College Football Talk

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He may be needed sooner than expected.

Southern Cal QB Sanchez injures knee

(Sporting News) Southern Cal quarterback Mark Sanchez dislocated his left kneecap in Friday's practice but could be healthy enough to play in the Trojans' Aug. 30 season opener at Virginia.

USC sports information director Tim Tessalone confirmed the diagnosis Friday night. He said Sanchez will keep the joint immobilized through the weekend and begin rehabilitation Monday.

Sanchez was injured as the Trojans went through routine stretching to prepare for the workout. Sanchez leaped to throw a pass to a teammate and crumpled to the ground when he landed awkwardly on the knee.

"We lucked out is what happened," Trojans coach Pete Carroll told reporters at practice.

Sanchez was helped to a trainer's table where he received ice treatment, and then left the field on a cart. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors took X-rays and an MRI before issuing a diagnosis.

"It was scary, frightening at first," Sanchez said. "The way they say these things happen, it could be a lot worse. ... I have heard about people who come back from this in a short period of time and others in a long period. I'm hoping mine is short."

The timetable for Sanchez's return to practice would be hard to predict, Tessalone said.

"Some guys are back within 10 days," he said. "Some guys don't even take that long. Some guys, it's longer."

If Sanchez misses games, the Trojans would turn to Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain and redshirt freshman Aaron Corp. Sanchez, a 6-3, 225-pound redshirt junior from Mission Viejo, Calif., beat out his two competitors for the starting job last spring.

Sanchez is the only of the three quarterbacks to play for the Trojans. Last year, he appeared in seven games and started against Arizona, Oregon and Notre Dame when starter John David Booty was injured. He was 69-of-114 passing for 695 yards in 2007, with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Mustain went 8-0 as a starter with Arkansas in 2006, and the Razorbacks won the Southeastern Conference West Division.

Serious injury to Sanchez would have devastated the Trojans, who enter the season ranked No. 3 in the nation by Sporting News. Sanchez and returning tailbacks Joe McKnight, C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson are expected to help cover for an inconsistent receiving corps and an offensive line that lost four starters from last year's Rose Bowl champs.

Barring setback, Sanchez could be ready to play by month's end. And that should keep the Trojans a popular Pac-10 champion pick and in the Top 5 of most preseason national rankings.