USC was in full pads Thursday. Here's a rundown of the news:
TB Vavae Malepeai (hamstring) and TE Tyler Petite (back) were full participants. This was the most work Malepeai has gotten since the beginning of spring and he shined.
WR Michael Pittman (shoulder) practiced in a non-contact jersey.
WR Josh Imatrbhebhe was limited to individuals.
ILB Raymond Scott did not finish practice after suffering an undisclosed injury.
OLB Jordan Iosefa did not practice after undergoing a root canal. He's not expected to be out long. Kana'i Mauga got some first-team reps in his place. Helton described his first step as "amazing" and praised his balance, body control and slipperiness.
TB Dominic Davis, CB Je'Quari Godfrey (hamstring), WR Randal Grimes (groin) also did not practice.
DL Jacob Lichtenstein will miss the remainder of spring because of a knee injury. Helton said it won't require surgery.
USC lined up in 3-4 for a good portion of today's team periods. Helton said this was to give the offense that look. (I actually asked Christian Rector if he thought USC would be in 3-4 more and he said probably not. I also asked if he thought the defense would line up in 3-3-5 sometimes but he didn't know. Helton intimated there are certain packages that they incorporated late last season in obvious passing situations that featured Rector with his hand in the ground while the Predator was pulled. I'm hoping someone smarter than me can explain whether that would be a 3-3-5. It's a package Helton said will be installed next week.
The USC offense also lined up in heavy packages to give the defense a different look.
We've seen good competition brewing at strong safety between Ykili Ross and Bubba Bolden. Looks like Ross, who primarily worked with the first team today, has a slight edge. If you're wondering why, we all know how much Clancy Pendergast values playbook IQ. Haven't had as many position battles as I expected, so this will perhaps be a good one to monitor.
Helton also continues to be impressed with freshman safety Talanoa Hufanga, highlighting his instincts.
Helton said OL Alijah Vera-Tucker started to emerge last fall, as he challenged the defensive line in scout team periods. He said AVT has continued to grow in spring and complimented the work of Jalen McKenzie, who's been working at offensive tackle.
Velus Jones, Ajene Harris and Tyler Vaughns claimed the punt return reps, with Velus breaking off a long return. Bolden popped Velus on a separate return.
At the end of his post-practice presser, Helton discussed the recent transformation of CB Biggie Marshall and touched upon why he hired Bryan Ellis as the QBs coach. It's worth listening to (below).
Impressions from practice:
Matt Fink had a better day today. In the first 11-on-11 period, he made a really good read and delivered a nice deep ball to Trevon Sidney behind the defense but Sidney dropped it. He made perhaps his best throw of the spring near the end of practice during 7-on-7 when he dropped in a bomb over the head of Harris and inside the hands of Velus for a TD. The execution was just perfect. Fink had a brief stretch where he struggled in 7-on-7, failing to get the ball out on one instance and then throwing well behind his intended target a play later. Greg Johnson deflected the latter.
Velus had what I'd consider a strong day, catching a few balls and mixing in a long run as well. I feel like he's really improved his body control and has his feet under him more. He might not be going
as fast as before but it would seem to be a worthwhile trade-off.
Jack Sears took the majority of first-team reps and was workmanlike. His best throw was probably a dart up the seam to Vaughns for a nice gain. Sears later tried to hit Vaughns deep but Biggie was all over it and broke it up. As Helton opined, Biggie is having a big spring.
The most encouraging sign from this practice had to be the return of Malepeai, who had at least three big plays. His cuts were sharp, he ran fast and hard, and he showed some wiggle too. You would have never known he'd been out with a hamstring. Aca'Cedric Ware had a nice run where he glided through the defense for a big gain, and he's earned rave reviews for his work in spring. But in my estimation, Malepeai is the X factor. He brings a lot of value to that backfield already with how runs between the tackles. Add to that the ability to change directions and he’s feature material.
Couple other brief observations:
- OLB Hunter Echols slammed walk-on TB Ben Easington. Echols remained in pursuit from across the field and then took Easington out.
- With each practice, Vaughns looks more and more like the team's No. 1 receiver.
- Josh Falo made a huge leap to catch a deep pass from Holden Thomas. It's exactly the type of play you want from your 6-6 tight end, and one in which I've been waiting to see more of from him.
- Juliano Falaniko had a nice sack.
- Brandon Pili is showing up against the run. A good example came at the end of practice, when Liam Jimmons, freed up by Pili clogging a gap, chased down a ball carrier in the backfield.
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RB Sean Dollars, OT Jonah Tauanu'u and QB Jayden Daniels, all Class of 2019 prospects, were in attendance.
Saturday's 10 a.m. practice will involve scrimmaging.
We have another loaded
They Said It (featuring DL coach Kenechi Udeze, DBs coach Ronnie Bradford, OLB Porter Gustin and DE Christian Rector), which might not be completed until late. We have
video interviews with DC Clancy Pendergast and LB Cam Smith as well.
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