LOS ANGELES � Injured USC quarterback Aaron Corp made enough progress Thursday to suggest his recovery time from a cracked fibula could be closer to one week than three.

Corp played catch after the morning practice. He then threw passes early in their afternoon session while wearing a new brace that reduces the pressure on the outside of his left leg.
Corp appeared to be limping less and said his leg is �definitely improving.� He planned to increase his activity level on Friday in hopes of returning by early next week.
�I thought Aaron looked pretty good,� USC coach Pete Carroll said. �He was dropping back comfortably.
He�s going to make a quick recovery, hopefully.�
Carroll didn�t guarantee that Corp would retain his starting spot, emphasizing Wednesday that the competition between him and Matt Barkley would continue. Or as quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates put it Thursday: �He (Barkley) is the No. 1 quarterback in practice, and we�ll see when Aaron gets back what happens.�
Barkley rebounded from a somewhat rocky morning by connecting on several pinpoint passes in the afternoon. The freshman from Mater Dei threw three interceptions during the morning practice, although one came on a tipped ball his receiver should have caught and another resulted from a receiver rounding off his route. The offense also spent much of the morning installing new plays.
�It didn�t faze me,� Barkley said of the interceptions, the first thrown by any quarterback in camp.
�That�s what Coach Carroll emphasizes. Just put things in the past. So I didn�t really let it get to me.
�I do the best I can of trying to put that away and not even think about it. But you have to learn from it and not do it again.�
AYLES� ARRHYTHMIA
Tight end Blake Ayles (Orange Lutheran) is being evaluated for a heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat.
He will undergo further testing and could have a procedure to fix the problem next week.
The condition is not life-threatening, and Ayles said he would practice Friday.
NOTES
An MRI revealed that defensive tackle Averell Spicer has a high left ankle sprain. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. ...
Cornerback Shareece Wright said he might need an MRI after his bruised right knee swelled, requiring a post-practice ice pack. ...
Fullback Stanley Havili returned after missing some time because of a shoulder injury. ...
Butch Lewis took reps as the first-team left tackle to give starter Charles Brown a breather. Brown has been managing a sore back. ...
Freshman defensive back Patrick Hall�s academic paperwork did not go through in time for him to practice. ...