Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ner, wasted no time taking control this winter. He seized the starting job before spring ball and cemented his status with a 32-of-37 passing perfor- mance for 542 yards in Louisville's spring game. The 6-5, 230-pound gun- slinger could be headed for an NFL future of his own. SPRING OUTLOOK: Petrino's first sea- son will come with a touch of con- troversy after his unceremonious dis- missal from Arkansas. The amount of offensive weapons at his disposal could make Cardinals fan forget his sordid past quickly, though. Gardner has a pack of experienced receivers to choose from. The backfield returns leading rusher Dominique Brown (825 yards in 2013), former Auburn star Michael Dyer and L.J. Scott, who im- pressed this spring as an early enrollee. Petrino has proven that he knows how to spread the ball to a deep list of skill players. AT USC • NOV. 29 2013 RECORD: 10-4, 6-3 Pac-12 LAST MEETING: Notre Dame 14, USC 10 (2013) TOUGHEST TO REPLACE: Center Marcus Martin left school a year early after starting at least 10 games in his first three seasons. The Los Angeles lo- cal moved from guard to center last season and orchestrated the offensive line's efforts. Wide receiver Marqise Lee is a major loss, but with Nelson Agholor ready to step into Lee's role, Martin becomes the most important loss this spring. KEY PLAYER: Former USC basketball player Zach Banner had two hip sur- geries in the past year to help him sink his 6-9, 345-pound frame low enough to be an effective blocker. Banner stepped into the right tackle opening this spring and quickly be- came a pleasant surprise. He had no problem tossing defenders around despite saying he was only at 60 per- cent strength after his surgeries. SPRING OUTLOOK: New head coach Steve Sarkisian walked into a tricky situation this winter when USC opted to hire the former Washington head coach instead of retaining locker room favorite Ed Orgeron. In less than six months, Sarkisian earned the trust of his players, started to install new defen- sive and offensive schemes and named a starting quarterback. With the team's scholarship sanctions over after this season, expectations are that the former Trojan can lead his alma mater back to prominence in the Pac-12. ✦ Bobby Petrino is back for his second stint as head coach at Louisville and will have several offensive weapons at his disposal in 2014. PHOTO COURTESY LOUISVILLE