LOS ANGELES (AP) -John David Booty said he plans on throwing Tuesday in practice, and the quarterback hopes to play this weekend when No. 13 Southern California faces rival Notre Dame.
Booty sat out USC’s 20-13 victory over Arizona last Saturday after breaking the middle finger on his throwing hand the previous weekend, when the Trojans (5-1, 3-1 Pac-10) were upset by Stanford.
Mark Sanchez filled in and completed 19 of 31 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions in his first career start.
“I’m throwing tomorrow. I’m not sitting out anymore,” Booty said after practice Monday. “It feels good. I probably will wear a glove on my throwing hand. I’m not trying to do anything amazing. If I can throw effectively, I want to play.
“It’s the coach’s decision, not mine.”
USC coach Pete Carroll said it was too early to make a decision.
“Same deal. We’re going to go with Mark as the starter going into practice (Tuesday),” Carroll said. “We’ll see where we are. Mark’s going to get all the reps with the first string.
“It’s Mark’s day tomorrow. Then we’ll see what happens with John. We’ll just wait, watch, see what he feels like afterward.”
Carroll hopes several other injured players are able to return to action against Notre Dame (1-6), including linebacker Bruce Cushing, who has played very little this season because of a sprained ankle, and leading rusher Stafon Johnson, who missed the last two games with a sprained foot.
Both players believe they’ll be able to play at Notre Dame, so did offensive tackle Sam Baker, who left the Arizona game in the first half with an injured hamstring.
Linebacker Rey Maualuga wasn’t so optimistic. He left the Arizona game with an injured hip.
“They’re saying it’s a hip pointer. I came out because I felt a pop,” he said. “I’m not able to run. It was one of the worst pains I’ve felt. Once it happened, I knew I couldn’t go on. I can’t jog without it being painful.”
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