern California thinks it has regained some of its swagger.

Fresh off a 44-10 win over Oregon, the ninth-ranked Trojans host Arizona State on Saturday in a Pac-10 Conference battle of teams with banged up quarterbacks.

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez suffered a bone bruise in his lift knee in the Trojans' rout of the Ducks and is listed as day-to-day. The junior missed practice Monday, but there is no structural damage in the knee and he hopes to play this weekend.

Sanchez has passed for 1,069 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions this season. If he is unable to go against the Sun Devils, USC (3-1, 1-1 Pac-10) will turn to Mitch Mustain, a transfer from Arkansas.

The outlook for Arizona State senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter is less promising, putting his streak of 36 consecutive starts in jeopardy. Carpenter has a sprained left ankle and is listed as questionable.

"First of all, we need to get the OK from the doctor, and then, see how he moves out there," Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said. "I'm not going to put him on the field unless he has the mobility to be able to move and throw. He has to be pretty close to 100 percent."

Carpenter suffered the injury in last week's 24-14 loss at California. He completed 20-of-35 passes for only 165 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

"It (the injury) happened early in the fourth quarter, and I obviously played the rest of the game," Carpenter said. "After the game, I felt OK, but as soon as I took my shoe off at the end of the game, it started to hurt. So, I was a little worried about it and feared the worst, but after a couple of days have gone by, it's felt a little bit better each day."

Carpenter's injury is more bad news for the Sun Devils (2-3, 1-1), who have dropped three in a row. They also have lost eight straight games against the Trojans.

If Carpenter is unable to suit up, junior Danny Sullivan would make his first career start against USC. Sullivan has attempted only eight passes this season, completing just one.

After suffering a 27-21 loss at Oregon State on September 25, the Trojans bounced back with an easy win over Oregon. Sanchez completed 19-of-28 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns - all in the second quarter.

"This is exactly what we were looking to do," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "This is the game we were hoping for. Everybody responded and played like we know how to play."

Sanchez was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. No USC player has ever earned the honor four times in the same year.

The Trojans are seeking their 400th win at the Los Angeles Coliseum, their storied home since 1923.