Brent Yoshida sees his first live action as a Trojan, as he starts on the kickoff team during Saturday’s game.
By Ben Malcolmson
USCRipsIt
He didn’t make a tackle, catch a pass or otherwise record a stat.
But he made a lasting memory Saturday night at the Coliseum.
Walk-on wide receiver Brent Yoshida played on the Trojans’ kickoff coverage team throughout the 47-14 victory, seeing his first on-the-field action in his two seasons at USC.
“I was just excited, speechless,” said Yoshida, a fifth-year senior from Huntington Beach. “It was so great being out there with all my teammates just trying to make a play.”
Yoshida got the call last Tuesday when coaches needed a replacement for the injured Vincent Joseph.
“It gave me a lot of comfort knowing they have confidence in me,” said Yoshida, who transferred from Arizona State and joined the Trojans in spring 2006.
During special team meetings Friday and Saturday, teammates chanted “Yo-shi-da!” when his name was called for duties. And on the sideline during the game, players mobbed him when he came off the field after each kickoff.
“It was really cool how I got a lot of love and support from the guys,” Yoshida said. “Guys were coming up to me saying, ‘You deserve it.’ It was awesome.”
Coach Pete Carroll even had praises for Yoshida: “He did a great job out there.”
The roster for this week’s kickoff team has yet to be finalized, so time will tell if Yoshida gets another shot on the starting kickoff team. In the meantime, though, he’s thankful for the chance he got Saturday night.
“I didn’t really do anything special, I just worked hard and God presented an opportunity for me,” Yoshida said. “I’m just trying to glorify God.”
• Ben Malcolmson is the Director of Online Media for USCRipsIt.com. You can contact him at Ben@USCRipsIt.com.
