Mikell Simpson could be effective in the short passing game against USC.

Last year USC was the consensus No. 1 team in the nation entering the season, a ranking that relied heavily on the fact that the Trojans returned 10 veteran starters on a defense that head coach Pete Carroll called the fastest defense he had ever coached. But injuries plagued the Trojans all season and they finished 11-2 and out of the National Championship picture.

Though not No. 1 entering 2008, USC is still rated among the top three teams in the nation by most services and with seven returning starters, Carroll may again have the fastest defense of his coaching tenure. Despite the injuries, the Trojan defensive unit was second nationally last year in both total defense (273.2) and scoring defense (16.0) as well as fourth in rushing defense (84.2) and sixth in pass efficiency defense (102.1).

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