It might have been corny or maybe just downright goofy, but coach Pete Carroll brought a football to his first meeting with his new players. At one point, he raised it high in his right hand.

"He just said, 'This is your family, in this room. And this ball is your life -- on defense, you have to get the ball; on offense, you have to hold onto it,' " said junior quarterback Carson Palmer.

Forgive Carroll for being a wee bit trite, but if the Trojans handle the ball like they have the past few seasons, he knows he will eventually suffer the same fate as Paul Hackett, whose dismissal last winter followed a 19-18 three-year stretch.

Foes racked up a record 337 points on the Trojans last season for a variety of reasons, and all of the turnovers, penalties and mistakes were glaring to Carroll when he reviewed video tape of USC's games.

"It ruined the football season, ruined their whole efforts," Carroll said. "All of their hard work and all of their dreams were dashed."

A team that committed a Pac-10-record 128 penalties two seasons ago trimmed that figure to 113, but it still gave up a league-high 977 penalty yards. The Trojans lost 18 fumbles, and Palmer had 18 of his passes intercepted, tying a USC single-season record (Rob Hertel, 1977).

"That first meeting was all about ball," Carroll said. "The most poignant aspect of our improvement will be about taking care of the football."

Carroll has plenty of work ahead of him. USC has lost an astounding 11 conference games in the past two seasons.

Carroll -- who turns 50 in September -- will concentrate on defense, his area of expertise throughout most of his 26-season coaching career. USC's defense last season was one of the worst in school history, and somehow still left big holes for Carroll to fill.

The linebackers were hit hardest, as Zeke Moreno and Markus Steele exhausted their eligibility, and 6-foot-4 senior Kori Dickerson was moved to tight end in the spring.

Junior safety Troy Polamalu, an honorable-mention All-Pac-10 selection, gives a deep secondary a strong anchor, and Kevin Arbet, Chris Cash, Kris Richard and Darrell Rideaux all received multiple starts at cornerback in 2000. Plus, three-year starting cornerback Antuan Simmons returns from a redshirt season that followed surgery to remove a benign abdominal tumor.

Ryan Nielsen and Bernard Riley, part-time starters last season, return to lead the line, where Shaun Cody might have an immediate impact. A Southern California native, Cody, whose father wanted him to attend Notre Dame, swept a host of prep All-America awards and was the most-prized recruit of Carroll's first class.

Carroll scored another coup by luring longtime Brigham Young offensive guru Norm Chow to guide Palmer and the rest of the Trojans' scoring attack.

Carroll said he became convinced of Chow's talents last season, when quarterback Philip Rivers had a superb freshman campaign (3,054 yards, 25 touchdowns and finishing 12th in the nation in total offense) during Chow's only year at North Carolina State.

"I wanted a known commodity," Carroll said.

Whereas Hackett emphasized the West Coast offense, Chow favors a spread system with an unpredictable passing scheme designed to keep defenses off-balance.

Palmer has already prospered with Chow's simpler schemes -- and no more seven-step drops -- and been tested by Carroll's challenging winter workouts. Palmer was at the front of the group in almost all of those drills.

"The offseason was tough," Palmer said. "But that's part of the discipline, and learning discipline, and trying to make this team disciplined."

Chow will operate with a full arsenal of offensive talent, including 1,000-yard rusher Sultan McCullough, and receivers Kareem Kelly, Marcell Allmond and Keary Colbert. Kelly led USC with 55 receptions last season. Colbert was impressive in the spring after catching 33 passes for 480 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman.

The offensive line hasn't been up to USC standards in recent seasons, but the middle of the 2001 line should be solid, with guards Zach Wilson and Faaesea Mailo forming a solid wall. Sophomore Lenny Vandermade has loads of potential; he filled in admirably at center when Eric Denmon was lost to injury last season.

Eric Torres and Norm Katnik, whom Carroll raved about, are the leaders to take over at the tackle positions.

The special teams were an absolute mess last season. Senior David Newbury has made barely half of his attempts (15-for-29) in his career, and an amazing five of John Walls' 14 extra-point attempts were blocked.

Wall, however, will miss most of the season recovering from knee surgery. Trevor Lancaster, who nailed a 57-yarder in junior college, might not have a difficult time challenging Newbury.

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