Story: Five official & two unofficial visits on tap for 5-star Quavaris Crouch

No wonder the PAC 12 struggles. I think I saw ONE interior lineman (OL/DL) from the west coast (Myles Murao #98). Pretty revealing. Awful hard for USC and the PAC 12 to compete against the elite if they can't find any "big uglies" in your own region. USC needs to load up this year.

NEWS
PHYSICS,
TECHNOLOGY

The strength of gravity has been measured to new precision

Pinpointing Big G could help refine mass measurements for Earth and other celestial objects
BY
MARIA TEMMING
1:00PM, AUGUST 29, 2018

HOMING IN Gravity (illustrated here bending spacetime) has been notoriously hard to measure. Now two new lab experiments estimate the strength of gravity, or Big G, with record precision.

VCHAL/SHUTTERSTOCK

We now have the most precise estimates for the strength of gravity yet.

Two experiments measuring the tiny gravitational attraction between objects in a lab have measured Newton’s gravitational constant, or Big G, with an uncertainty of only about 0.00116 percent. Until now, the smallest margin of uncertainty for any G measurement has been 0.00137 percent.

The new set of G values, reported in the Aug. 30 Nature, is not the final word on G. The two values disagree slightly, and they don’t explain why previous G-measuring experiments have produced such a wide spread of estimates (SN Online: 4/30/15). Still, researchers may be able to use the new values, along with other estimates of G, to discover why measurements for this key fundamental constant are so finicky — and perhaps pin down the strength of gravity once and for all.

The exact value of G, which relates mass and distance to the force of gravity in Newton’s law of universal gravitation, has eluded scientists for centuries. That’s because the gravitational attraction between a pair of objects in a lab experiment is extremely small and susceptible to the gravitational influence of other nearby objects, often leaving researchers with high uncertainty about their measurements.

(I still thinks this has to do with space having mass.)

Anybody have an insight on the mobility and running ability of JT compared to Sam?

Let’s review this game 1 more time. (Put on those rose colored glasses).

I think Ohio State was a Top 4 team that deserved a shot at the National Championship.

Having said that. I think we played better than the score indicated. Ohio State scored 3 TD’s after we turned the ball over including 1 pick six.

We shut out Ohio State in the 2nd half.

Obviously, our O-Line was embarrassed by a top tier front 7. I think it was mostly pass protection. Yes, we didn’t run the ball well. But IF we had good pass protection I think that game would have come down to last minutes. (rose colored glasses still on).

Here’s the bottom line deficiency of the O-Line - pass protection.

If we only improve pass protection then this team and season will be really special.

It’s all about the O-Line & pass protection.

Ohio RB Michael Drennen, the No. 147 ranked prospect in the 2020 class, had some contact with Deland McCullough when he was at USC, but has not heard from anyone since he left. There is a strong attraction to the Trojans for Drennen, as he details in the article below:

(Corrected the link below. Originally had a different article from today)

https://n.rivals.com/news/traditional-powers-have-michael-drennen-ii-s-attention

Aaron Rodgers at some point as the best quarterback in the NFL....a little too much pressure as he hasn't even played in a regular-season game yet?

The Trojans' second practice of opening week was a lot lighter than yesterday’s, running in shells and shorts. Here’s the news from a rather slow day.

Porter Gustin Will Most Likely Play

It seems that barring an unexpected setback, Porter Gustin will be playing in this Saturday’s opener. Coach Helton gave a much more wholehearted endorsement of Gustin’s odds of playing, stating that they were, “Pretty good to really good. I thought the big day was yesterday, to be able to get some really physical work and see where he was. He came in this morning and felt great, the doctors felt great about it. Unless there’s some unforeseen swelling or pain that comes, we’ll take it day-to-day till gametime, but he’s really looked good the last two days."

Gustin answered in much the same way when asked if he thought he would play Saturday, stating, "Yeah, I do. Yeah, I do. As of right now everything's going well, and if it continues to go well throughout the week then there's no reason I shouldn't[…] Unless something you know really bad happens, I’m planning on playing. So yeah I’m good and ready to go.”

When asked if there was anything he was worried about clearing before Saturday, he answered, "You know, really Tuesday I thought was my biggest challenge and what I thought could possibly be something that maybe I would have some struggles with, but like I said, I was happy with how I felt out there. I felt great, and there was no pain throughout all of practice and even this morning there wasn't any swelling and it didn't hurt any worse, so I'm really happy about how I felt. That was really my obstacle to overcome."

Gustin went on to say he doesn’t feel any rust and thinks he’s fully ready to start on Saturday- his performance at practice these past two days hasn’t indicated otherwise. When asked about his status, defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast reiterated much of the same, responding,

"Yeah, I think he'll play. I see no reason based on the way he's practiced so far that he should not play. So I'm excited to see him back out there."

When asked immediately after if Gustin would need to be limited at all, Pendergast answered, "No, he seems to be ready to go. I'm sure that we'd like to eliminate some of his number of plays now. I feel like we've got people that we can save 20-25 plays off of him in a game, but you've got to take his helmet to keep him off the field so we have to have somebody just watching that."

He seemed to be impressed with Gustin’s performance these last two days, saying of him, "He's looked really good. He was anxious last week. We had to take his helmet from him. He was trying to practice last week. He's had a good week. He seems to be changing direction well, and I'm looking forward to seeing him out there on Saturday."

Clancy and Clay

Coach Helton gave a short rundown of the injury situation, telling us that freshman RB Markese Stepp has been cleared from concussion protocol and will continue to practice, although he will not play on Saturday. Tight end Josh Falo was held out once again due to the hamstring tightness sustained yesterday, but should be good for Saturday according to Helton. C Toa Lobendahn remained out with his pectoral strain, which Helton still describes as-day to-day.

Clancy Pendergast provided some insight on the cornerback competition opposite Biggie Marshall, stating, "That was a really good competition. We listed those guys as 'or.' We felt like just Greg had a little bit better spring ball and camp and made that decision. Like I said, they're slashed 'or' so it was a good competition and both of those guys will play a lot," before clarifying, “Greg will be the starter.”

He further elaborated on Johnson’s improvement from last year, "Well, I just think playing cornerback at this level, it's a position that's probably the toughest position on the field other than quarterback, just in terms of you're one on one with a very talented athlete across from you. A lot of times you're one on one playing off, and a lot of times you're just one on one playing pressed. And I think that his ability to utilize the techniques and his ability to play the ball down the field has probably been his biggest improvement. And he's a very willing tackler. He's not afraid to come up and tackle [in] the running game. So much of football these days, they're trying to force the perimeter corners to make a tackle."

Other Observations

We saw the receiver combination of Vaughns and Pittman outside with St. Brown in the slot used with the first team offense again a couple of times today. That just feels like the best possible lineup to put on the field and it’s hard not to wish it was out there more often.

Stephen Carr looks really good. He’s just a different caliber of athlete with the ball in his hands, and it shows every single practice. Today he made some incredible long runs set up by lightning quick cuts, and made some nice plays receiving out of the backfield. Whatever the reason for his position three rungs down the depth chart at running back, it’ll be hard to keep him off the field.

JT Daniels looked sharp today, hitting throws right where they needed to be for much of practice (though quite a few were dropped) and making what seemed like the right read on much of his throws. There’s no telling what we’ll see from a freshman starting a season opener, but his composed nature and casual confidence slinging the ball make it much less worrisome than it should be.

Tyler Petite had another great day, grabbing balls all across the field from Daniels and the other quarterbacks. Most impressive was a corner route where he was popped by Talanoa Hufanga who also got his hands on the ball but still managed to hang on for the catch. If he can be a reliable target for Daniels it’ll go a long way toward making life easier for the freshman both in the opener and the entire season.

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Rumor has it that SC tried out a new walk on QB to run the scout team in Tuesday practice?

Heard he looked good.

Curious, any truth to the rumor? If so, who is he?

USC freshman WR Amon-Ra St. Brown discusses his pending college debut and JT Daniels being named the starting QB.

St. Brown: 'Just thought about catching a' TD

USC linebacker Porter Gustin discusses his status leading up to the season opener against UNLV.

Gustin: I'm planning on playing'

The 2018 season is finally upon us. Here’s a list of key players and storylines. (For our rough draft to these lists, click here.)

IRREPLACEABLES
The following five are indispensable to USC's success...
QB JT Daniels - USC will throw more than you think, and the gap between Daniels and his peers is bigger than you think.
LB Cam Smith - He’s been the most productive player on the roster – by a wide margin.
TB Stephen Carr - He might be the best player on the team.
DE Christian Rector - His disruptive nature makes him a perfect piece in Clancy Pendergast’s D.
FS Marvell Tell - This is really a tie with Biggie Marshall, but Tell gets the nod because there’s less experience at safety.

Also considered: WR Tyler Vaughns, CB Biggie Marshall

X FACTORS
If these players are great, USC can be great...
LB Jordan Iosefa - He plays multiple positions and he plays them well.
DB Ajene Harris - Great spring, great training camp, great season?
OT Austin Jackson - USC hasn’t had consistently strong play at left tackle for six years.
OT Chuma Edoga - He was quietly the best lineman on the team last year.
LB Porter Gustin - If he stays healthy…

Also considered: LB John Houston, TE Josh Falo, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, C Toa Lobendahn, WR Michael Pittman, TE Tyler Petite

UNDERDOGS
After having a limited role in 2017, the following players are now in position to make a sizable impact in 2018...
TB Vavae Malepeai – Either he or Ware could be listed here, but being more unlike Carr is a good thing in this instance.
DT Brandon Pili – USC’s run game isn’t the same in practice when he’s on the field.
DT Marlon Tuipulotu – He can (and will) play all three spots on the D-line.
WR Velus Jones – He’ll get his opportunities early and will have to produce for more of them.
SS Isaiah Pola-Mao – Sure, he's the beneficiary of Ykili Ross leaving the team and Bubba Bolden out indefinitely, but IPM has always had the highest ceiling.

Also considered: DL Jay Tufele, TB Aca'Cedric Ware, CB Greg Johnson, CB Isaiah Langley, DL Malik Dorton, LB Hunter Echols, C Brett Neilon

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
Projecting USC's best true freshmen in 2018...
QB JT Daniels – He makes players around him better.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown – He moves the needle.
WR Devon Williams – Once he figures it out, watch out.
LB Kana’i Mauga – He’ll produce from Day 1.
CB Olaijah Griffin – There’s a path for him to have a big role later in the season.

Also considered: S Talanoa Hufanga, LB Palaie Gaoteote, TB Markese Stepp

POSITION BATTLES
Best position battles heading into the season...
Running back (Carr vs. Ware vs. Malepeai)
Receiver (Pittman vs. St. Brown/Jones vs. St. Brown)
Nose tackle (Pili vs. Tuipulotu)
Cornerback (Langley vs. Johnson vs. Griffin)
Strong safety (Pola-Mao vs. Pollard vs. Hufanga)

Kicking off the first game week of the year, USC went in full pads at today’s practice. A few big headlines highlighted an otherwise slow day of practice.


Porter Gustin’s Return

Gustin practiced in full pads today for the first time since tearing his meniscus in the first week of camp- and he looked great. Someone just removed from an meniscus tear shouldn’t have been able to move with the power and burst that Gustin showed today- it’s almost freakishly unnatural. Having him participate at full speed on the first practice day of week is definitely a welcome sign as far as his prospects of playing in the opener this Saturday. When asked about his feelings on the chances of Gustin playing against UNLV, coach Helton stated, “I feel pretty confident right now. We’ll see- this was a contact day, we’ll see how it reacts[…] We’ll see how it reacts after a good day of work. Two things always go into it for me in a decision: one, did the doctors clear him to play, and then two, is he confident, he wants to play. If he’s confident and the doctor says he’s clear, we’ll pull that trigger. If either one’s a no, then we’ll wait for the next game."

Transfer News

Coach Helton announced that both CB Je’Quari Godfrey and S Ykili Ross will be pursuing transfers. Ross’s transfer was initially reported on Saturday, and today he restated that fact, clarifying that Ross would stay at USC through the fall to finish his degree before seeking a graduate transfer. Redshirt freshman Godfrey’s transfer was more of a surprise, but it’s not hard to see why with the cornerback depth chart loaded with young talent all in front of Godfrey.

Injuries

LB Palaie Gaoteote is about a week away from returning according to coach Helton. He’s been ruled out for UNLV as he recovers from a knee injury.

DL Liam Jimmons will be ruled out from Saturday with a turf toe.

C Toa Lobendahn was held out with a pectoral strain; his status will be day-to-day

OL Jordan Austin was pulled today for a slight pectoral strain as well

RB Markese Stepp is still being held out for concussion protocol

WR Josh Imatorbhebhe is still out with an ankle injury

TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe is still out with a quad issue

TE Austin Applebee is out with a case of mono

TE Josh Falo was pulled for a tight hamstring- his status will be looked at tomorrow

Preparing for UNLV

Coach Helton ran through a quick assessment of the UNLV team the Trojans will play against on Saturday. He praised their improvement under head coach Tony Sanchez, noting that they had three very close losses last year and could’ve easily been an 8-win team. He further praised their run game, pointing out that they finished as a top 16 rushing team last year, and emphasized the need for the Trojans to play good run defense against them, stating that it would be “ultracritical” this week. He singled out running back Lexington Thomas and QB Armani Rogers (more than 2000 combined rush yards last season) and receiver Brandon Presley as players the Trojans need to look out for on offense, as well as linebacker Gabe McCoy and safety Dalton Baker (98 tackles last season). Helton also addressed the fact that their new defensive coordinator Tim Skipper would make it hard to predict the type of defense they’d play, going on to say “It’s gonna be more about us: our fundamentals, our techniques, our assignments, that’s what we’re concentrating on.”

General Impressions and Observations

Although the offensive starters laid out by the official depth chart were working as expected, Stephen Carr, Vavae Malepeai, and Amon-Ra St. Brown all cycled in with the first team offense. Even if they’re not “starters”, I’d expect them to see a lot of touches this week.

Tyler Petite had his best day of practice so far, catching a couple of deep corner throws and a seam route. Although he did have a really bad drop as well, today was a promising sign for the guy who’ll start at tight end on Saturday after a rather lackluster camp.

Jay Tufele looked dominant today as he has throughout a lot of camp. He was wrecking blockers all day long, embarrassing some of the offensive linemen during one-on-ones, even tossing a guard to the ground. He’ll probably see a lot of the field against UNLV, even if it’s not as a starter.

We’ll have a separate piece about JT Daniels’ first day as the starting quarterback up later tonight as well.

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Linebacker Porter Gustin entered today’s practice in full pads and with a sleeve on his knee. We’ll let you know how much he participates, but it’s clear that he is aiming to play this weekend.

Today marks three weeks since he suffered a slight tear in his meniscus.

Here's what JT Daniels, coach Clay Helton and QBs coach Bryan Ellis said about the decision to go with Daniels as the starting quarterback:

CLAY HELTON
What did QB decision come down to?
"For me, I thought it was a really healthy competition and what I was really excited about is how all the quarterbacks progressed. Competition makes you rise to the top, rise your game, and the ultimate goal was to have each one prepared to be able to go in the game. Because we did that competition for the length we had, with the scrimmages, I thought each one is prepared. What we sat down and looked at at the end was how they functioned in actual live games -- the scrimmages, live two-minute drills, when the ball had to move and it wasn't scripted. And that's where we thought JT shined. I thought all the kids did a wonderful job of competing. They're all ready to go, but you have to define a role at the beginning here and right now JT will [start]."

On the importance of naming starter leading into game week ...
"I've always wanted for our football team, I think it's healthy for your football team to know who the quarterback is. I played the position, have coached the position and wanted enough time for these guys to get a full game plan, get comfortable with the game plan, the chemistry with their starting quarterback. And we defined all those, not only at the quarterback position, but in our entire team. So everybody knows where they're starting at. We are going to play a lot of guys at all positions, but I think it's healthy for our football team going in that there's no question marks. You know where you stand on day 1 and you know how you're going to help the team."

After you saw JT's performance in the first scrimmage, did you think he was going to be tough to beat?
"No, you know, I was committed and I think our staff was committed to the entire process because we were truly trying to get every quarterback ready to go in. Now in that first scrimmage there was some moments you go, 'Wow, this kid is really mature for his age.' You don't know what it's going to be like when a kid walks into the Coliseum for the first time in a scrimmage atmosphere when he's got to compete for a job, and he did what he did. That's what we were impressed with. Each time we put the ball down and just played, he looked extremely comfortable. He looked extremely comfortable in front of all y'all, and that's not easy for an 18-year-old kid. His maturity level both on the field and off has been extremely impressive."

Can you walk us through the meeting with JT informing him he won the job?
"It's always hard. I've been doing it a long time, 24 years, and it's always hard to have those meetings. But it's always out of respect and out of love that you're going to be able to sit down with each quarterback, and we sat down with every one of them on Sunday. I sat down one on one with them individually, told them what their role would be. Obviously, JT was excited about his role, but again, I thought his maturity shined through because he was really, 'All right, Coach, I'm excited about this, but I know there's a job to do.' He was honored to have that opportunity, but he understood there was a lot of work to do, and I thought the way he feels about the other [QBs] in the room and his comments about them really shined through.

"I thought all the kids were extremely classy the way that they handled it. Obviously there was disappointment by the other kids, but the class and integrity that they showed, and then you saw them out here today. They came to work. That's what Trojans do. You never know when your number's going to be called. I've asked each one of them to prepare like a starter because at some point in time you're going to have to go out there and you're going to have to help your team."

On choosing Matt Fink over Jack Sears at the No. 2 QB spot:
"Again, we thought that Matty, really, I told him I thought his last week of camp was his best. We challenged him in that last week after that second scrimmage, I challenged him with some things to get accomplished and I really thought he took it to heart and had his best week his last week. Again, when we put the ball down and played, I thought he did well. That's at the end of the day, that's what we had to look at -- not the scripts, you take that into account, the routes on air -- but when the ball is put down, what did the kid do."

On how those two handled the decision:
"I thought all the kids were extremely classy the way that they handled it. Obviously there was disappointment by the other kids, but the class and integrity that they showed, and then you saw them out here today. They came to work. That's what Trojans do. You never know when your number's going to be called. I've asked each one of them to prepare like a starter because at some point in time you're going to have to go out there and you're going to have to help your team."

On discussions with Sears and Fink about their futures:
Helton: "Yeah, get ready to become a better quarterback each and every day and prepare like a starter and get ready to play. That's what each quarterback does and that's what all positions do. You never know when your opportunity's going to be. I've been in a situation where I had to go win a game with a fourth-string quarterback. I've been in a situation where we had to try to beat UCLA with a fourth-string center. ... You get 24 hours to kind of be sad, and then you come back to work. And you watch those kids today and I was was dang proud of them because that's who they are, that's why we signed them. Because not only were they the right player but they were the right people. And were committed to this season, each one of those quarterbacks. I'm proud of them because each one of them said, 'Coach, no matter what the decision is, I'm going to be a good teammate.' And that's the key to being a great quarterback is being a good teammate first."

Continued below...

I think we have some really good times coming. May not come to fruition this year but I think we are on the cusp. Call it a 'feeling' .... but we got some great years ahead!

FO!

What do you think Clay thinks of Urban now? Before our Bowl game against OSU, Helton’s respect for Urban was if Jesus Christ was coaching them.
There is so much hyperbole in sports today. Everything is “great!” Great coach, great catch, great run...geez most are average with a few truly “great” thrown in.
However, NOBODY on College Football Live has mentioned the arrogance involved and Urban’s chance to be contrite and make a bad situation better. Done watching this bogus show.

Of Yahoo who was quick to bash SC in the past... When interviewed about the upcoming season he referred to the SC quarterback as J.T. Davis mentioning that he is "17" yrs. old and Arizona will be too much for the Trojans and win the South.... Never did like the guy.

what does usc need most as far as recruiting

The Breakdown

Wide Receivers offered in 2019 class: 22

Wide Receivers wanted in 2019 class: 3+

Wide Receivers committed in 2019 class: 3

The Targets

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Most everyone expects Brown to stay home and if he doesn’t, he’s definitely not going to end up at USC.

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Delgado picked up a scholarship offer in the summer of 2017 and was a priority target for USC at one time. But he chose Oregon over USC and even if he changes his mind, it doesn’t seem likely he ends up as a Trojan.

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Ford is a high priority target for USC at this moment and has been for quite some time. A few other Pac-12 schools and Michigan will compete for Ford but he is expected to eventually commit to USC. At this point, it would be quite shock if he didn’t pick the Trojans

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USC would love to have a player like Goolsby in the class but his recruitment never got off the ground at all. The four-star was always expected to stay in state and it looks like that’s the plan. Goolsby original committed to Florida before flipping to Florida State.

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The Trojans thought they had a chance at Haselwood early on and the five-stardid express interest in the school. But he chose Georgia early on and sources around him dismissed the idea of USC flipping him. There has been talk about a few other SEC schools but USC seems to be out of it now.

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Henderson was a receiver that USC identified early on and that paid off a bit. Henderson placed USC on a list of top schools and even visited the campus in April of this year. But he’s an Oklahoma commit that’s unlikely to flip to USC.

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USC offered Higgins earlier this year and the four-star receiver even visited the campus. But he told us that he never felt like a priority player and it seems unlikely he’ll ever commit to USC.

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Huffman-Dixon was offered a scholarship by USC after one of their summer camps in 2017. It didn’t go much further than that. USC seemed to identify other receiver targets and Huffman-Dixon eventually committed to Colorado.

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USC offered Jackson a scholarship at a summer camp but didn’t make him ma big priority until recently. He seemed destined to head elsewhere but now sources around USC believe they are going to get a commitment from him eventually. USC wants Jackson as a slot receiver but he can also play tailback.

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London is a super talented athlete in both basketball and football. He plans to play both sports at USC. He’s quite the get for the Trojans if he can develop the technique to match his impressive athleticism. He committed to USC back in June.

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McClain is the brother of 2018 signee Abdul-Malik McClain. He’s a big bodied and talented wide who would be a nice addition to the roster. There’s just a question if he’ll stick. McClain is obviously solidly committed. He was USC’s second of USC’s current commits to pick the Trojans. But USC is known to over recruit this position and shake things up late. London seems safe because of his connection to the basketball program.

We talk about him being a new five-star CB in the 2020 class

https://rvls.co/Godfather0828

Here is the official depth chart heading into the week of the UNLV game.

Some things to know: Safety Ykili Ross has decided to transfer. Bubba Bolden is listed as the starter at strong safety to begin UNLV week, followed by C.J. Pollard and Talanoa Hufanga.

Jack Sears is listed third on USC's official QB depth chart. His play over the past three weeks doesn't warrant that. Might be listed as such because of the possibility that he transfers. Fink isn't transferring.

USC's new starting left tackle: Austin Jackson. Coaches raved about him throughout spring and training camp, though Clayton Bradley didn't seem far behind. Bradley will be the first tackle off the bench on either side.

Porter Gustin is listed at the top of the depth chart at Predator (albeit with an injury tag) while Christian Rector is only listed at defensive end. Hmm...

Official depth chart

Stephen Carr makes a whole lot of sense for your fantasy league:

https://n.rivals.com/news/college-fantasy-football-running-backs-to-watch-for-week-1

Let's assume a blow out. Do you keep JT Daniels on the field into 4th Quarter to get him as many reps vs live action to prep him for Stanford?

Or do you sub him to give Jack and/or Matt more reps?

I have mixed feelings. I think I’m biased to leaving JT in the game as long as possible.