Reviews of his performance were a bit more tepid Tuesday. For the first time, Booty made throws with no glove, including a couple of deep balls.

Asked how Booty looked Tuesday, Coach Pete Carroll said, "not bad," which is faint praise by Carroll's standards.

"He wasn't all the way back. This is not John at his best," Carroll said. "We could tell that from watching, but he was pretty good."

The coaches will watch film of Tuesday's practice and check in with Booty to see how his finger looks. Meanwhile, sophomore Mark Sanchez remains on track to start his third consecutive game.

The primary issue for Booty is regaining his velocity, which Carroll said is close but not yet there.

Booty said he expects to know by tomorrow whether he has a reasonable chance of playing this weekend.

"I want to know how it's going to react. If it reacts badly and I try to go, I'm going to keep setting myself back further and further," Booty said. "That's not something I want to do."

Sanchez has shown improvement since the first half of the Arizona game, including a four-touchdown game against Notre Dame last week, but he said he still has work to do. A couple of poor throws during a blitz drill yesterday were on his mind after practice.

"I'm trying to prove I can play," Sanchez said. "I can't just have one good game. I've got to be consistent and constantly improve. That's my goal."

Meanwhile, the Trojans' offensive line is getting close to full strength, but left tackle Sam Baker (hamstring) is doubtful.

THE LINE