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.

Where they are, and how good they might be.

PAC12 South division.
1 USC Last Year 11-3 all/ 8-1P12. Key Losses: Off- QBSam Darnold (R1),RB Ronald Jones III (R2), WR Dante Burnett. Def-DL Rasheem Green (R3), LB Uchenna Nwosu (R2), DB Chris Hawkins..Starter Losses: Offense: QB, RB, WR,OC. defense: OLB, DE, NT, SS, CB.

This year Ret Starters: O-7, D-6, Kicker &Punter. Projected by forecasters: #1PAC 12-South/ #18 Nationally,

Remember the days when USC struggled with 10 less scholarship per year and had no direct replacements for those leaving by end of eligibility or early NFL entry? And those games where USC used but 40 players,15 less than most opponents? And not using hard tackling in practice for fear of more injuries?. We have seen through end of sanctions and subsequent good recruiting have player depth pumped back up to normal again.

Phil Steele had 7 of 8 USC units in his top 30 Nationally: RB (#17), Rec (#6), OL (#9), DL (#30), LB (#3), DB (#3) and special teams (#12). And 7 of the 8 units are ranked in the top 1/3 of the PAC12. Tops among the PAC overall. The missing element is obviously QB Sam Darnold. Sam was the wild card leading terrific comebacks, but also the guy who last year had 13 interceptions and 10 (of the teams 14) fumbles lost. A few times these turnovers bunched up: against ND (2 TO), Ohio State (3 TO) and Texas (2 TO). But who now wins the QB role….looking back there was the battle of the Matts (Cassel and Leinart) . Both were without much game experience but had time in the system. And that worked out well. Then there was true Freshman Barkley, that didn’t. Now it's 2 guys in the system, and 1 guy who is really a senior in high school. So we see where the question among forecasters and pollsters lies. One major difference is that 2 USCQBs can run (Fink leads there) and the youngest is a phenom. I think one of the 2 in the system QBs (Fink, Sears) starts the season and that all 3 combined will play more this year than in past years.

The last sanction depleted class of incoming freshmen was in 2014 (we delayed the effect on scholies for 2 years though attempted re-negotiation) .That meant we saw its last effect at the senior level class in 2017. Now in 2018, the two deep is real with at least 2 players that could play that position well in case of injuries. The OL is experienced and deep, and should provide better protection (30 sacks last year vs. 12 the year before) That is also true on defense which may well be a top 5-10 unit nationally. Last year that meant 46 sacks, but the D leaked on long plays quite a few times, and hopefully the depth and experience fixes that. At a minimum our lines are returning 51 starts at OL, and 31 at DL. The DB unit features 41 starts. PK & P each started all 14 games and the major kick returners are back. It could be exciting there this year as Velus Jones looked like he would break a TD many times.

As to coaching, the staff is stable and in place for pretty much 2 1/2 years after 3 USC HCs in the prior 4 years. And USC has accomplished one hurdle…wining the PAC12 championship for the first time. We missed the golden ring of the 4 teams playoff where the PAC12 participated there but twice (Oregon and UW) in its 4 Year history. IMO, the PAC12 will get snubbed again this year until a real 6-8 team is place . I will leave it at that. Clay Helton is in his 4th year as HC. He is 27-10, 21-5 vs. PAC12, and 16-0 at home. 21-5 vs. the PAC-12, yet is ranked in the middle of the PAC12 coaching pack.

The schedule,, though only 4 home games with the PAC-12 , it actually lays out better than last year. There is a bye between Arizona and Colorado and it takes place nearly 1/2 way through the season (after game 5) As usual it seems the toughest run is early with back to back away games with Stanford and Texas. After that we have 5 home games and a bye thrown into the last 11 weeks. The Utah game is surrounded by Colorado and ASU. And ND is at our place at season's end. I'll be there screaming for revenge after the Slaughter in South Bend last year.

My forecast is 10-2. And winning the PAC-12 championship game.

The Trojans practiced in shells and shorts today. Here’s what went down on an eventful day:

WR Michael Pittman was a full participant today, after sitting out 11 on 11s yesterday.

OTs Chuma Edoga and Austin Jackson were both also full go’s today.

RB Markese Stepp returned to practice today, although he did not participate in 11 on 11s

TE Daniel Imhatorbebhe also returned from injury today, although he also did not participate in 7 on 7 or 11 on 11

DB Je’Quari Godfrey left practice with a pulled groin

RB Aca'Cedric Ware was pulled with knee soreness

OT Bernard Schirmer was also pulled from practice with a stinger; he’ll have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury

***

Today’s practice was incredibly eventful as we saw the aggression get ratcheted up from the already-chippy day we saw yesterday. The practice field was noticeably louder than usual, both from the sounds of cracking shoulder pads and from the chirping of the players. The players have been noticeably hitting harder- Stephen Carr ran over Isaiah Pola Mao near the sideline, and Marvell Tell nearly killed Devon Williams after a catch yesterday, just to give two examples. Things really got heated on a endzone 1 on 1 session between the DBs and receivers, when Ykili Ross, freshly returned from the hamstring injury that’s kept him out for almost all of camp, held up the entire drill after he felt he had been skipped for a rep. The ensuing shouting match with Tyler Vaughns got serious until both players were separated by their teammates. Ross would continue shouting until he was sent off to the side of the field- he would not rejoin practice for the rest of the day. Things stayed on edge later on, with Bubba Bolden throwing Michael Pittman to the ground, resulting in a huge scrum where it looked like a few punches might have been thrown. Hunter Echols and Liam Douglas got into it as well during pass rush 1 on 1s, also needing to be separated. Coach Helton seemed to scold the team afterwards, with the words, “We don’t hurt our own teammates” resounding across the field as he spoke to the players at the conclusion of practice. When asked about the aggression later, Helton seemed to be more relaxed. “Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Made it fun didn’t it? We talked yesterday about how we wanted to be competitive and not be lackadaisical in practices, but you have to let kids compete. When you do that, hopefully Saturdays become really easy. When you got a Michael Pittman going against a Biggie Marshall, that’s a special matchup, obviously there’s gonna be chippiness when they’re both big personalities, as well as several other guys out here.”

As far as quarterbacks go, it was a solid day for the entire group, with all three of the signal callers having nice performances. The coaches seemed to abandon their policy of rotating the majority of reps from one day to the other between the quarterbacks, as all three seemed to get an equal share of plays today. JT Daniels had a good outing, taking care of the ball after throwing two picks yesterday. He seemed as calm and collected as ever, putting almost all his passes on the money, including the throw of the day on a 50+ yard bomb to Trevon Sidney for a touchdown. Jack Sears also looked really good today, making great decisions with the ball and showing great accuracy. He didn’t miss more than two or three throws on the day, and made some great plays down the field, hitting Velus Jones on a corner route and Michael Pittman on a deep post. Matt Fink was solid for the most part, leading a touchdown drive capped by a throw to Michael Pittman on a corner route during a live series, but threw the only turnover of the day to Olaijah Griffin, nearly throwing another later on. Seeing JT rebound from his roughest day of camp so far yesterday and seeing Jack step it up were both very good signs. As the decision comes closer it seems harder to imagine any possibility of JT not winning the job, but if Sears decides to stick around, he’ll be an enormous comfort to the team in the event that he has to take over at some point down the line.

***

For the first time all camp, we saw Tyler Vaughns, Michael Pittman, and Amon-Ra St. Brown take first team reps together, with the veterans on the outside and St. Brown in the slot. We didn’t see the combination for long as the receiver group was continually shuffled, but it was promising to finally see the three best pass catchers on the roster sharing the field together.

The competition for the strong safety spot appears to be closer than it seemed to be previously. Although Bubba Bolden has taken a vast majority of the snaps at that spot throughout camp, the job doesn’t seem to be as secure for him as I thought it was. When Clancy Pendergast was asked about Bolden he seemed far from ready to endorse him as the guy, responding, “Bubba’s been...solid. He’s had some good days and some bad days.....He’s obviously fighting for the other safety position. I think he’s improved his tackling up around the box for sure, and in the open field. Those are two things we identified he needed to work on. We’d like to see him play the ball a little better in the deep part of the field, but I think he’s had a good camp.” He left the competition wide open when asked if he was comfortable with Bolden starting there, going on to say, “He’s getting a lot of the work there, we still haven’t made a decision on who it’s gonna be. I think Isaiah and he both are right there close, and of course getting (Ykili Ross) back, who’s now getting more reps, that could make a difference down the stretch, and then we’ll have an answer next week.”

***
Impressions/Standouts

Trevon Sidney has noticeably stepped his game up a notch for the last week or so, and it was honestly not to see flashes of Odell Beckham in him today as he was unguardable, snagging one handed passes and deep touchdowns while rocking the 13 jersey. He caught two of the most ridiculous catches I’ve ever seen in practice during 1 on 1s, grabbing both passes with one hand after some insane body contortion in the back of the endzone. He didn’t leave his bag of tricks there though, catching pass after pass during both 7 on 7 and 11 on 11, grabbing everything thrown his way on deep outs, slants, seam routes, and a deep post for a touchdown. He just always seems open. Something seems like it’s clicked for him in the last week, and it’ll be hard to justify keeping him off the field if he keeps playing at this level.

Olaijah Griffin has shined these past two practices, getting a pick and coming within a hair’s breadth of another both days. His understanding of his role in the defense seems to have gotten much better than it was only two weeks ago, when he was exposed repeatedly for deep completions in the first scrimmage. He’s making the right transitions in his coverage, positioning himself well, and even baiting quarterbacks. I noted on Twitter during the first week of camp that I noticed his technique getting better- and he still had a rough week or two after that. Regardless, he’s clearly been improving fast, cleaning up a lot of his mistakes much faster than you’d expect a freshman corner to be able to. He’s looked like a new player these past two days.

Michael Pittman missed over a week with his AC joint sprain and nose surgery, but picked up right where he left off today as he rejoined 11 on 11 work for the first time since his injury. He looked to be just as fluid and strong at the point of attack as he was before, catching a touchdown from Matt Fink and a deep post from Jack Sears as well as a number of passes on shorter routes. His return to peak form so quickly has to be a huge relief for the team.

***

Pass Rush 1 on 1s

Malik Dorton stopped by Andrew Voorhees

Brandon Pili blows past Toa Lobendahn on a rip move

Jay Tufele stopped by Chris Brown

Jordan Iosefa stopped by Jalen McKenzie

Hunter Echols beats Tyler Petite on a speed rush around the edge

Kana’I Mauga beats Chuma Edoga with a speed rush

Alijah Vera-Tucker stops Malik Dorton

Jay Tufele beats Jacob Daniel

Connor Murphy beats Frank Martin

Abdul-Malik McClain stopped by Brett Neilon

Christian Rector stopped by Andrew Voorhees

Hunter Echols stopped by Brett Neilon

Marlon Tuipulotu stopped by Justin Dedich

Trevor Trout stopped by Chris Brown

Connor Murphy beats Jalen McKenzie

Joey Iosefa almost pancaked by Chuma Edoga

Liam Jimmons stopped by Alijah Vera-Tucker

Marlon Tuipulotu stopped by Brett Neilon

Trevor Trout stopped by Jacob Daniel

Hunter Echols wins a rep (couldn’t identify the OL)

Kana’i Mauga beats Jalen McKenzie

Hunter Echols beats Liam Douglass

OK the second to last (I promise) post of these PAC-12 2018 preseason forecasts… USC Out of Conference Opponents in 2018:

UNLV Last Year 5-7 all/ 4-4 Mountain West . Key Losses: Off- WR D. Boyd. Backup QB J Stanton. Def-DB R Jackson and DL M Hughes (possibly their 2 best Defensemen). Starter Losses: Offense: OC, LG, WR , TE. Defense: DT, NT, SS, CB. This year Ret Starters: O-7, D-7, Kicker &Punter. Projected: #3 MW/ #99 Nat. O/D: scored 28.8ppg D gave up 31.8ppg. They don't lose a lot of key personnel, but have some deficits. Last Year on D they only had 10 sacks and 7 interceptions. They lost big to the two top 25 teams that they played in Ohio State by 33 and SDSU by 31. The odds at 25.5 seem appropriate and a win is expected. .

Texas Last Year 7-6 all/ 5-4Big12. Key Losses: Off- OT C Williams (R2). Def-LB M Jefferson (R3), S D Eliot (6), Punter M Dickson (R6). .Starter Losses: Offense: WR, TE, RG. LT Defense: OLB, DE, FS, CB, P. This year Ret Starters: O-7, D-7, Kicker. Projected: #2 B12/ #20 Nat. O/D: scored 29.5 ppg D gave up 21.2 ppg. Coach Tom Herman after 2 very good years at Houston, had a pretty tough 1st year. opening with losses to Maryland and USC (2 OT). The O was erratic with 6 games scoring 24 or less, and no bowl game. The D was good nearly all year (21 ppg) but lost perhaps their two best D men and an excellent punter. Most everyone sees this team improving with running QB Ehlinger, who needs to improve on his 11 TD-7 Int., as a freshman. But Jr Steve Buchele is a very good backup QB as well. They play at Maryland (a team that beat them at Austin) and Tulsa before USC. Texas was 3-3, at home in Austin last year. A 50-50 game, but both teams will have 2 games under the belt by then.

Notre Dame Last Year 10-3. Key Losses: Off- RB J Adams (top Rush) , WR E St. Brown -top Rec (R6), TE D Smythe (R4), OT M McGlinchey (R1), OG Q Nelson (R1) . Def-N Morgan (92 Tackle). Starter Losses: Offense: RB, WR, TE, OT (2) . Defense: DE, Rov.. This year Ret Starters: O-6, D-9, Kicker &Punter. Projected: #12 Nat. O/D: scored 34.2 ppg D gave up 21.5 ppg. This should be interesting. ND had a very good D last year and returns most. On Offense they were pretty good but lost a lot.. They lose 2 big linemen (see above) from a team that, with them, gave up 30 sacks (the same as USC) . Plus they lost 2 of their top 3 Runners, Top Rec, along with those 2 first round OL. ND was 3-3 vs. ranked opponents last year. ND plays Florida State and Syracuse before the USC game. It’s a revenge game this time for USC, and in the last 4 games USC won by 18 and 35 at home and lost by 10 and 35 away. Are we serving this year? Yep, and I like their chances here a lot. A win.

USC should go 2-1 or 3-0 here.

Including some familiar names for us - Jamabo, Asiasi, and Boss T. Auspicious start for Chip!

http://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/la-sp-ucla-football-suspensions-20180827-story.html

FROM USC:

USC first-year freshman JT Daniels has been named the Trojans’ starting quarterback going into the 2018 season, head coach Clay Helton announced today (Aug. 26).

Daniels competed with redshirt sophomore Matt Fink, redshirt freshman Jack Sears and walk-on redshirt sophomore Holden Thomas for the starting role throughout this fall’s camp.

Daniels will be just the second USC true freshman to start a season opener at quarterback, joining Matt Barkley, who did so in 2009 against San Jose State. Daniels also will be just the fourth Trojan true freshman quarterback to start a game, joining Barkley (12 starts in 2009), Carson Palmer (5 starts in 1998) and Rob Johnson (1 start in 1991).

Daniels, who as a junior was the 2017-18 Gatorade High School Male Athlete of the Year and 2017 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, graduated a full year early from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana (Calif.) and enrolled at USC this summer. He led Mater Dei to the 2017 California State Open Division championship while throwing for 4,123 yards and 52 touchdowns. In his 3-year prep career, he threw for 12,014 yards with 152 TDs and just 14 interceptions while completing 68.2% of his passes.

Fink, the only Trojan quarterback with collegiate experience entering the 2018 season (he appeared briefly in 3 games in 2017), completed 6 of his 9 passes last fall for 43 yards and also ran for a 51-yard score. He redshirted in 2016, his first year at USC. He was a prep All-American at Glendora (Calif.) High.

Sears redshirted at USC in 2017 after leading San Clemente (Calif.) High to the 2016 CIF State 1-A title. As Sam Darnold’s successor at San Clemente, he threw for 5,299 yards with 74 TDs and only 8 interceptions in his 2 seasons as a starter.

Thomas has yet to see action at USC. He threw for 3,107 yards and 36 TDs as a 2015 senior at Brentwood School in Los Angeles (Calif.) after spending the previous 3 seasons at Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village (Calif.)

“We had a very healthy quarterback competition this year with four incredible young men,” said Helton. “All are tremendous people, teammates and football players. In the end, JT Daniels has earned the starting position and will be the starter against UNLV. As you can imagine JT was excited when we let him know, but his uncanny maturity kept him focused on what is next. Matt, Jack and Holden handled the decision with class and grace as I expected, and I reminded each that they need to keep pushing to be ready to play when called upon. After this camp we have no doubt that each one can lead our team when asked to do so. All are eager to keep working hard.

“We were very transparent from the beginning of camp by sitting down with all the quarterbacks and explaining the criteria on which we would base our decision. At the end of each week, I met with them one on one to tell them what they needed to improve on in the upcoming week. At the completion of camp, it became clear to me and our staff that JT had taken a step ahead of Matt, Jack and Holden. I thought the quarterback competition was very competitive and fair and I am satisfied with how our staff handled the process. We look forward to each young man continuing to grow and progress at the position and we are very fortunate to have each one here at USC.”

Daniels replaces Darnold, the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Last fall, Darnold became the first Trojan signalcaller to throw for 4,000 yards and he also set USC’s season total offense record. A 2-year starter, he threw 57 touchdowns in his Trojan career, including 26 in 2017 when he was an All-Pac-12 first team choice.

“I am honored that Coach Helton picked me as the starter,” said Daniels. “I understand this it is a huge responsibility and I need to work hard to be prepared to handle it. It was a tight competition between all the quarterbacks throughout camp. We pushed each other every day. I felt that Coach’s decision wouldn’t be wrong whoever he picked. I am thankful to Matt and Jack and Holden for teaching me so much and helping me adjust to the system so that I could quickly get into the flow of things, and I know we will continue to be supportive teammates in the quarterback room.”

Said Fink: “I was proud of how I competed for the job in the spring and fall, so I was disappointed to learn of the decision. I realize it was a tough decision for the coaches to make. I plan on being a good teammate and giving my all to be prepared every game as if I am the starter. I love my teammates and I love USC and I have full trust in the coaching staff. Congrats to JT, he is a tremendous quarterback, and I will do my best to support him and be ready if my number is called.”

Said Sears: “I respect my coaches and I respect their decision. Obviously, I wish it were a different decision because I want to play, but I will continue to control what I can control, be a great teammate and develop as a quarterback. It is a long season and I will be ready if my number is called.”

True freshman walk-on quarterback Trevor Scully is also on the 2018 USC roster.

No. 15 USC opens its season this Saturday (Sept. 1) in the Coliseum against UNLV of the Mountain West, only the second time the teams have played. The Trojans have won their last 16 games in the Coliseum, which is undergoing renovations in 2018.

Cam Smith reached out to my dad over the summer to see if he could drive up to Agoura Hills to study film and ask questions on playing the linebacker position at a high level. Cam is heading into his final year at SC and everyone knows how hard he works. My dad was not expecting a call from Cam, but was very impressed that he wanted to drive up and put in the extra work.

This story would have otherwise not come out, but I was very impressed by the action, so I thought why not share it.

what time???