High praise: USC’s Pete Carroll has nothing but raves for Washington’s Jake Locker

USC’s Carroll raves about Locker ahead of matchup

Southern California coach Pete Carroll is sure full of praise for opposing quarterbacks these days.

Last week, leading up to the Trojans’ showdown at Ohio State, Carroll continually raved about Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

This week, it’s Washington’s Jake Locker that Carroll is sharing his admiration about.

“I think Jake is one of the best players I’ve ever seen in this conference, in all the years we’ve been here,” Carroll said. “He’s the most extraordinary athlete at the position we’ve seen, and I saw that as a freshman.”

Carroll is one of Locker’s biggest supporters not associated with the purple and gold of Washington. He’ll get to see Locker up close for the first time in two years on Saturday when the third-ranked Trojans travel to Seattle.

Most of the story lines this week are focusing on new Washington coach Steve Sarkisian — the former whiz-kid offensive coordinator at USC — facing off with Carroll, his mentor for the seven seasons they spent together with the Trojans. Carroll said it’s the first time he can remember having to face a former assistant who moved on to become a head coach.

Carroll might have headaches figuring out how to slow Locker.

Through two weeks, Locker is the leading passer in the Pac-10, showing a strong grasp of the offensive philosophy that Sarkisian brought from USC but has tweaked to fit what Locker does best. Locker threw for 321 yards in Washington’s 31-23 season-opening loss to LSU, then hit on 17 of 25 throws for 253 yards and three TDs in last week’s win over Idaho.

Locker has also tempered his running, carrying just 18 times the first two weeks. Despite the dip in carries, that knack for running and Locker’s stunning open field speed is a worry for Carroll.

“With (Sarkisian’s) coaching and scheme, and everyone all pumped up around him, that makes him extremely dangerous,” Carroll said.

“Jake is just a ridiculous athlete that plays quarterback in a high-skilled offense as well. It’s just totally different. Jake’s dynamics, because of his legs, it just makes him incredibly difficult.”

During a rabid recruiting battle, Carroll and the Trojans tried to lure Locker south. But the Trojans saw Locker as more of an athlete and likely would have moved him to safety. Locker said the gap between Washington and the Trojans was pretty vast in the hierarchy of his college choices.

THE OTHER REUNION: Arizona coach Mike Stoops doesn’t make former player reunions since most of his Saturdays in the fall have been occupied for years.

But there will be a little nostalgia this Saturday when the Wildcats travel to Iowa, where Stoops played in the early 1980s and was a first-team all-Big Ten selection his junior and senior years.

“I didn’t think much of it. We would love to play a lesser opponent. Going back to Iowa it will be a challenging and exiting game,” Stoops said. “I’m not too nostalgic on it. Sure it will be great to see some people. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back there.”

Stoops played safety for the Hawkeyes, including on their Big Ten championship team in 1981 when Iowa lost to Washington 28-0 in the Rose Bowl.

Of bigger concern than any return home for Stoops is sophomore quarterback Matt Scott making his first road start in a hostile environment. Stoops has been pleased with Scott’s first two games replacing Willie Tuitama.

“He’s managed our team very well. I think he’s made good decisions for the most part,” Stoops said. “He can make a lot of big throws … he throws the ball very well and has been accurate for the most part. I don’t see anything I don’t like in Matt so far.”

HOME AT LAST: Stanford becomes the final Pac-10 team to play a home game when the Cardinal host San Jose State in the Bill Walsh Legacy Game at Stanford Stadium.

The matchup between the Cardinal and Spartans has been named in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach and his association with both schools. Walsh received his bachelor’s degree from San Jose State in 1955 and his master’s in 1959.

He then served as an assistant at Stanford in 1963 and 1964, before two head coaching stints with the Cardinal — 1977-78 and 1992-94. Walsh went 34-24-1 as head coach at Stanford.

“His stamp is all over the game,” Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said. “He had a special influence on Stanford, the tradition of players that have played in this program through the years. Part of the fabric and tradition of Stanford football is his legacy.”

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: It was an L.A. sweep for player of the week awards, with USC’s Joe McKnight being named offensive player of the week, while UCLA’s Reggie Carter was defensive player of the week and Bruins kicker Kai Forbath took the special teams honor.

McKnight had 105 all-purpose yards — rushing for 60 and gaining another 45 on pass receptions — in USC’s 18-15 win at Ohio State. On the Trojans’ winning drive late in the fourth quarter, McKnight accounted for 53 of the 86 total yards.

Carter had 14 tackles in UCLA’s 19-15 win at Tennessee, including tackles on third and fourth down during a goal line stand late in the fourth quarter.

Forbath accounted for 13 of UCLA’s 19 points in the victory, connecting from 26, 31, 39 and 47 yards.