knee injury? Adam do you know anything?

USC scrimmaged for about 50 plays Wednesday. Will have details on that coming soon. But first, the news.

Coach Clay Helton confirmed Porter Gustin suffered a minor meniscus tear and will have surgery Thursday. Helton said Gustin is expected to miss 2-5 weeks. (The initial word was 4-6, so this is a positive development.) Helton was asked if there was a chance he could return for the season opener but wouldn't go there. He did seem to emphasize that Gustin won't be rushed back.

"When he's 100 percent, he'll go," Helton said. "I know Porter, he'll give it everything he has to be back as soon as possible and I know our doctors will take the ultimate care of him to make sure he's all the way back."

Gustin attended practice sporting a sleeve on his left knee. He walked without a significant limp.

As expected, Christian Rector worked at Predator with the first team, Kana'i Mauga was the strong-side linebacker, Jordan Iosefa was the middle linebacker, and Brandon Pili and Malik Dorton were the D-linemen.

Kicker Chase McGrath has been sidelined the past few days with a groin injury. Michael Brown, whose season was cut short because of a torn ACL, had another strong day kicking.

Snapping was again an issue for center Toa Lobendahn, who was briefly benched in favor of Brett Neilon. I asked if there was a possibility of Lobendahn moving to another spot if the bad snaps persisted. Helton quickly responded, "We'll get it fixed," making it clear they're committed to keeping him where he's at.

LB Cam Smith (hamstring) and S Ykili Ross (hamstring) remained out. Helton reiterated that they're being "overly cautious" with them but Smith was fully dressed today and looks to be close to returning. Ross might be back by the end of the week.

Freshman receiver Devon Williams did not practice because of tightness in his lower half. Helton said he'll probably be out until at least Saturday.

RT Chuma Edoga (hip) and TE Erik Krommenhoek (hamstring) were out.

LB Levi Jones returned to practice and repped with the second team at weakside linebacker.

JuCo transfer Bernard Schirmer attended his first practice and participated in individual drills with the offensive line. He's wearing No. 51.

A source informed me Class of 2018 WR John Jackson III, who committed to USC on Signing Day as a preferred walk-on, will not be on the team this fall but is planning to enroll next spring and join the team then.

Rotations:
The first-team O-line (from left to right): Austin Jackson/Clayton Bradley, Chris Brown, Lobendahn, Andrew Vorhees, Jalen McKenzie

The rest of the offense was the same as usual, with the three returning backs rotating. I'm surprised we have yet to see Amon-Ra St. Brown working with the first team, especially in the slot. Considering the production of Deontay Burnett over his final season and a half as a starter, the offense needs to get more from that spot. Tyler Vaughns, meanwhile, looks like he improves on a weekly basis. He's gotten slicker after the catch and his body control remains stellar. Few passes thrown his way fall incomplete.

Second-team O-line: Frank Martin, Jordan Austin, Neilon/Justin Dedich, Alijah Vera-Tucker, McKenzie

Second-team defense: (D-line) Jay Tufele, Marlon Tuipulotu, Liam Jimmons; (LB) Connor Murphy, Juliano Falaniko, Palaie Gaoteote, Levi Jones; (DB) C.J. Pollard, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Jonathan Lockett, Greg Johnson, Olaijah Griffin

Impressions:
Following the scrimmage, Helton offered a pretty positive synopsis on the offense and the quarterbacks. He would know better than I would, but I thought the defense really controlled things. The run period, which came in the first half of practice, was all defense.

Rector opened things up with a pair of stops against Ced Ware. Dorton was right there for the second one. Two runs by Vavae Malepeai were also stuffed, one by Biggie Marshall and another by a pile of defenders.

Stephen Carr, who was the exception to the rule today, came in and immediately picked up 7 yards on his first carry. I know I've said this already, but he looks like himself. In fact, he looks like he might be the best player on the team. Later in this period, when the offense couldn't get much going on the ground, Carr went off tackle up the right side and ran past the defense for a 25-yard TD. (He a flag along the way for taunting C.J. Pollard as he marched into the end zone.)

Carr later added two short touchdown receptions, both off screen passes from Jack Sears. What was more impressive was how he ran, particularly between the tackles. He was breaking tackles and moving the pile, looking completely uninhibited.

While Ware was unable to get on track, Malepeai eventually got into a rhythm. He stayed on his feet following a big hit from Bubba Bolden en route to a huge gain. He also had a 20-yard gain after breaking a tackle in the second level, showing nice change of direction and power all at the same time. His final rep was a short TD run. I'm convinced that while Malepeai is unlikely to lead USC in carries in a given game, he'll always have a role. He does too many things well enough to not use.

Markese Stepp had a long run himself but otherwise was largely contained. Tufele and Tuipulotu combined to stop him in the backfield. (Bet I'll write that sentence again in the future.) Stepp was also tackled for a loss by Talanoa Hufanga, stuffed by Murphy and Pollard, and tackled for another loss by Jones and Pola-Mao. I feel like the freshman back has had an encouraging first week. The defense is just winning in the trenches.

Linebackers Hunter Echols, John Houston and Gaoteote also had stops near the line of scrimmage, and I think the D-line was the primary cause for it.

The quarterbacks responded to a collective off day Tuesday with moderate success in the scrimmage. Sears was the best of the bunch, tossing three touchdowns, including a sharp throw to Tyler Petite who had a defender on his back. Sears also completed a pair of first downs to Vaughns and Josh Imatorbhebhe. I thought Sears made good decisions, and he got rid of it on time. This was probably the most reps he's gotten in comparison to the other two. As far as the competition goes, he might have gained a little ground on JT Daniels. Sears will need to stand out in these settings if he's going to actually win this thing.

Matt Fink did not get a lot of reps today. His biggest highlight was a long touchdown pass to Velus Jones, who lined up on the left side and ran a deep post before making a diving grab. His athleticism can be exquisite. Fink did a good job of keeping the play alive and giving Jones a chance, though the throw was a bit of a rainbow that might play differently in a game. Fink followed that up with a nice scramble to his left that led to a first down toss to St. Brown. In the past, Fink likely would have taken off and run but he made the better choice here. But that was about it for Fink. He only attempted a couple other passes.

Daniels had a quiet day. He fumbled a snap while under center — he has little experience with that — and didn't complete as high of a percentage as we saw in the first few practices. He did close out the scrimmage with a short touchdown pass to Vaughns. While Daniels will have more impressive showings, one thing I like about him on a day-to-day basis is how he finishes his throws. The receivers don't have to wait for it to get in their hands. His passes arrive quick and sharp, and they're typically in a good spot.

***
USC will be in shells Thursday and practice in the Coliseum.

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USC concluded another practice in shells. Wednesday will be the first in full pads, But first, the news (and there's a lot):

LB Porter Gustin suffered a knee injury -- it appeared to be of the non-contact variety -- and will have an MRI tonight. (We have more details here.)

LB Cam Smith (hamstring) remained out. Jordan Iosefa occupied his spot at middle linebacker, while Christian Rector moved from defensive end to Predator following Gustin's injury. Kanai' Mauga assumed the majority of first-team reps at strong-side linebacker.

TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe (quad) remains limited to about nine periods per practice; he's yet to partake in team periods. Imatorbhebhe has finally been cleared after being shut down for the previous seven months. Helton said he's feeling better but noted, "as he feels comfortable and strong and feels where he can be 100 percent, that's when he'll come back."

RT Chuma Edoga and CB Je'Quari Godfrey were pulled from practice because of hip soreness. LB Levi Jones has been sidelined by swelling in the chest. (Jalen McKenzie worked with the first team right tackle. Austin Jackson got more first-team reps at left tackle.)

DT Marlon Tuipulotu saw a significant increase in his workload.

DB Ykili Ross (hamstring), TE Erik Krommenhoek (hamstring) and LB Solomon Tuliaupupu (foot) remained out.

***

Junior college offensive tackle Bernard Schirmer (6-5, 270) has signed a financial aid agreement and will join the team in the coming days. His pending arrival was first reported by Chris Swanson. USC offered him in May, this after recruiting him at Lakewood High a few years back.

Helton said Schirmer was vetted for three months because of an incident from two years ago involving a referee that landed Schirmer a five-year suspension while he played for Mt. San Antonio College. Thus, he did not play last year, but his suspension doesn’t apply to NCAA competition.

He will come to USC as a redshirt sophomore with three years to play three, and he’ll be eligible immediately. I believe he counts against USC's 2018 signing class, which included just 18 players. The Trojans now have 81 players on scholarship, including 15 offensive linemen. The tackles in the two-deep thus far include Clayton Bradley and Austin Jackson on the left side and Edoga and Jalen McKenzie on the right side.

Longtime NFL assistant and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Dave Campo has been hired as a consultant for the USC football team. (The position is more commonly referred to as an analyst.) Campo is a mentor to DC Clancy Pendergast, who worked under Campo with the Cowboys from 1996-2002 and the Cleveland Browns in 2003. He's slated to help out with the defensive backs.

After the USC defense dominated most of the team reps in practice, including a stretch of 16 plays in the red zone in which the offense was shut out, Helton was asked if it's been a challenge to get into a offensive rhythm because three QBs are being rotated. Helton said each QB is getting about a half-dozen snaps in a row and he's looking to double that number once they're ready to lead longer drives.

I then asked Helton, who noted that the majority of the offensive install is in, if he plans to narrow the first-team reps from three quarterbacks to two at some point this month. He said only if two separate themselves.

"If I think there's a major difference, I would. But right now there isn't," Helton said. "If it got to that point, I would consider it. But right now they're all about even, there just learning and making mistakes and hopefully learning from these mistakes. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and I'm looking forward to Saturday. Those will be two big days for those kids."

USC will have a mini scrimmage Wednesday and then an extended one Saturday.

I wrote more on rotations and impressions from today's practice here. Tajwar has provided his QB grades. We also have interviews coming with Pendergast, DL coach Kenechi Udeze and DBs coach Ronnie Bradford.

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NASA Spotted a Vast, Glowing 'Hydrogen Wall' at the Edge of Our Solar System
By Rafi Letzter, Staff Writer | August 9, 2018 04:55pm ET


The sun moves through the galaxy encases in a bubble formed by its own solar wind. In front of the sun, galactic debris builds up, inlcuding hydrogen.
Credit: Alder Planetarium/NASA
There's a "hydrogen wall" at the edge of our solar system, and NASA scientists think their New Horizons spacecraft can see it.

That hydrogen wall is the outer boundary of our home system, the place where our sun's bubble of solar wind ends and where a mass of interstellar matter too small to bust through that wind builds up, pressing inward. Our host star's powerful jets of matter and energy flow outward for a long stretch after leaving the sun — far beyond the orbit of Pluto. But at a certain point, they peter out, and their ability to push back the bits of dust and other matter — the thin, mysterious stuff floating within our galaxy's walls — wanes. A visible boundary forms. On one side are the last vestiges of solar wind. And on the other side, in the direction of the Sun's movement through the galaxy, there's a buildup of interstellar matter, including hydrogen.

And now NASA researchers are pretty sure that New Horizons, the probe that famously skimmed past Pluto in 2015, can see that boundary.

What New Horizons definitely sees, the researchers reported in a paper published Aug. 7 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, is some extra ultraviolet light — the kind the researchers would expect such a wall of galactic hydrogen to produce. That replicates an ultraviolet signal the two Voyager spacecraft — NASA's farthest-traveling probes, which launched in the late 1970s — spotted all the way back in 1992. [Images: Dust Grains from Interstellar Space]

However, the researchers cautioned, that signal isn't a sure sign that New Horizons has seen the hydrogen wall, or that Voyager did. All three probes could have actually detected the ultraviolet light from some other source, emanating from much deeper in the galaxy, the researchers wrote.

But Alice, the instrument on board New Horizons responsible for this finding, is much more sensitive than anything the Voyagers had on board before beginning their own journey out of the solar system, the researchers wrote. And they said they expect Alice to function 15 to 20 more years.

New Horizons will continue to scan the sky for ultraviolet light twice a year, the researchers wrote, and report what it sees back to Earth.

"If the ultraviolet light drops off at some point, then New Horizons may have left the wall in its rearview mirror," the researchers explained in an accompanying statement. "But if the light never fades, then its source could be farther ahead — coming from somewhere deeper in space."

Football is being put on the back burner due to family issues. I doubt he plays this season anywhere except for JUCO

Remember the optimism the quarterbacks gave us in yesterday’s practice? Throw that out the window, for now. Tuesday we saw the offense revert to square one as all the signal callers struggled badly against a defense that had its best showing of training camp thus far. That’s not to say that there’s no hope for the quarterbacks going forward. It’s just that most of the positives from yesterday vanished in today’s disappointing showing. A lot needs to change over the next few practices from them to give us reason to have real faith in them.

JT Daniels: C

The “wow” throws we’ve gotten used to seeing from Daniels failed to show up today. The closest thing was a deep out to Tyler Petite -- outside of that the best thing we can gather from Daniels’ performance today was that he didn’t turn the ball over like Fink and Sears did. He had a rough outing, completing a few short routes but being denied by the secondary on what seemed like almost all of his balls. He had at least a third of his throws broken up and held the ball far too long on a couple of occasions, resulting in at least one sack. He didn’t put the proper placement on a lot of balls, giving defenders the opportunity to make plays in an uncharacteristic lack of accuracy. Hopefully it’s just one rough day and not any indication of things to come.

Matt Fink: C+

Fink came out today slinging the ball a lot more confidently than before, attempting a lot of throws down the field instead of taking his usual checkdown on every other play. For the most part he did a good job on these throws, hitting Tyler Vaughns and Michael Pittman on some pretty balls deep down the field, including a great back shoulder to Pittman against Biggie Marshall. In fact, he looked really good all through the first half of his team reps; that’s the good news. The bad news is that in the second half of practice the defensive backfield looked unbeatable, and Fink and the other quarterbacks struggled mightily against them. He had almost all of his red zone attempts broken up, and made the biggest mistake of the day, tossing the ball into the chest of Marshall lurking in the flat for a pick-six. The willingness Fink showed today to step up to take big time throws and actually make them was promising to see. However, if he doesn’t clean up some of the groan-inducing mistakes he made today, I don’t know if any of that will matter.

Jack Sears: D+

On Monday, Sears’ day was sabotaged by bad snaps. Today, however, Sears was the one hurting himself. He began the day by head-scratchingly ignoring a wide open Devon Williams on a fly route right in front of him, electing to take off with the ball instead, and his day didn’t get any better from there. He was only able to complete a few short routes, having most of his other throws denied vehemently by the defense. He had a bad interception, throwing much too late towards Velus Jones as he streaked down the seam on a ball that wound up traveling short into the hands of Greg Johnson. Performances like this are the last thing Sears can afford at this point; his rough spring means he needs to show out now to have a serious shot at making a run for the starting job. If he doesn’t turn things around quick, that hole he’s dug himself into is only gonna keep getting deeper.

Senior outside linebacker Porter Gustin was carted off the field after suffering a left knee injury in Tuesday's practice. He'll have an MRI tonight. Coach Clay Helton said his knee seemed stable and noted Gustin wasn't in serious pain but that his knee "felt funny to him."

USC was in the midst of an 11-on-11 period when Gustin limped off from an apparent non-contact injury, the veteran abstaining from putting any weight on the injured knee.

"Let me wait to get the MRI before I start guessing on what it is," Helton said. "(It's) very tough. You're talking about one of the leaders of your football team and a great player. You catch your breath and say a prayer for him and quick health, and it not be too serious. I don't know if there's anybody that's worked harder to be ready for this season on our football team. I'm hoping God hears those prayers and he's ready to go when he's back 100 percent. ...

"If anything's off with Porter, anytime you have that fine an athlete, and something feels a little funny, obviously you want to know what it is. We're taking every precaution to see what it's going to be."

USC, which already had outside linebacker Jordan Iosefa spotting an injured Cam Smith at middle linebacker, had defensive end Christian Rector move outside and occupy Gustin's place at Predator. Kana'i Mauga assumed the bulk of first-team reps at strong-side linebacker.

I was really impressed with the way Jalen handled the media in the aftermath of the NCG. It appears now however that he may be a bit more transparent with his feelings.

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Stating that it would be “Wrongful Termination” Damm that’s crazy!!

DC CLANCY PENDERGAST

--How he feels when he defense performs well in practice
“I like to see the energy out there, we’re an accountability driven defense. So when guys make plays and feed off of each other, it’s good to see. They were playing with a lot of intensity out there.”

--If he loved what he saw Tuesday
“Obviously there were some guys that made some plays out there and there were some mistakes we have to correct. But like I said, overall, I liked their attention to detail and they were really playing together and you can tell they had a good summer working together in the player-run practices and in the meetings they’ve had by themselves. We’re starting off maybe further ahead than we’ve had in the past.”

--On which younger guys who have caught his eye
“I think upfront, having Marlon (Tuipulotu) back, he’s a little bit of a difference maker up front. Jay Tufele has been very disruptive for two practices in a row. Caleb Tremblay, the junior college transfer, I think he’s going to be able to give us some quality minutes based on his skill set and the way he shows and what he’s been picking up with his technique and the defense upfront. Obviously outside Hunter Echols has done a good job and Kana’i (Mauga) has really come on. He’s a slippery guy playing on the outside. In the secondary, I think Greg Johnson at corner has really shown some flashes. Jonathan Lockett has done a good job, he’s obviously a guy that’s been battling through injury around here but coming back for his fifth year, he’s done a nice job. And Olaijah Griffin has caught my eye. And Isaiah Pola-Mao.

--On Jay Tufele
“I think his maturation process, adjusting to the college life and the college game, what his schedule is like. He’s one of those players that wants to appease everyone that’s trying to teach him something. We gave him a handful of things that he needed to work on and said try to zero in on these things and don’t try to do everything. Just try to take baby steps. I’ve seen a big growth in him from spring ball until now.”

--On the safety position opposite Marvell Tell
“It’s a group that’s very deep and talented. It’s kind of a rollercoaster right now. There’s been really nobody that’s put themselves in that position, consistently enough in practice based on what we grade them in in practice. So it’s been kind of a revolving door and it’ll continue to be that way. We hope to get that thing settled within the next week so Marvell has somebody he can work with for the last couple weeks before the opener.”

--On what Pola-Mao showed with the first team on Tuesday
“He’s one of those roller coaster guys too but his roller coaster was up in the walk through and then it was up and down in the practice here in practice. He’s never really played. He redshirted last year so we don’t have any full time experience, game reps wise and how he’s going to be on game day. But he seems to have a lot of focus and attention to detail. He just has to continue to be a little bit more consistent. And all those guys playing at that safety position, they all kind of fall in that same boat. But there’s a lot of promise there with whoever plays there. And I think whoever does play there with Marvell, you’ll see a couple guys playing , it won just be one guy. As you saw, Matt Lopes played a lot last year and the year before, as you remember with Marvell, he rotated in with Chris Hawkins. We’ll roll some safeties through there.”

--On his impressions of Isaiah Langley
“Isaiah has been a little more consistent. I think he’s another guy that we’ve earmarked some technique things when we look at his play over the last two years, things that he needs to get better at . We’ve addressed that, really with everybody, but some things he needs to work on and I see he’s locked in and focusing on those things so far. It hasn’t been as consistent as I like but it’s better than it was.”

--On Iman Marshall
“There’s a big focus out of Iman. This is his last year. He’s coming in here being a 3 and a half to 4 year starter at corner in the Pac-12 so he’s played a lot of ball. He has an NFL skill set, he’s a big, long, physical corner. And there’s parts of his game that he needs to get better at and he’s demonstrated the leadership that you’d expect out of a fourth year starter in this defense and I expect him to continue to get better the more we get reps out here.”

--On whether Jordan Iosefa can play any of the four linebacker spots
(Pendergast nods agreeingly)"He’s really talented from a skill set wise, where obviously you saw last year he started games for us last year outside and he started both positions inside. He knows the defense as well as anyone in the whole crew and he gives us a lot of flexibility from a depth standpoint. But when we open up against UNLV, he’ll be one of our eleven starters somewhere. I don’t know exactly where and he’s been thrust to go inside with Cam’s hamstring. But you could tell Jordan the night before the game that he has to play MIKE. He doesn’t have to practice it for three weeks. He’ll be fine. So I think you’ll see when Cam comes back, he’ll move outside. but these are good reps for him s\inside because as a staff, we had a plan for him during camp where we wanted to eventually get him in there. it just happened sooner than we expected and unfortunately because of an injury.”

--If Iosefa could switch positions during the game
“I don’t like guys to rep a position during the week that they’re not going to play on Saturday and everything. So whatever he reps that week, that’s what he would play on Saturday.”

--On Ajene Harris
“He’s one of my favorite players. Like I said, he’s a gym rat kid and like I said, he loves to play the game. He’s always asking questions, it’s really, really super important to him. It’s good for the rest of the young guys to bring them along. He does everything right, drill work, film work, on the field. he’s going to do exactly what you ask him to do and then some. He’s had a good camp so far and for him to be, really a two-and-a-half year starter coming into this next season, I expect him to make some progress as well. he’s a guy who knows what his limitations are try to that into a strength for him.”

DBs COACH RONNIE BRADFORD

--On the play of Isaiah Langley
“You know what, right now, he’s had some good days and some bad days. It’s just about becoming a bit more consistent, but it’s not just him, it’s the whole group. Consistency is the sign of a good group, you know what you’re gonna get day in and day out, and you know, he’s building.”

--On the reason for Langley’s performance being up and down
“Sometimes we’re putting in a whole lot of stuff early, you know what I’m saying. It’s about retention and understanding where we wanna be because we expect perfection. We might not always get it, but if that’s what you’re aiming for, then hey, you fall a little short, you’re usually in a pretty damn good range."

--On Langley’s development from when he first began to work with coach Bradford
“Now he’s taken more of a role, he understands what’s at stake, and I tell the guys this all the time. They’re competing, everybody’s competing day in and day out. If you go out and have a bad game, there’s no guarantees in this business. Just ‘cause you may roll out there with the first group, there’s no guarantee you’re gonna stay out there. It’s your play and your preparation every week that defines whether you’re gonna stay out there or not."

--On the play of the freshmen
“Do you see those guys out there? Those can move around a little bit. For them, it’s about getting the playbook and retaining it. That’s where it’s gonna come from. Physically, they’re gifted. But now, do they know where to be, when to be there, and what to do when they get there?"

--On whether Greg Johnson is winning time with his performance so far
“Oh yeah, he’s playing well, he’s stepping up. It’s his second year and I think last year we threw him in there and he was like, 'Uh, what’s going on?' But being in the system, getting another year of spring ball, it’s actually helped him tremendously. He played a little bit of corner in high school, playing it all last year, playing it through the spring, through the summer, and now getting these reps again like he did last fall camp actually benefits the kid. He feels a lot more comfortable, not, 'Am I in the right place?' Now it’s about, OK, what are they trying to do? So he’s done a good job with that so far."

--On his first impressions of Olaijah Griffin
“A kid that was very well coached in high school, that understands it, that gets it. He played all the techniques in high school, whether it be cloud corner, off corner, press corner. So he played all the techniques in high school, now it’s about him understanding what we’re asking from him and what we expect. Our expectations are basically just a tweak on his technique, but the kid comes in here with a pretty good toolbox.”

On what he’s seeing from Ajene Harris
“He’s a pro. He’s a pro in college, you know what I’m saying? He’s not so worried about what he’s doing -- he’s calling out formations and plays that we may see, and tendencies that we may get, and that’s when you know you’ve got a guy who’s locked in to what he’s doing. He’s making guys around him better because he’s making them aware of what the situation is, what you possible could get, what you possibly may not get, and what the adjustment may be. From that, he’s a pro playing college right now. He’s a good kid.”

--On where Harris can still improve
“You can always get better, from a physical standpoint, from a speed standpoint, from a strength standpoint, and mentally. You’re always learning. If you think that you’re done, you know it all, you basically stunt yourself. He’s a kid that’ll continue to learn and get better.

--On what the biggest jump is for a young DB entering college
“You know what, whenever you talk to evaluators, whether it's college or professional, they’ll always say that the two positions that usually are the most difficult from a technical aspect are cornerback and defensive tackle, for the defense. You’ve got to be great with your footwork and hands, cause if you’re not, something big is gonna happen, whether it’s a big run or a pass given up. So those young guys, it’s coming in, learning those techniques, learning those leverages, learning alignments, learning the adjustments, that’s the huge thing that they gotta learn, because it’s not, 'Hey, you’re playing him on defense. And you got him, and you got him, and you got him.' It’s about we got a concept, and we need you to know where your fit is in this concept.”

--On whether or not the young DB’s have done a good job with that.
“For the most part, yeah. Like I’ve said, we’ve thrown a whole lot at them, and they’ve done a pretty good job. The might get a play caught up, a play here or a play there, but when you got somebody standing wide open on the back end you know somebody’s really messed up and that’s what we haven’t had you know? I gotta knock on wood (laughs).”

--On whether Iman Marshall has been more physical during this camp
“Marshall’s always been physical, you know what he’s done. He’s gonna become more technical, he’s not so much relying on his strength, cause now he’s using his feet even more as far as far as, “I’m gonna make sure I’m in good position.” When I’m in good position, I can get my hands on him and maul him, but I gotta make sure I’m not trying to be overly aggressive that if they happen to slip off I’m out of control. That’s what I think he’s done a tremendous job on in the offseason, I think he’s done a tremendous job with the weight staff, as far as improving his footwork so that he’s always in balance with what’s going on, his technique at this point, that’s big time.”

--On what he thinks of the players competing at the strong safety spot
“I think Bubba’s doing well, I think Isaiah Pola-Mao’s got some work there, I think C.J. Pollard’s gotten some work there. We’ve got big bodies back there, and those guys fly around, they’re kind of physically imposing. Not a whole lot of wide receivers wanna come in there and crack with those kind of bodies. They’re doing a good job getting in there and understanding where their run fit is. An even better aspect of it is that those kids can cover, they can cover out wide. So it’s continuing to improve, the coverage, the run reads, but each day it’s gradual, you know what I’m saying? Each day we always say, 'Be better than yesterday. Beat yesterday.' So I think those guys are doing a good job."

--On the similarities between the two safety spots in the Trojans' scheme
“They’re interchangeable, you know what I’m saying? They can pick a tight end up, set him on the other side of the field, or they can motion here and you can get the safeties mixed up. So you better know both, at the end of the day, and if you know both, like Isaiah Pola-Mao, who was playing behind Marvell Tell, playing some strong safety. So that’s why you’ve got to learn. Those guys all dual-learn, there isn’t no, 'You just learn this and you just learn that,' because you never know who might get dinged up, and what it does is we wanna get our best 11 on the field. So if one of our best 11 is our backup free safety, than guess what, he becomes a strong safety.”

Thanks for bearing with me on the notes. With my wife in the 39th week of pregnancy, there's a lot I need to do at home in the evenings and the camp schedule doesn't make it easy.

USC had extensive team periods Tuesday. More than I can remember there being in some time. It wasn't a scrimmage but it was comparable in terms of how any snaps there were.

There were quite a few changes in the way of defensive rotations, in part because of injury but also because some positions remain unsettled. Here's what I noticed: Jordan Iosefa filled in for Cam Smith at MLB. Kana'i Mauga got a lot of work with the first team with Porter Gustin down and Iosefa playing inside. It looked like Mauga was taking reps at both outside spots. Christian Rector also worked at Predator.

The silver lining if Gustin's injury should keep him out for an extended period is USC is seemingly set up to deal with his absence. Rector excelled at Predator last season before breaking his hand, and Clancy Pendergast told me Iosefa can line up at any of the four linebacker spots. (He specifically said that Iosefa knows the defense better than anyone else on the team.) Meanwhile, Mauga is quickly becoming a junior Iosefa in that he too can play multiple positions. The D-line also has more options than it did in the past should Rector not line up at defensive end. The positional flexibility will allow Pendergast to experiment with some wrinkles regardless. Of course, everything would be better with Gustin, who's noted by coaches and players alike as the hardest worker on the team and figures to be one of the Trojans' best players.

CB Isaiah Langley, who's been working exclusively with the first team, had one of his best practices at Howard Jones on Tuesday. I anticipated a tight battle with Jonathan Lockett coming into training camp, but Lockett has been working behind Ajene Harris at nickel. The other second-team corners have been Greg Johnson and Olaijah Griffin, and both have impressed.

Isaiah Pola-Mao got a shot with the first team at strong safety. Pendergast said that position, which has primarily featured Bubba Bolden with the ones but involved a good amount of rotating while Ykili Ross is down, has been a rollercoaster in camp. IPM earned his shot after a great morning walk-through but Pendergast said he wasn't as sharp in practice. In what I feel like was a first, Pendergast assured he would rotate multiple guys in the safety spot opposite Marvell Tell. With no one standing out just yet, I'll be interested to see if spring practice star Talanoa Hufanga gets some first-team run. He's been pretty quiet so far.

The second-team inside backers were again Reuben Peters (MLB) and Palaie Gaoteote (WLB). OLB Hunter Echols has gotten a lot of work with the twos as well but didn't get first-team action after Gustin exited. Safety C.J. Pollard has also been a fixture on the second team.

Outside of QB, nowhere has USC rotated more in camp than on the defensive line. At one point we saw a complete line change (hockey-style) during 11-on-11. While Rector and Brandon Pili are always the first two in, Jay Tufele, Marlon Tuipulotu, Malik Dorton, Caleb Tremblay, Connor Murphy and Liam Jimmons have all rotated with the first team. Murphy also took some reps at outside linebacker in the wake of Gustin's injury.

I really don't remember there being nearly this much rotating in previous camps under Pendergast. We'll see what the games deliver but I do believe his trust is growing in more players. Let's not forget the message Clay Helton delivered on Day 1:


Impressions
It was a great day for the defense and a long one for the offense. Tajwar broke down the QB play in his daily grades piece so I'll focus more on everyone around them. Outside of a couple first down runs by Vavae Malepeai and Stephen Carr, the running backs were regularly stopped short.

(There was also the proverbial Velus Jones sweep for a TFL. Ajene Harris had the honor of ruining this one. Don't want to give anything away but USC is exploring new ways to use several of its receivers. What I can say is Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to work outside. I'm not seeing a competition at the slot receiver position, at least not yet.)

Trying to offer less play-by-play these days but just take a look at this sequence:

Brandon Pili shut down a pair of Ced Ware carries. Jay Tufele pulled Carr down for close to no gain and walk-on Ben Easington for a loss. Bolden stopped Markese Stepp. Pola-Mao blew up a screen to Josh Imatorbhebhe in the backfield and tackled Malepeai near the line of scrimmage. Eli'jah Winston also stopped Malepeai. There was also a poor throw from JT Daniels that was nearly picked off by Isaiah Langley mixed in.

This was the run period. It would get worse for the offense.

Consecutive passes to Tyler Vaughns were broken up by Langley. It initially looked like Vaughns would secure both -- for the latter, he went high over Langley to make what would have been an exceptional play, only Langley didn't give up on the way down and managed to jar the ball loose. His effort has been really good this past week. Langley blanketed Velus on a deep route route that fell incomplete and added two more pass break-ups for good measure, beating Vaughns and Josh Falo in the process.

In fact, several DBs shined in this passing period. Greg Johnson picked off Sears. Biggie Marshall picked off Fink (and returned it for six). Pollard tackled St. Brown for a loss. Ajene stopped Falo for a minor gain. And Lockett forced an incompletion from Fink to Devon Williams.

The defensive front was enjoying the party just as much. Gaoteote recorded a sack on Daniels, Iosefa sacked Fink and Tremblay sacked Sears. Abdul-Malik McClain batted down a throw from Sears and either Winston or Peters batted down another.

The lone offensive highlights from the final period were completions from Daniels to Williams, who put a good move on Griffin, and Daniels to Petite for about 15 yards. In an earlier period, offensive guard Chris Brown tracked down a ball that was tipped high in the air and could have been intercepted otherwise. Also, Fink executed a great slide step in the pocket and pump-faked before hitting Pittman for a long TD on Marshall.

Snapping was less of an issue Tuesday, though the backups had a few blips. I wanted to ask Helton afterward if he viewed this practice as more of a win or a loss, given the defensive mastery. Wasn't able to make the inquiry but my feeling was he was somewhat discouraged with today's proceedings, and that's aside from Gustin's situation. I wouldn't chalk this up to O-line struggles. Several skill players had rough outings, and a lot of that was caused by great defense. FWIW, if I had to choose for one side to generally control practice, it would be defense. I don't see this offense being consistently explosive. The higher ceiling is on defense. If USC is going to win the Pac-12, Pendergast's crew will be the biggest reason.

We should learn a lot more about where things are at, and about more than just the QBs, when full pads come on.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-usc-transition-20180807-story.htmlnm

Does anyone know if USC football will be high on the priorities list for the interim president? I know "Coach Nikias" was a huge fan.

USC wrapped up its third practice of training camp and first in shells. Here's the news:

LB Cam Smith (hamstring), DB Ykili Ross (hamstring) and LB Solomon Tuliaupupu (foot) remained out.

WR Randal Grimes (back) and DL Jacob Lichtenstein (knee) increased their workloads.

TE Erik Krommenhoek (hamstring) was pulled from practice.

DT Jay Tufele (foot) was a full participant.

DT Marlon Tuipulotu took limited reps with the second team.

There were several bad snaps during team periods, including one series with Jack Sears under center that was completely derailed. Toa Lobendahn was briefly subbed out for Brett Neilon. Helton said he wasn't concerned, noting Lobendahn's rustiness in live action. He expects this to be cleared up over the course of USC's 25 practices before the season. Lobendahn spent extra time after practice snapping.

The emphasis during today's pass periods was generating pressure. Though there were no interceptions, Helton said there were a few too many times in which the QB didn't get the ball out and took a sack that could have been avoided. Helton added that this is currently one of the biggest adjustments for JT Daniels -- timing. As for when he gets the ball out, "He does not miss many throws," Helton said. "That's been probably the most impressive thing I've seen about him. We need to just speed him up just a hair."

Helton was asked about RT Chuma Edoga and said he's been businesslike. His focus has been better and he's not being taken out of his game when he does have a bad rep.

Rotations:
There weren't any notable changes from last week. Bubba Bolden continues to get the first-team reps in place of Ross. Reuben Peters was the first-team MLB. Clayton Bradley was the primary first-team left tackle. The top three running backs are splitting first-team reps, with Markese Stepp getting a good amount of work as well and he's capitalized on it. He had what I believe was the longest rushing gain of the day on a carry up the middle.

Daniels was the first QB to work with the first team and appeared to get the most reps overall. QBs coach Bryan Ellis said there's a three-day rotation, so each guy has his day as the primary first-team QB.

During the team run period, when the defense uses a bigger front, we saw Christian Rector, Brandon Pili, Jimmons and Malik Dorton. Caleb Tremblay also got some first-team reps and recorded a pair of sacks.

The second-team O-line featured Jordan Austin at left guard and Alijah Vera-Tucker at right guard.

Here was the second-team D: DL Jay Tufele and Liam Jimmons; LBs Kana'i Mauga, Hunter Echols, Reuben Peters, Palaie Gateote; DBs Olaijah Griffin, Greg Johnson, Jonathan Lockett, Isaiah Pola-Mao, C.J. Pollard.

Velus Jones was the primary kickoff returner, with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Stephen Carr and Ajene Harris also taking reps there.

Impressions:
Daniels was really impressive again. There's no need to hide it or sugarcoat it: He's been the best quarterback through the first three days by a decent margin. Doesn't mean the other two have been bad. He's just been better. He had a pair of throws to Tyler Petite in which he was under pressure and was able to buy time before finding Petite downfield. One play really required him to scramble. The throws were also notable because this clearly wasn't his first read. He truly does appear to have a strong handle on the offense and what's supposed to happen. It's something Tee Martin and I discussed after practice (Will have the transcript to that later.)

There was one stretch where Daniels hit Tyler Vaughns on three consecutive passes. Granted, they were all short, but Vaughns was being defended by Griffin, and Daniels knew he could exploit the size advantage because of his accuracy.

During the final period, Daniels was under immense pressure but saw Michael Pittman and connected with him deep. Pittman made a shoestring catch. Ellis made a great point afterward about how because Daniels is not particularly tall he's smart about getting outside the pocket to create better passing windows. He then threw sharp passes to Trevon Sidney and Vaughns before making an ill-advised throw downfield to St. Brown that was nearly picked off. I think sometimes he just trusts St. Brown to a fault.

Fink threw a beautiful deep ball in the first team period that Josh Imatorbhebhe couldn't hang onto. One play later, Fink runs outside and beats the defense to the sideline for a long gain. As you know, his speed is real once he gets going. After a completion to Sidney, he took a coverage sack.

In the final period, Fink threw to Velus short and it drew a groan from St. Brown, who felt he was open. Fink then targeted Josh Falo, who uncharacteristically dropped a few passes today. Fink's final pass was a slant to Velus, who was stopped (and popped) by freshman Chase Williams.

Sears had a rough start, in large part because of bad snaps. He also missed a wide open Pittman downfield. Later, he would underthrow him. Aside from those plays, however, I thought he played very well. He connected with Imatorbhebhe for a long TD. (Imatorbhebhe had a couple steps on Griffin.) He also delivered a well-placed ball to Pittman.

Sears has been running less but was forced to use his legs more today because of the snaps and the physical beats up front and he accorded himself well. He's a very instinctual and resourceful runner who can move the chains that way if he needs to.

Other highlights:
-Jordan Iosefa ran down a reverse to, you guessed it, Velus. Was good to see Iosefa able to cover most the field in chasing that down.
-St. Brown also got a chance at running the ball and it went for a first down. He punctuated it with a stiff arm.
-Pittman got the call on another reverse and stayed on his feet after taking a big hit from Pola-Mao.
-Rector blew up one passing play that led to a sack.
-Peters registered a sack on Daniels, who took a few of them.
-Greg Johnson had a great open-field tackle on Vavae Malepeai following a screen pass. That excited DBs coach Ronnie Bradford, and rightfully so. I believe the starting CB spot opposite Biggie Marshall can be had. Just isn't clear yet who the second best corner on the team is. We might not know until a few games into the season.

***
USC will practice again Tuesday and we'll talk to the defense afterward.

We have interviews coming with TB Stephen Carr, QBs coach Bryan Ellis, OC Tee Martin, RBs coach Tim Drevno, and QBs Matt Fink and Jack Sears. Tajwar graded the QBs.

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Chris and/or Adam,

As to these players, we do not hear much about them. Wondering if you can tell us if you think they will get some significant playing time this year, or what type of playing time:
C. J. Pollard
Hunter Echols
Levi Jones

As to the next group, how do you think they will fit into playing time this year:
Olwhole Betiku
Reuben Peters - and will they ever put him in as a FB with a RB lined up behind him, or on the goal line? (More than just a couple of times)
Jalen McKenzie

And, who are the following and how will they, if the ever do fit in as to any playing time:
A.J. Mageo
Bryce Matthews
Spencer Gilbert

No rush. Thanks!

Highlights from our interviews following USC's third practice...

QBs COACH BRYAN ELLIS
--on his first impressions of JT Daniels
“The install starts to stack up on you a little bit. But he’s executing at a high level right now. There’s obviously little things we got to continue to get better at. You can’t forget motions. You got to make sure everybody’s set before you send motions. That’s stuff happens with a young guy. His mind’s racing. Everything’s going fast for him. As the game slows down he’ll get better and better.”

--on the progress of Matt Fink and Jack Sears
“How far they’ve come since spring is unbelievable. It’s a testament to those kids. They really worked hard in the offseason. I think Jack has just improved tremendously. It’s unbelievable how far he’s come in a five-month time period. Matt is steady and getting better every day. Matt’s obviously the furthest along mentally, because he’s been in the same system going on three years now.”

--on Daniels’ passing outside the numbers
“Really well. He’s not the tallest person so when he can get out there and throw the outside breaking routes, I think he’s sees them a little clearer. He’s got a rocket for an arm. So when you have a strong arm and when we have really good receives on the outside, when you get off coverage, he knows to fire it out there. So far he’s been really accurate on those throws.”

--on where Sears has grown the most
“I think it’s understanding what we’re doing. When you start to understand as a quarterback what’s going on, you start to play faster, make quicker decisions, live with the decisions you made, understand why you’re making certain decisions. When you play fast at quarterback, good things typically happen to you. When you make a decisions and you make it fast and you just rip it in there, usually good things happen.”

--on whether he encourages Fink and Sears to run
“Absolutely. They’re really athletic guys. That’s part of the read that’s added to, its in every read but that’s definitely part of those two guys’ games, that if they don’t like it, take off and run. Jacks probably a little bigger and probably a little more lateral quicker but matt’s faster.”

--on Pittman saying Sears has become more comfortable in the pocket and less inclined to run
“He’s always been a good passer. It’s just, he wasn’t sure where to throw the ball. Now he’s getting more comfortable in what we’re doing and he’s going through the read. He understanding when the guy’s open, he’s hitting him.”

--on what he looks for when trying to choose a starter in training camp
“Timing, decision-making and accuracy. That’s all it comes down to. We’re always going to recruit a thrower here first. That’s what they are. They’re all throwers first. We got really good wideouts on the outside, we got really good running backs. We’re going to use running as the last option. So, timing, decision-making and accuracy. When they get good at that and whoever is the best at that, is how the decision is going to be made. Keeping us moving, keeping us on track and not turning the ball over.”

--on how much Daniels’ arrival has helped Fink and Sears
“Competition brings out the best in everybody. They’re not dumb. They know that JT was a highly regarded guy and we recruited him to be the quarterback just like we recruited those two to be the quarterback. They know they’re all going to get a fair shake at it, and they now that each rep is vital. There’s never a middle ground when that competition comes. You either sink and you can’t do it or you rise to the top and there really is no in-between. And as that competition continues to heat up, it’ll shake itself out. …

“At the end of this thing, they’ll know who the best one is. They may not want to admit it to themselves but they all know, just as much as the rest of the team knows, this is the best guy, he’s the one that needs to run out there first.”

Continued below...

Confirming the news we broke yesterday, 2020 ATH Koy Moore announced his commitment to USC via Twitter right now.

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Tailback Stephen Carr speaks to the media for the first time since being sidelined by a back injury prior to spring practice.

Video: Stephen Carr Interview

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New job. World traveler. Looking for ideas from posters. I cut the dish cord. May just pay for sling with pac 12 for 4 months. Whatcha got?

The quarterbacks bounced back today from their uneven play Saturday, thanks to better protection and better composure from all of three of them. They definitely aren’t where they need to be yet, but the improvement from Day 2 is a promising sign.

JT Daniels: B+
There are times when Daniels’s anticipation and accuracy create collective “whoa” moments across the practice field and you really see why he’s special. His best throw of the day came on a corner route to Tyler Petite during the first team session, right into the tight end’s hands and out of reach of the DB on his hip. He flashed on a lot of other throws throughout the day, hitting two perfect back shoulder fades to Tyler Vaughns and Devon Williams, two great scrambling throws to tight ends, and a wild deep ball to Michael Pittman that was either a product of great chemistry or a lot of luck and a great adjustment by Pittman. Good as he was for much of the day, lots of the issues that marred his performance Saturday were still present. He made a few mind-numbing decisions, throwing balls into tight man coverage, including a streak to a double covered Amon-Ra St. Brown that was at best a prayer. Cleaning up some of those decisions, along with getting the ball out of his hands faster would be steps to look for in his progression in the coming weeks.

Matt Fink: B-
For the third straight day, there’s not many glaring criticisms to pile on Fink- the problem is that there aren’t many praises to be sung for him either. He continues to be solid, doing a good job checking down and taking safe throws, and drops definitely took some nice plays from him today. A beautifully thrown streak into the end zone slipped straight through Josh Imatorbhebe’s hands, along with a well thrown deep out that bricked off the gloves of Josh Falo. Fink’s problems come more from the things he doesn’t do. There were a number of plays where he ignored or failed to see receivers open deep or in good position at 10-15 yards, electing to take checkdowns instead. I said on Saturday that I wanted to see more gunslinging from him- though the throw to Imatorbhebe seemed like a good start, I’m still waiting on that from him. Another solid but unspectacular day from him.

Jack Sears: B-
Off the bat, this grade needs a disclaimer; it’s borne more out of the lack of good snaps Sears got (literally) than his own miscues. A bevy of bad snaps from multiple centers in the first team session sabotaged his reps, cutting into his already limited opportunities. When he did get the ball in his hands, Sears held his own well, recovering a long way from his rough performance on day 2. He had two badly missed throws on the day, totally jacking balls to receivers open short, but for the most part he did a good job delivering on underneath routes. He made one of the best plays of the day though, hitting Josh Imatorbhebe on a stop-and-go route with a perfectly placed ball straight to the end zone. We’ve long known that Sears’s best trait is his ability to sling the ball deep- plays like this give him his best shot to compete for the starting job. Sears took off on a surprising number of QB runs today as well, which he did well enough on for the most part. Today was a good step forward for him- now it’s to be seen whether he can get more consistent with his intermediate balls and hit some more of the home run plays he has a penchant for.

Been almost a month. I know Chris had some issues with a sick Aunt and Adam had some issues (but good ones) as well. If you do one soon you may be able to keep it under 3 hours. lol

Fight On!

Hey guys, over at Cal Rivals we just created a profile for 2021 power forward Nathan Bittle out of Crater High School in Central Point, Oregon. Cal offered him tonight. His other offers are Oregon, Portland, Tulane, and USC. Just thought I would pass this on. Login to view embedded media