David Ausberry's Star is on the Rise

With the departure of Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith, USC has some very big shoes to fill at wide receiver. Patrick Turner looks ready to step in as the Trojans go-to guy, and Ausberry is making a strong push for the #2 spot.

Dwayne Jarrett is the all-time pass catching leader at USC and Steve Smith ranks fifth. The duo combined for 406 receptions and 63 touchdowns in their careers.

The consensus opinion going into Fall Camp was that Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazelton would be the two receivers to step up to fill their shoes, but redshirt freshman David Ausberry is making sure that this is at least a three man race.

Ausberry has been one of the real rising stars at fall camp, and he punctuated the first two weeks with a three touchdown Saturday afternoon practice in which he put on a show.

Ausberry attributes his success with being a year older and more comfortable with the Trojans offense. "I am able to play full speed because I know what to do now. I understand things a lot better now."

During camp, David Ausberry has made one spectacular play after another. With each successive grab, Ausberry has gained the trust and confidence of quarterback John David Booty. "That's what camp is for," explains Ausberry. "Everything starts to come together towards the end of camp and that's what things seem to be doing for everyone."

With the season only two weeks away, David Ausberry looks poised to make a significant contribution to the Trojans offense. But as Ausberry states, he just wants to help his team win games. "I just want to go in and contribute and try and make some plays for my team," said Ausberry. "If not, you know I'll go out and block for the backs. I'm going to do everything I can to help my team win."

If what he has done at practice this year translates to the field, he's going to be doing a lot to help his USC team win.