Wondering which tailback is considered the starter in Troy? Head coach Pete Carroll would rather you didn't.

"It depends on what plays we're calling," said Carroll Tuesday when presented with the question. "We're going to go with the guy that fits the situation and seems to be hot at the time."

Which means Stafon Johnson, C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight are all considered the starter, and not the starter simultaneously, with, as Carroll put it, "Allen Bradford complementing their work."

LOS ANGELES -- The surprising story of the annual Cardinal-versus-White scrimmage Thursday afternoon at the Coliseum was the second stringers.

The Cardinal team, made up of second- and third-string players, was surprisingly effective for most of the scrimmage, which the White-clad starters eventually won, 28-7.

"What was interesting to me was the Cardinal team," said head coach Pete Carroll. "That's a good-looking team out there.

"They played really well and made it tough for the White team. A lot of cool things happened on that side."