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Three years later, when he heard that Paul Hackett was fired, Carroll decided to take a shot at the job.  He and Gross said they could not remember who made contact first, but after a few conversations, a meeting was scheduled.  The media were already talking about Dennis Erickson and Mike Bellotti, so Carroll wondered if his innate competitiveness kicked in to high gear.  He studied the USC program, its strengths and weaknesses, honing presentation.  Then he got on a flight to Los Angeles, feeling excited.

"I needed to be ready," he said.  "I had a huge interview opportunity and wanted to be sure I could nail that."

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