 "Photo: Joel Zink | Daily Trojan")
Kris O'Dowd was understandably nervous heading into USC's first offensive series against Idaho.
He was about to do something no Trojan had ever done before - start at center as a true freshman.
The first call of the game for the Trojans was a handoff to running back C.J. Gable. And while everyone in the Coliseum was watching Gable take the handoff for a 33-yard gain, it couldn't have happened without O'Dowd.
O'Dowd cleared the big hole for Gable by taking out Idaho nose tackle Jonah Sataraka. It was the start of a great night for the freshman.
"That first series he was a little nervous," right guard Chilo Rachal said, "but after the second series came around, he calmed down and felt more comfortable."
And once he got more comfortable he proved that coach Pete Carroll made the right call to start him despite his inexperience.
With the start, O'Dowd became only the third USC offensive lineman to start an opener as a true freshman - Travis Claridge did it in 1996 and Brad Budde did it in 1976.
To put that in perspective, USC has had 27 first-team All-American offensive linemen since 1964, and only Budde started in his first game at USC.
The last true freshman to start on the offensive line was Jeff Byers in 2004 against UCLA. Byers, who was the 2003 Gatorade National Player of the Year, started Saturday next to O'Dowd at left guard.
Despite the importance of the start, O'Dowd said it felt bittersweet because of a freak injury to projected starter Matt Spanos, who tore his right triceps earlier in the week at practice.
"It's something special, but I didn't want it to happen this way," O'Dowd said. "Matt is a great guy and a great player, but it just happened [my] number got called."
As center, it is O'Dowd's job to call out blocking assignments for the rest of the offensive line based on what the defense is showing and what play is being called.
O'Dowd did a good job calling the game without many mistakes, but in his first start he didn't do all the assigning alone.
"It's his first time starting, so you're not going to get every call correct," Rachal said. "Some of us older guys had to make the calls for him, but he had a majority of the calls."
The center is often considered the second most important offensive player, but it's a position that's often overlooked by the casual fan. Quarterback John David Booty summed up the center's importance best.
"You can't play football without the QB-center exchange," Booty said. "That's the first thing of importance - and that was perfect."
The offensive line clearly did its job as the Trojans didn't have any fumbled snaps, Booty was never sacked and the team ran for 214 yards.
"They were doing a lot of movement and we weren't expecting that," left tackle Sam Baker said. "I think we did pretty well on [picking up blitzes]."
Baker said he couldn't tell how well O'Dowd did at center until he saw game tape. But Byers and Rachal were right next to O'Dowd to make sure he was doing his job and helped him out when needed.
"I felt pretty strong about what I was doing with two great veterans - Jeff and Chilo - right next to me so they helped me out," he said. "I had a few mistakes here and there but they can be fixed with film."
O'Dowd said when he got back to the sidelines he received encouragement from offensive line coach Pat Ruel.
"He kept saying, 'be confident with the calls, be confident with your calls, and I was, and it ended being a good game," O'Dowd said.
He also said he got help from Spanos, especially late in the week at practice after O'Dowd found out he would start.
"He helps me when he sees things on the field to help me do things better, and I just need that encouragement," O'Dowd said.
Spanos is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, but it was a good beginning for O'Dowd, just in case Spanos were to miss more time. That's why Booty felt Saturday was the perfect night for O'Dowd to get his first start.
"I think it was the perfect setting for him to break himself in to become a Trojan," Booty said. "If [Spanos] can't come back soon, [O'Dowd] might have to go the whole year so it was good for him to get out there tonight and get things started."
And if O'Dowd's first start was any indication, Spanos will have to fight to get his starting job back even if he is healthy.
- To comment on this article, visit www.dailytrojan.com or e-mail Rhett at rhettbollinger@gmail.com
