Vegas Headliner

Almost two years have passed since Jason Thomas left USC, a blue-chip recruit demoted to third-string quarterback, convinced he would never get a chance to play.

Now, when he watches the Trojans on television, he sees his former team losing. He sees the quarterback, Carson Palmer, struggling and wonders if he should have stuck around.

“It’s natural to wonder,” he said. “But no matter what decision you make, you have to live with it.”

And life has been good lately.

As the new starter at Nevada Las Vegas, Thomas has completed 57% of his passes for nine touchdowns and three interceptions. With a few more attempts, he would rank among the nation’s most efficient passers.

Better yet, he has stung opponents with his elusiveness, scrambling for seven touchdowns while leading Coach John Robinson’s formerly downtrodden Rebels to a 4-3 record.

“It’s even better than I thought it would be,” Thomas said. “Just the feeling of making plays out there and winning.”

That leaves other people to wonder.

Thomas embodies the new prototype, equally dangerous throwing and running, a stark contrast to Palmer’s traditional, drop-back style. In USC’s season of discontent, with grumbling from all quarters, the question arises: Did the Trojans wind up with the wrong guy?

*

Thomas and Palmer arrived at USC as the jewels of the 1998 recruiting class--a pair of big, strong, gifted quarterbacks. For Thomas, a high school All-American in football and basketball, it was a dream come true.

“Growing up in L.A., especially in the inner city, it’s hard not to be a USC fan,” the Compton native said. “I mean, if you’re from the inner city, you can’t be a UCLA fan because you can’t see yourself in Westwood.”

But things went badly from the start.

An injured ankle slowed him during training camp, putting him behind Palmer and Mike Van Raaphorst. Both quarterbacks tend to stay in the pocket, so the offense was tailored to their style.

“It was a tough situation,” USC offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said. “If I was him and saw what was going on, I might have thought it was only a drop-back offense.”

While Palmer became USC’s golden boy, Thomas reacted with all the patience one might expect of a teenager. First he wanted to transfer, then reconsidered. The ankle continued to hurt and his parents, Charles and Lois, watched him grow quieter, more hesitant to smile.

“It was very tough because Coach [Paul] Hackett came into our house and told us he would give our son a shot,” Lois Thomas said. “That’s all he wanted was the chance.”

Hackett says he would have retooled the offense, adding plays to feature Thomas’ quickness, but “you don’t do that until he has won the job.” Or, at least, risen to No. 2 on the depth chart.

Thomas did neither. After spring practice in 1999, frustrated by the scheme and too few snaps, he left.

Several hundred miles east, Robinson took notice. He originally recruited Thomas for the Trojans and now, as the new coach at UNLV, remained interested.

“Jason went to ‘SC and for whatever reason didn’t get anything done . . . those are stories I don’t know anything about,” Robinson said. “Fortunately, I was standing around.”

Though the Rebels were coming off an 0-11 season, Thomas trusted Robinson to revive the program and, just as important, install an offense in which he could shine.

“I knew the type of talent he was going to bring in,” Thomas said. “I’d follow him anywhere.”

First, though, he had to spend another season on the sideline, ineligible after transferring. As the team began to win--the Rebels would finish 3-8--Thomas had time to mature.

“I always thought I had that aura because I was Jason Thomas,” he said. “I learned how people treat you when you’re just a regular guy.”

He focused on classwork and learned to enjoy running the scout team. His parents saw that smile return. His coach saw it too.

“He was running around trying to be the Air Force quarterback,” Robinson said. “He was happy.”

It wasn’t entirely easy. In the third game of the 1999 season, Palmer broke his collarbone and Thomas thought: “Damn, I could be there.” He called Jackson, who, along with several USC players, remained a friend.

“I told him to be patient,” Jackson said. “That was a huge transition for him.”

In an odd twist, Thomas and Palmer spent the rest of the season watching their teams, itching to play. It was a long spring and summer as the redshirt sophomores waited for fall to come around.

Palmer started slowly. Thomas wasted no time.

In his first college game, on his first series against Iowa State, he ran a bootleg from the shotgun--the sort of play that has never been a big part of USC’s attack. Iowa State blitzed with its linebackers, and Thomas slipped between them, darting into the secondary.

“It was just me and the safety, one-on-one,” he recalled. “I made a move and got around him.”

Forty-five yards later, he had his first touchdown. And the first person he saw on the sideline was Robinson.

“Coach looked at me and smirked,” Thomas said. “You know that smirk he has? That winner’s smirk?”

Robinson shook his quarterback’s hand and said: “We’re going to have a good time.”

*

Since the quick start against Iowa State--two touchdown passes in addition to the long run--Thomas has averaged 152 yards passing and almost 60 yards rushing despite a foot injury. He has scored, either by air or on the ground, in every game.

Asked about having a double threat in the backfield, Robinson chuckled.

“I think in the game right now,” he said, “the mobile quarterback is the thing everybody would want.”

Thus the comparisons to Palmer.

An NFL team executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, called Palmer a solid pro prospect but said Thomas might be better suited to the college game, where defenses aren’t as athletic, where shifty quarterbacks can outrun linemen and linebackers.

Even Palmer’s reputation as a passer has come under scrutiny. He has played well for stretches, but has also missed receivers and thrown 11 interceptions against seven touchdowns.

That has brought scattered boos.

“It’s frustrating but I don’t really listen to that stuff,” he said. “I’m just trying to improve every week.”

Hackett believes his young, strong-armed quarterback will come around. He has heard the argument that running quarterbacks are better than pure passers in the college game, but does not buy it. Citing Peyton Manning and Tim Couch, he said “you can’t stereotype because there is always a place for talent.”

And while Palmer has struggled, he averages nearly 100 more passing yards than Thomas and has accumulated his stats against tougher opposition, Oregon and Arizona rather than North Texas and Wyoming.

“He’s only a sophomore,” said San Jose State Coach Dave Baldwin, whose team played USC this season. “From what we saw of him, he was calm and made big plays and I think he’s legit.”

So does Thomas, who watches USC on television whenever possible. He dismisses criticism of Palmer, saying it’s a result of USC losing.

“People look for a reason,” he said. “The quarterback is not the whole team.”

Still, seeing Palmer struggle, does he ever imagine himself starting for the Trojans right now?

“If I was there, they might be doing just as bad,” he said. “Besides, I’m happy here.”

Happy because he is finally getting a chance to show what he can do. Happy because he is playing in a system he likes, for a coach he adores. It’s a dream come true, even if it isn’t the Coliseum.

“Man, I never would have guessed I’d end up in Las Vegas,” he said. “But it’s been cool.”