By Jill Painter Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES - Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob has been described as "comically bad" and "laughable" this season. Life surely hasn't been easy for Ayoob, even in coach Jeff Tedford's quarterback factory. USC defensive players praise Ayoob's efforts, even though he has struggled all year. He's thrown for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns, but he's also been intercepted 10 times. After starting quarterback Nate Longshore broke his ankle in the season opener against Division I-AA Sacramento State, Ayoob was 0 for 10 in relief. Trojans linebacker Collin Ashton had a refreshingly different response. When asked what he thought about Ayoob, Ashton said: "Boo-ya, spelled backwards." Last week, Ayoob botched what looked like a sure touchdown in overtime against Oregon. He had receiver David Gray wide open on fourth down and airmailed the ball over Gray's outstretched arms. "He made a mistake and obviously he feels bad about it," Ashton said. "He'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again. He's young, so we have to try to get to people like that. We'll try to rattle him."
Thomas Williams, who can play all three linebacker spots, might get his first start at middle linebacker because of an injury-plagued linebacking corps. Williams has been playing through a groin injury all year. He's also playing with his right hand wrapped after he hit it on a helmet against Stanford last week.
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