Smith Sees Too Many New Faces : College football: With only six returning starters, Trojan coach says this team reminds him of his first at USC.

As spring football practice ended Friday, Larry Smith had the feeling he was starting all over again as USC’s coach.

“It was a totally different spring practice than we’ve been used to in the last couple of years,” Smith said. “It was more like the first year (1987) we came here, from the standpoint that there were a lot of new faces in starting positions.”

USC has only six returning starting players from last year’s Pacific 10 championship team.

“It’s a very, very young team,” Smith said, “and it didn’t help that some of our older guys we expected to provide leadership missed most of spring practice.” Among those missing for all, or part of, the spring drills with injuries or illness were All-American offensive guard Mark Tucker, tailback Scott Lockwood, fullback Mike Mooney, outside linebacker Craig Hartsuyker and offensive linemen Pat Harlow, Michael Moody and Kian Ramsay.

Smith said progress was made, adding that he won’t know what kind of team he will have until fall.

He said, though, that overall team speed is better than it was in 1989, with such sprinter-types as wide receivers Gary Wellman and Travis Hannah, plus Calvin Holmes, who has been switched from tailback to cornerback.

Smith said he was particularly impressed by the play of backup quarterback Shane Foley.

He reasoned that the quarterback position is solid with starter Todd Marinovich, Foley and Pat O’Hara, who is expected to be fully recovered from the knee injury and subsequent surgery that sidelined him last year.

Trojan Notes

Grant Runnerstrum kicked a 50-yard fourth-quarter field goal to give the Cardinal a 9-7 victory over the Gold in a 114-play intrasquad scrimmage that ended spring practice. . . . The Cardinal opened the scoring when Todd Marinovich hit Gary Welman on a 14-yard touchdown pass play . . . Marinovich suffered a sprained left ankle on the play when one of his own linemen was knocked into him. X-rays were negative and a cast was put onto his left foot as a precautionary measure “I’m glad it’s not my knee,” he said. “I wore a double set of knee braces today just in case.” . . . Walk-on quarterback Damien Pierre replaced Marinovich and guided the Cardinal into position for the winning field goal. . . . Ricky Ervins scored the Gold’s touchdown on a five-yard run. . . . The Cardinal intercepted four of Shane Foley’s passes. . . . Tailback Mazio Royster led the Cardinal with 51 yards in 14 carries . . . Kurt Barber blocked a punt by Ron Dale to set up the Cardinal touchdown.