Blind long snapper brings good news to Southern California

Things didn't go well last weekend for Southern California. The Trojans got off to a horrible start in Pac-12 play, losing, 41-31, at home to Stanford. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox felt the wrath of the fans and their unmet expectations.

But when Jake Olson came out Wednesday for his first practice with the team, life seemed a lot better.

Olson, a freshman long snapper, is blind. A form of cancer cost him his sight at the age of 12. After snapping for his high school team in Orange County, he decided to enroll at USC, where he used to attend practices and games as the guest of former coach Pete Carroll.

Olson delivered a perfect snap on a successful field-goal attempt during Wednesday's practice but he is limited to certain drills and wears a non-contact jersey. Sarkisian, though, is looking at scenarios to get him into a game, and said he would come to a "mutual agreement" with an opposing coach to make sure Olson could safely participate.

"Just from a sheer sportsmanship standpoint, it sends a tremendous message for college athletics," Sarkisian told reporters.

"I think it puts a lot of things in perspective. You're having a bad day, and you see that guy go out there and snap the ball and do it the way he did, it's pretty inspiring."

The weekly "Who's the quarterback?" question for Ohio State ended a little early this week, with head coach Urban Meyer handing the keys to Cardale Jones over J.T. Barrett on Wednesday. Meyer lifted Jones in the second quarter of last week's 20-13 win over Northern Illinois and went to Barrett, and hinted at his Monday news conference that he was considering making a change to Barrett as the starter.

But Jones stays to lead a Buckeyes offense that is "in a funk," Meyer said. "We have to play much better in all areas," he said.

After backing starting quarterback Jeremy Johnson at this time last week, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn saw his patience with Johnson come to an end this week. Malzahn named redshirt freshman Sean White as the starter for Saturday's game against Mississippi State.

Johnson, who won the starting job in the spring, threw six interceptions and lost one fumble in his three weeks at No. 1, and lost two turnovers in last week's loss to Louisiana State.

"I think it was a little bit of a lot of things," Malzahn said. "I would say confidence is one thing, there's no doubt."

Texas Christian quarterback Trevone Boykin is accustomed to leading an offense that scores a lot of points, like the 82 the Horned Frogs put up on Texas Tech last year. The third-ranked Frogs may have to light up the scoreboard once again this year when it visits Tech because their defense is short-handed because of injuries. TCU already has used 11 first-time starters on defense and has seen a pair of starters in the secondary lost for the season.

"I'm not sure I've ever been a part of where you lose so many starters, especially this early," TCU coach Gary Patterson said.

Zack Mahoney was a junior-college standout in Glen Ellyn, Ill., before enrolling last January as a preferred walk-on at Syracuse and started the 2015 season as the No. 5 quarterback on the depth chart. But a rash of injuries, and his performance in an overtime win over Central Michigan, likely has elevated Mahoney into the starting lineup for Saturday's game against eighth-ranked LSU.

While no official announcement has been made, Mahoney has received the most reps in practice.

"You have to prepare yourself every week so that you can go in," he said in an Associated Press story. "I like to think I've prepared myself, and with all the preparation, there's no time for nerves."

With Penn State and Rutgers already having gotten the jump on the Big Ten season, the other 12 teams in the conference get in their final tune-ups this weekend before the start of league play.

Every team is struggling in some area, even the two Cadillac teams - Ohio State and Michigan State, which haven't finished games well for the most part. The biggest surprise may be Northwestern, which is ranked 17th behind a defense that has allowed an FBS-low 5.3 points per game.

The biggest surprise on the negative side may be a tie between Minnesota and Nebraska. The Golden Gophers haven't been able to move the ball, and the Cornhuskers' pass defense has struggled.

Sophomore linebacker Zaire Franklin, who starred at La Salle College High School, leads Syracuse in tackles with 21 entering Saturday. On the season, the 6-foot, 230-pound Franklin has 17 solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception. Franklin posted a season-high nine tackles and an interception in last week's overtime win over Central Michigan.

Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Mississippi vs. Vanderbilt

The 6-foot-4, 296-pound junior, whose parents immigrated to this country from Nigeria, dominated the Alabama front line in last week's 43-37 win by the Rebels. He had 21/2 tackles for loss and six tackles overall. Plus, his constant pressure contributed to three turnovers by the Crimson Tide.

Brigham Young at Michigan

Noon, 6ABC (one-hour delay)

The Wolverines seek their first win over a ranked team under Jim Harbaugh, but it won't be easy. The Cougars lost, 24-23, to UCLA last week, and the spotlight hasn't bothered freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum yet. Michigan needs better play from quarterback Jake Rudock, who has thrown five picks.

Louisiana State at Syracuse

Noon, ESPN

This is a dangerous game for the No. 8 Tigers, especially coming off a pair of victories over ranked SEC teams. The Orange (3-0) have claimed nine turnovers and are third in FBS in rush defense (46.7 yards per game). But LSU has Leonard Fournette, who leads FBS, averaging 193.5 yards on the ground.

Texas Christian at Texas Tech

4:45 p.m.

The Horned Frogs put up 82 on the Red Raiders last season and have Trevone Boykins back, but Tech is feeling pretty good about itself following last week's 35-24 win at Arkansas. The teams have combined for averages of 1,189 total yards and 104 points between them.

UCLA at Arizona

8 p.m.

The Bruins head into Tucson for one of the Wildcats' biggest games in recent years. True freshman quarterback Josh Rosen of UCLA looked exactly like a rookie last week against BYU, throwing three interceptions, and must handle a loud environment. Arizona averages almost 585 total yards per game.

jjuliano@phillynews.com

@joejulesinq