USC's Griffen has chip on his shoulder

Everson Griffen is angry. He wants his starting defensive end position back at Southern California.

"Of course I'm angry, but angry like I need to get better on the field," said Griffen, a sophomore who starred at Avondale Agua Fria High. "It's action. No talking. Just show what I can do."

Griffen is hoping to reassert himself with Arizona State coming to Los Angeles on Saturday.

Griffen, 6 feet 3 and 265 pounds, is a cousin of ASU running back Keegan Herring. He held a starting position until some missed assignments in a loss to Oregon State caused USC coach Pete Carroll to insert senior Clay Matthews. Griffen blames only himself for having to prove himself all over again to Carroll, who said he was good enough to step on an NFL field after his high school career.

Griffen showed flashes of an NFL future as a Freshman All-American last year, especially in the Oregon State game when he had 3½ sacks.

While Matthews got the start in last week's victory over Oregon, Griffen divided time with him and recorded his second sack of the season.

"Time to get back working hard," Griffen said. "I've got to pick it up in practice so that I can make more plays in the game. That's how it goes."

Griffen was accused of sometimes taking plays off during his junior season at Agua Fria.

That motivated him as a senior, when he had 16 sacks and rushed for 1,251 yards and 22 touchdowns as a tailback.

"He got serious after his junior year," Agua Fria coach Kelly Epley said. "He got some success off of it."

Griffen received All-America honors, and came to USC as a hyped recruit whose goal was to break former ASU defensive end Terrell Suggs' NCAA season sacks record of 24, set in 2002.

But Suggs' motor never turned off when he played.

Griffen is trying to figure out how to keep his going day in and day out.

The recent demotion has been motivation.

"He's determined," Carroll told Los Angeles-area reporters this week. "He wants his playing time. He's going to fight for it. He practiced beautifully (Tuesday). He was getting after it. That's how you do it."

Griffen doesn't know if he's won his job back, but he figures he'll play a bigger role against ASU.

"I have to show the coaches what I can do," Griffen said. "I'm just taking it day by day, practice by practice."

USC defensive end Griffen Everson prepares to take the field for the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008.