Heads up!


Here's How to Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower This Weekend
By Laura Geggel, Senior Writer | August 10, 2018 06:53am ET


Jason Weingart captures shooting stars during the Persied meteor shower on Aug. 14, 2016 in Big Bend National Park in Terlingua, Texas.
Credit: Jason Weingart/Barcroft Images/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

The Perseid meteor shower is almost here, meaning that it's nearly time to head outside and lift your eyes toward the heavens, where you can gaze upon hundreds of shooting stars lighting up the night sky. The meteor shower is expected to peak this weekend, on Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 11 and 12).

And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to get a good view, or even to wish upon a shooting star (or several dozen of them).

"All you've got to do is go outside, find a nice dark spot, lie flat on your back and look up," Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, told Live Science previously. "You don't want binoculars. You don't want a telescope. You just use your eyes." [Perseid Meteor Shower 2018: When, Where & How to See It]

This year's show is expected to be especially stunning, in part, because the moon will be a thin crescent and will set early, leaving a dark night sky for stargazing, reported Space.com, a Live Science sister site. And even though there won't be as many shooting stars as in past years — in 2016, for example, there were as many as 200 visible meteors per hour — there will still be a boatload this weekend, with as many as 60 to 70 meteors per hour during its peak, Cooke told Space.com.

That's way more than on a typical night, when just a handful of meteors per hour whiz by, according to NASA.

So, why are Earthlings treated to such a dazzling display of light during the Perseids? It's all because of the Comet Swift-Tuttle, which zooms close to Earth during its 133-year journey around the sun. When it last passed by in 1992, this comet left a trail of stony grit, NASA reported.

Every summer, Earth ploughs through this thick trail (this year, it entered the trail on July 17, and it will exit on Aug. 24), allowing some of the comet's ancient debris to enter and burn up in our planet's atmosphere. As the space rocks burn, they create a bright streak of light known as meteors, or shooting stars.

Our planet will plough through the densest and dustiest part of the trail this weekend. While the Perseid meteor shower will be visible on Saturday night, the real show comes on Sunday, with peak shooting star activityhappening the night of Aug. 12 to 13.

Here are some tips for star-searchers:

-The meteor shower is more visible from the Northern Hemisphere and some mid-southern latitudes, so people in the United States will have a prime view.

-Escape from city lights and find a nice, dark spot, so you'll be able to see the fainter meteors, Cooke said.

-Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark sky."Don't expect to walk outside and see Perseids," Cooke said.

-The best time to see the Perseids is after 2 a.m. local time, when the Perseus constellation is high in the sky, Space.com reported.

-Ditch the binoculars and telescope. You'll want to see the whole night sky, and that equipment will only reduce your field of view.

-Photographers planning to snap nighttime shots should set up their camera on a tripod. Then, take a long-exposure shot, lasting from a few seconds to a minute. But don't go longer than that, otherwise you'll pick up the rotation of the stars, which could block out streaks from shooting stars, Cooke said.

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havent heard any news if he got picked up, how’s he doing, and the future.

No clue if Big Hawk still round either??

I know he’s gonna land on his feet and contribute in some way during his matured years.

Thanks for everything CHawk!

Good write-up about the Qb competition at the scrimmage. No more excuses for FInk or Sears. No more of Helton downplaying Sears or wr's dropping Fink's passes on " purpose ".

I wrote this on a separate thread instead of responding on Adam's thread because I have been apparently blocked from responding to Adam's threads per normal....an "error" pops up when I try to respond. Oh well.

The record for the highest wave surfed goes down.


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Throw out the two man race I was talking to only a few days ago. Today’s mock game at the Coliseum blew open the gap between JT Daniels and his competitors. Both of the returning quarterbacks had a shaky day, while the freshman dominated from the second he took the first snap. Things could change- if Daniels somehow falls off a mental cliff and Sears is possessed by the spirit of 2005 Matt Leinart this might become a real competition again. Barring that unlikely possibility, everyone who saw today’s mock game after the last week of practice knows that Daniels is head and shoulders above his competition at this point.

JT Daniels: A

10-12. 4 touchdowns. 0 Interceptions. Daniels was every bit the freak of a quarterback we saw at Mater Dei today, threading needles left and right and launching bombs for deep touchdowns through the entirety of his reps. He let his arm talent ooze all over the place, hitting Keyshawn Young on a 15 yard out between two defenders, and again on two incredibly well thrown fly routes to Amon-Ra St. Brown. His connection with St. Brown looked unstoppable, hooking up with the receiver on a number of ridiculous throws and catches. He hit St. Brown on what was probably the best play of camp so far on a post route where the ball went straight to the receiver in the back of the endzone, between and over two defenders, all from 40 yards out. He tossed two more touchdowns on the day, on a 15 yard stop-and-go to St. Brown and a 40 yard post to Velus Jones. There’s almost nothing to knock about his day- the two throws he missed were admittedly badly placed balls that he should’ve completed, but that’s a minor gripe in light of what he did throughout the session. The only thing I can really find that makes me a bit uncomfortable is the willingness he had to launch some of those insane needle-threading throws like the ones to St. Brown in the endzone or Keyshawn Young on the out route. Those are throws that can very easily become turnovers if the quarterback isn’t 100% perfect. However, he was pretty much perfect today, so I can’t hold that against him. Honestly a spectacular performance that probably won him the job.

Jack Sears: B-

Jack Sears keeps teasing us with the potential for great things before inevitably finding a new issue to get stuck on. Following his impressive performances the last few days, on the day when a strong performance could’ve helped him most, he seemed to forget how to respond to a pass rush. He kept bailing the pocket early, taking plenty of sacks he could’ve avoided, and failed to move well inside the pocket to find guys open downfield. At times it was frustrating to watch, as Sears would run around the backfield till inevitably getting run into instead of sliding up in the pocket and making a throw. It wasn’t all bad though; when Sears did manage to get the ball out of his hands today he actually did a pretty good job of getting things done. He completed almost all of his balls, his only incompletions coming on throw aways. He didn’t turn the ball over, and added two touchdowns, the second of which was a beauty of a deep ball 40 yards downfield for Josh Imatorbhebhe which the receiver then took to the endzone. Sears isn’t playing badly by any stretch of the imagination- he’s improved vastly since the Spring and has shown flashes of brilliance throughout camp. Unfortunately, today was the wrong day to slip up and Sears definitely lost his footing. It’ll be really hard for him to make up the difference between him and Daniels at this point.

Matt Fink: C+

At this point in the competition, after watching the quarterbacks throw for a week, we can safely conclude that Matt Fink is what he is- a pedestrian passer with great wheels. He isn’t anything more or less- he’s not going to take the top off a defense or thread a ball to a receiver by the sideline twenty yards downfield between two defenders. He’ll take open throws and hit them, he won’t turn the ball over a lot, and he’ll make you some plays with his feet but you’re not going to get much more from him. Today cemented that profile for me. He made some okay throws intermediate, took a lot of checkdowns, and completed most of his balls. There wasn’t a wow play like we saw with the other guys, and he came the closest to turning it over, throwing a screen pass straight into the hands of Olaijah Griffin who couldn’t hang on to it. Fink is a fine player, but it’s really not fair to say he’s competing at the level of the other two quarterbacks fighting for the job.

USC ran about 65 plays from scrimmage Saturday at the Coliseum. Here were my impressions:

Aside from the exploits of JT Daniels and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the defense exhibited a good amount of control. We saw the secondary in good position on some of the offense's best plays. Sometimes the quarterback and/or receiver are just better. A lot of USC's future opponents will learn that the hard way very soon.

The defensive front offered a series of looks and really made the other two QBs uncomfortable. (A big part of Daniels' game is getting the ball out quick.) There were a few series where the offense basically went three-and-out. The two players who appeared to make the biggest impact were Jay Tufele and Kana'i Mauga. Clay Helton said afterward that Tufele is "probably the guy that may be having the best camp of anybody."

That's a tough call. Mauga, for what it's worth has been about as good. He had two tackles for loss Saturday, including a sack. He also drove tight end Josh Falo back on one passing play that resulted in another sack.

Tufele had two sacks himself, and Helton said he was likely the cause of more. The defense collected eight sacks total and a handful of tackles for loss on run plays. Other players who made plays at the line of scrimmage included Liam Jimmons (twice), Hunter Echols (twice), Malik Dorton (twice), Christian Rector, Juliano Falaniko, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Raymond Scott and Isaac Taylor-Stuart.

The run game isn't where it needs to be, but it wasn't completely shut down. Vavae Malepeai had about a 25-yard run. Aca'Cedric Ware had a long run up the middle, and Markese Stepp had a 20-yard run. (Matt Fink also scrambled for a big gain.) We didn't see much Stephen Carr today. The more pressing issue is probably pass protection. I thought it was often poor, though a couple of the sacks were the result of good coverage and the QB holding the ball too long. Jack Sears was a repeat offender of the latter.

Tajwar went in depth on the QBs, but I'll add here that the offense didn't reach the end zone when Fink was in. Sears threw a pair of touchdowns, though one came after a series that would have resulted in a punt only his unit was given a new series of downs. The other TD came in the two-minute drill, which Sears led superbly. He found three different receivers, including Falo three times, the last being a dart over the middle for a 15-yard TD.

"His performance thus far in camp from where he was in the spring to where he is now has taken leaps," Helton said afterward.

He's not being diplomatic either. Sears, who completed 7 of 10 passes (but was sacked four times), has improved as much as anyone on offense over the course of the year. USC would be fortunate to have him as its backup QB once Daniels is named the starter. I just wouldn't expect him to stay.

USC has Sunday off and will resume practice Monday. For now, check out all of our coverage from the scrimmage and all of training camp in Training Camp Central. I also plan to post interviews from Clancy Pendergast, Christian Rector, Jordan Iosefa and Kana'i Mauga on Sunday, and a projected depth chart through the halfway point of camp.

JT was like 10-12 with 4 Touchdowns. Sears threw 2 but man if JT continues to play like that, it's a wrap!


Fight On!

Researchers Find Source of Strange 'Negative' Gravity
By Rafi Letzter, Staff Writer | August 10, 2018 01:06pm ET

Scientists have long thought of soundwaves as massless, and this image of the sound waves surrounding a supersonic jet sure look that way. But new research suggests that isn't quite the case.
Credit: Shutterstock
Sound has negative mass, and all around you it's drifting up, up and away — albeit very slowly.

That's the conclusion of a paper submitted on July 23 to the preprint journal arXiv, and it shatters the conventional understanding that researchers have long had of sound waves: as massless ripples that zip through matter, giving molecules a shove but ultimately balancing any forward or upward motion with an equal and opposite downward motion. That's a straightforward model that will explain the behavior of sound in most circumstances, but it's not quite true, the new paper argues. [The Mysterious Physics of 7 Everyday Things]

A phonon — a particle-like unit of vibration that can describe sound at very small scales — has a very slight negative mass, and that means sound waves travel upward ever so slightly, said Rafael Krichevsky, a graduate student in physics at Columbia University.

Phonons aren't particles of the sort most people typically imagine, like atoms or molecules, said Krichevsky, who published the paper along with Angelo Esposito, a graduate student in physics at Columbia University, and Alberto Nicolis, an associate physics professor at Columbia.

When sound moves through air it vibrates the molecules around it, but that vibration can't be easily described by the movement of the molecules themselves, Krichevsky told Live Science in an email.

Instead, just as light waves can be described as photons, or a particles of light, phonons are a way to describe sound waves that emerge from the complicated interactions of the fluid molecules, Krichevsky said. No physical particle emerges, but researchers can use the mathematics of particles to describe it.

And it turns out, the researchers showed, these emergent phonons have a tiny mass — meaning that when gravity tugs on them, they move in the opposite direction.

"In a gravitational field phonons slowly accelerate in the opposite direction that you would expect, say, a brick to fall," Krichevsky said.

To understand how this might work, imagine a normal fluid in which gravity acts downward. Fluid particles will compress the particles below it, so that it's slightly denser lower down. Physicists already know that sound typically moves faster through denser media than through less-dense media — so the speed of sound above a phonon will be slower than the speed of sound through the slightly denser particles below it. That causes the phonon to "deflect" upward, Krichevsky said.

This process happens with large-scale sound waves, too, Krichevsky said. That includes every bit of sound that comes out of your mouth — albeit only very slightly. Over a long-enough distance, the sound of you saying "hello" would bend upward into the sky.

The effect is too tiny to measure with existing technology, the researchers wrote in the new paper, which has not been peer-reviewed.

But it's not impossible that, down the road, a very precise measurement could be made using super-precise clocks that would detect the slight curvature of a phonon's path. (The New Scientist suggested heavy-metal music would be a fun candidate for such an experiment in their original report on the subject.)

And there are real consequences to this discovery, the researcher wrote. In the dense cores of neutron stars, where sound waves move at nearly the speed of light, an anti-gravitational sound wave should have real effects on the whole star's behavior.

For now, though, this is entirely theoretical — something to ponder as sound falls upward all around us.

USC held its first full scrimmage Saturday in the Coliseum. Here’s the news from the day.

Injuries:
WR Josh Imatorbhebhe sprained his ankle after making a fabulous catch down the sideline on a long throw from Jack Sears. Imatorbhebhe was in the process of eluding two tackles when he began to hobble, though he impressively continued running and scored, about 70 yards from the line of scrimmage. He walked off the field in a boot.

CB Greg Johnson went down trying to make a tackle late in the scrimmage. Coach Helton didn’t mention his injury, but the corner seemed to be limping on his left leg as he was taken to the sideline.

DE Caleb Tremblay suffered a stinger during individual drills and was held out for the rest of practice.

LB Cam Smith, RT Chuma Edoga, WR Michael Pittman, S Ykili Ross, TE Erik Krommenhoek, DL Jacob Lichtenstein, LB Levi Jones, CB Je'Quari Godfrey and LB Solomon Tuliaupupu remained out.

Rotation Notes

-Isaiah Pola-Mao took reps with the first team at strong safety, a role that’s been occupied by Bubba Bolden for most of camp. We’d seen him play that spot with the first team on occasion, but seeing him take snaps there in the mock game was an interesting development.

-Imatorbhebhe started at wide receiver in the place of a dinged up Pitman. We’ll see how that situation plays out, but it’s worth noting that he was given the starting spot in the absence of Pittman.

-Kana’i Mauga continued to start at outside linebacker today, with the group being shuffled around in the absence of Smith and Porter Gustin. He looked absolutely phenomenal, dominating off the edge throughout the day. When the group is healthy again it’s hard to see a spot on the starting lineup for him, but he’s definitely making a bid for significant snaps during the season.

-Dominic Davis played with the second team defense for the first time this camp, running at the nickel back spot. We’d seen Chase Williams and a few other players try out that role, but Davis got the nod for today’s mock game. He didn’t perform great, missing some tackles and getting beat on some throws, but it’s tough to adjust to a role like that so quickly. His performance there is worth keeping an eye on in the future.

-Tyler Vaughns, Ajene Harris and Amon-Ra St. Brown all took turns returning punts today. Vaughns and Harris both handled some returns last year, while St. Brown did the same in high school.

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Yet ,one analyst on here says he has been erratic lately and has been attempting to praise Fink more and suggesting wr's are dropping his passes more than for the other qb's. I note that VJ does not discriminate when he drops passes, which is quite often. I do not post often and I greatly appreciate all the hard work AM does here so please do not take this personally and shut me out from responding. I have been following Rivals for over 20 years and have been on this site for many years. I have a very fair amount of experience working with pro athletes and analyzing situational perfomances.

For those of you that lead boring lives like me and don't have anything else planned for a Friday night.

So I’m assuming he will be out 2-5 weeks as well? Same level tear? Same type surgery?

Thursday’s practice in the Coliseum was the best day the USC quarterbacks have had in camp so far. They avoided bad mistakes the whole day, along with appearing noticeably more confident and collected throughout the practice. Hopefully today’s showing is more representative of what this group can be than Tuesday’s.

JT Daniels: B

The freshman seemed to get his rhythm back, looking more like the guy we saw the first few days of camp. He completed almost every ball in 7 on 7s, including a beautiful deep touchdown to Stephen Carr over two defenders, and carried over that confidence into team reps. He wasn’t as sharp in that 11-on-11 session, throwing a bad ball to a blanketed St. Brown on a streak and missing an open Ced Ware on a wheel route, but impressed nonetheless.

He did a great job finding the open man and taking shots down the field, including a gorgeous streak to the endzone for St. Brown, which the receiver just barely dropped as he hit the ground. Daniels looked like he’s right where he wants to be at this point as a thrower, with great accuracy and touch. A little cleanup on his decision making, along with making it quicker, could make the job his in the coming weeks.

Jack Sears: A-

Jack Sears impressed for the second day in a row to earn my first “A” grade of camp so far. His ability to get the ball anywhere to any spot was never in question-his teammates have always raved about the cannon attached to his shoulder and we’ve seen it for ourselves. It was his decision making and ball placement that was suspect, and throughout the spring and the first few days of camp it seemed like that wasn’t changing. Yesterday and today however, Sears has looked like he’s ready to leave that behind him. He looked fantastic today, missing only one throw on the entire day in 7-on-7s and the team session.

He did a great job moving through his reads to find the open man, making impressive passes to receivers at the intermediate level and checking down to smart throws underneath when those weren’t available. Sear’s showed off the arm strength that’s been his calling card as well, tossing a gorgeous bomb into the endzone for St. Brown. Daniels is leading the quarterback competition at this point and no one will tell you otherwise. If Sears continues to look like this though, this race could get much, much tighter.

Matt Fink: B

Fink had himself a good day today, once again refraining from making any bad mistakes and remaining consistent throughout his reps. He did a great job checking through his reads today much like Sears, something I didn’t think I’d seen much of from either of them coming into today. He made good decisions underneath, keeping the ball away from danger as he mostly got it into the hands of his backs and tight ends on intermediate and short routes. What impressed me most in his performance today though was his willingness to try to stretch the field, something I’ve been bemoaning the lack of in his game for about a week now.

He wasn’t perfect by any means, throwing into tough coverage and misplacing a few balls, but he also had his moments, like a beautiful streak to Velus Jones that the receiver unfortunately couldn’t corral. At this point, the misses deep aren’t that big of a deal. The fact that Fink is finally taking those shots makes him a lot more palatable as a potential starter, and he’ll only get better at those throws as he practices them more.

Speculation is is that Urbie will at worst receive a 3 game suspension... The head coach has already stated that his only obligation is to the Buckeye family....

USC offensive line coach Neil Callaway is a man of few words. He didn't fail to disappoint when we caught up with him Thursday following USC's practice at the Coliseum. We also spoke with receiver Tyler Vaughns and QBs coach Bryan Ellis.

OL COACH NEIL CALLAWAY
--on the competition at left tackle through one week
"It’s going well. We’re letting everybody compete. We’ll makes some decisions after two weeks and go from there."

--on the growth of Austin Jackson after one year in the program
"Mentally, he’s way ahead of where he was last year, learning and knowing everything, so he’s doing good."

--on how Clayton Bradley has performed in camp
"He’s gotten better. Again, it’s been well by both of them. They both have done well and we’re letting the competition continue and we’ll see how it works out. ... The last couple days (Clayton's) had to go at right because of Chuma (Edoga) not being there, but he's done well."

--on whether the competition at left tackle is really tight
"Yeah. It's Coach Helton’s call. But I imagine it’ll go about another week and we’ll try to decide what’s what."

--on Toa Lobendahn's struggles with snapping the ball
"He’s just a little rusty but he’ll be fine."

--on whether the issue is more mental or physical
"I just think he’s just a little rusty."

--on how Andrew Vorhees has fared of late
"He's had a good camp. Great kid. Works hard, very conscientious."

--on if not having Edoga available has been disruptive
"Not really. Clayton's done well, so not really, no."

--on whether hes' been pleased with the O-line in camp
"I think we've gotten better. It's been pretty consistent. I think we're OK."

--on if the O-line is further along with run blocking or pass protection
"About the same. I don't think there's a difference. We've thrown the ball more this camp than we've thrown it. But I think it's been about the same."

***
WR TYLER VAUGHNS
--on how JT Daniels is playing
"He came in knowledgeable. He's just clicking with the offense. The quarterbacks brought him in, got him on the same page with everybody. He came in with the swagger, like, I belong here. Once you carry yourself like that you have to put that on the field and he’s shown that day in and day out. So we’re just trying to see how far he can take it. It all about consistency."

--on what he likes about him in particular
"Everything he does is well. He’s a very smart quarterback and knows how to do everything that you need in a really good quarterback. Just the plays he makes, how he throws the ball, his knowledge of the game is good."

--on their timing
"That just comes from his playmaking ability. We all threw in the summer, we got used to each other, so that really helped. But just coming out here and playing, trying to go against the defense, going full speed, nothing is slow, so that’s why.”

--on his ball placement
“There’s not too many quarterbacks out there that can throw back shoulders or any type of sideline-to-sideline ball and all our quarterbacks can do that. They’re competing with each other every day so I think that’s really helping them in their throwing. The recent practices they’ve been going back and forth with each other.”

--on the focus of the receivers in the midst of a QB competition
"Keeping everything the same, so that everyone sees the same view. We’re trying to get on the same page as the quarterbacks, get the timing down."

--on his personal points of emphasis in camp
"Strength in my legs, route running, getting out of my breaks even faster."

--on his first impressions of Amon-Ra St. Brown
"He’s been making plays like the one he made (Thursday) in the back of the end zone. Just plays like that, as a freshman, you really don’t see that too often. It’s real high level."

USC had a light, brief practice today in preparation for Saturday's scrimmage in the Coliseum. The players went without pads and worked on a lot of situational drills and special teams. There were no 11-on-11s, 7-on-7s or even 1-on-1s. (There won't be any QB grades because the QBs didn't attempt any passes against a defense. Sorry, guys. Definitely tomorrow.)

Coach Clay Helton announced freshman linebacker Palaie Gaoteote suffered a slight tear in his meniscus and will miss 2-4 weeks. He's scheduled to have surgery Monday. PG attended today's practice sporting the same sleeve he wore Thursday on his right knee. He'd been working exclusively with the second team this week, taking reps at both middle and weakside linebacker.

It’s a bit of a blow since inside linebacker is one of USC’s thinnest positions and Gaoteote was a candidate to spell Cam Smith when Jordan Iosefa is playing outside, which is where Clancy Pendergast wants to start him.

Helton said Porter Gustin's surgery went "phenomenal." Gustin attended Friday's practice with no crutches, much of his left leg wrapped in athletic tape.

"He just got a unique mindset and he's one of those guys that rehabs extremely hard," Helton said. "He's out here 24 hours a day getting it right and he wants to get back as soon as possible."

Helton added that he actually has cautioned Gustin about re-injuring himself while rehabbing his injury.

"He's a guy that you always make sure is not doing too much," he said. "I told him to worry about his health and worry about being a coach."

As he said that, Gustin was off in the distance tutoring freshman linebacker Eli'jah Winston, a good 20 minutes after practice had ended. Gustin could be seen offering tips to Winston throughout practice as well.

Several players remained out, including LB Cam Smith, S Ykili Ross, WR Michael Pittman, OL Chuma Edoga, TE Erik Krommenhoek, DL Jacob Lichtenstein, LB Levi Jones, CB Je'Quari Godfrey and LB Solomon Tuliaupupu. Doesn't appear that any of these injuries are serious. (I wanted to ask about Solo, but Helton's presser was a bit short today. Will try to get an update on him soon.)

New offensive tackle Bernard Schirmer worked on the side with a trainer. I don't know that he was necessarily injured. He could just be getting acclimated still.

Helton said he's instructed Tee Martin to call about a 50-50 split between run and pass plays Saturday. When I asked whether the O-line would be under the microscope tomorrow -- you could argue it's as important of a day for them as it is the QBs -- Helton said he was really pleased with their play in the run period during Wednesday's mini scrimmage and reiterated his belief that the O-line is two deep. That might be. I think they still need to prove their one deep first, though.

What's evident is that Helton feels better about his current situation at tackle, where Clayton Bradley has filled in well on the right side with Edoga out, and Austin Jackson has impressed in his first extended stretch of practices with the first team.

"You even see Austin's personality starting to show, which is good," Helton said. "He's going to be a young leader for us."

Helton estimated USC will run 60-plus plays Saturday and the entire practice will be live. The scrimmage is closed to the public.

I caught up with DE/OLB Christian Rector, LB Kana'i Mauga, Iosefa and Pendergast after practice. I'll have transcripts on them posted later.

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Coach Clay Helton announced Wednesday that outside linebacker Porter Gustin will be sidelined 2-5 weeks for a partially torn meniscus in his left knee. Soures told us he is projected to miss 4-6 weeks, which would likely keep him out of two games and up to as many as four, assuming a normal recovery.

He’s scheduled to have surgery Thursday.

USC’s first four opponents: Sept. 1 vs. UNLV, Sept. 8 at Stanford, Sept 15 at Texas, Sept. 21 vs. Washington State.

One silver lining is USC is seemingly set up to deal with Gustin’s absence. Christian Rector excelled at Predator last season before breaking his hand, and Clancy Pendergast told me strong-side linebacker Jordan Iosefa, who has experience at Predator, can line up at any of the four linebacker spots. (He specifically said that Iosefa knows the defense as well as anyone on the team.) Freshman Kana’i Mauga has gotten reps at Predator as well recently and 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. Jay Tufele and Liam Jimmoms are both capable of playing inside and outside, while defensive tackles Brandon Pili and Marlon Tuipulotu are coming off their best practices in training camp. Caleb Tremblay appears to be emerging as another viable alternative at defensive end.

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football program. It's pretty ugly but brings up some interesting talking points in terms of strength and conditioning training, player development, culture, etc.

http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...rapins-football-culture-toxic-coach-dj-durkin

USC practiced in the Coliseum for the first time in about a year. It was in shells and was understandably milder than Wednesday's scrimmage. I thought it was pretty competitive nonetheless.

We got our first look at the development of the Scholarship Tower. I snapped a photo and it accompanies this story on the homepage. Curious to know what you guys think of it. (The tower, not my photo.) This was also our first venture on the new field turf. Was nice and soft. Had much more of a grass feel than a track one.

Here's the news rundown from today:

A few players did not practice, presumably because of injuries suffered in the scrimmage.

Freshman LB Palaie Gaoteote was sidelined with a knee injury and will have an MRI. Sporting a sleeve on his right knee, he stood in the deep middle behind the defense during 11-on-11s and took mental reps. Don't think I've seen a lot of injured guys do that, especially freshmen.

WR Michael Pittman did not finish Thursday's practice after suffering an AC sprain. Those typically keep guys out for just a day or two.

LB John Houston was pulled after banging knees with Ced Ware.

LB Levi Jones, who had just returned Wednesday after being out with chest issues, was out with an ankle injury.

CB Chase Williams, who went down briefly during the scrimmage, was out.

DL Jacob Lichtenstein was sidelined because of a calf muscle.

LB Cam Smith (hamstring), S Ykili Ross (hamstring) and RT Chuma Edoga (hip) remained out.

QB JT Daniels is wearing a glove on his non-throwing hand as a precaution because of a bent fingernail.

***

I asked Clay Helton if, after reviewing film from the scrimmage, any of the three quarterbacks stood out to him. Was particularly curious to hear his answer because it at least seemed like it was Sears' day, or that he had a pretty good one. Not the biggest deal -- each QB has his days. But we haven't heard Helton single Sears out much, despite what I'd consider an encouraging start to training camp for the redshirt freshman. Some observers think he's been better than JT Daniels. I'd say they've probably been about even.

Anyway, I made sure not to lead Helton with my question and his response was basically that all of them made quick decisions Wednesday (and Thursday) and he was proud of them as a whole. I could totally be reading too much into this, but I don't think it's a good sign for Sears that when he appears to be a notch above his peers on a given day it's not verified by the staff. We've definitely heard glowing reviews for Daniels already in his brief tenure.

Helton praised WR Tyler Vaughns for building his strength over the past year and adding necessary weight. He's at about 190 pounds.

***
1-on-1s (WRs vs. DBs):

• Josh Imatorbhebe beats Olaijah Griffin on a post
• Isaac Taylor-Stuart covers Amon Ra St. Brown's fade route well and secures an INT
• Velus Jones beats Biggie Marshall inside
  
• Isaiah Langley forces an incompletion to Vaughns
• Michael Pittman beats Olaijah Griffin inside
• Devon William beats Langley on a slant -- great route, great separation
• Biggie breaks up a post to Trevon Sidney
• Josh Imatorbhebe high points the ball over Ajene Harris in the back corner of the end zone
• Greg Johnson covers Tyler Vaughns on an incomplete fade route
• Keyshawn Young beats Griffin on a slant
• Biggie breaks up a fade to Pittman
• St. Brown shakes Langley badly for an easy catch
• Velus beats Marvell Tell on a short out
• Imatorbhebe catches a fade over Griffin
• Taylor-Stuart forces an incompletion on a fade to Devon Williams
• Sidney catches a slant against Bubba Bolden
• Vaughns catches a slant against Johnson
• Young catches a short arrow route against Alene
• Biggie breaks up a slant to Imatorbhebe
• Randal Grimes makes an outstanding catch in the back of the end zone over Langley, leaping over the senior CB
• Isaiah Pola-Mao nearly intercepts a pass to Sidney downfield

11-on-11s:
Daniels got the majority of first-team reps and overall reps. As I’ve mentioned before, the QBs are rotating in that regard each day, although I wonder if that will continue past Saturday's scrimmage. This can't go on for all of camp. Right?

While Daniels was lauded early in camp for pinpoint precision, his accuracy has been a bit erratic of late. Very hit or miss, I'd say. Today he threw behind an open Ware in the flats and underthrew Tyler Petite. Both were plays he should (and I'm guessing will) make. He also had a pass batted behind the line by Juliano Falaniko and he made a risky throw into double coverage to St. Brown that was fortunate to not be picked off. He's gonna make some of those as well.

On the flip side, Daniels connected with Imatorbhebhe on a slant for a first down. Imatorbhebhe did a nice job after the catch, which is when he's at his best. Daniels fired a pass outside to Vaughns for a decent chunk. I'd call that easy money. He found walk-on Matt Nyman for a sizable gain. He then hit Velus open coming off a curl but it was dropped. And he threw a beautiful ball downfield that St. Brown laid out for but just couldn't hang onto. Would have been six and would have been the play of camp.

USC barely ran during its extended team period. During my conversation with Neil Callaway, he noted that they're throwing more than they have in the past. I asked why that was, assuming it's because of the young QBs, but he wouldn't tell me. But I agree that there's been a larger emphasis on the passing game. I only charted a few runs today, including a long gain from Ware, who bounced off Johnson in the process, and a short gain for Stephen Carr.

Fink was lucky to not be picked off by Langley on an underthrown deep ball to Vaughns, though Vaughns made an impressive adjustment and nearly turned the play into a big gain. Fink's next two throws also fell incomplete but they should be put into context. The first should have been a TD but went through Velus' hands. Fink put just the right amount of air under it and placed it perfectly over Velus' shoulder. One of the best throws I've seen him make. A play later, Fink surveyed the D and saw a window with Imatorbhebhe. He made a strong throw that proved to be a bit high but it was good in that it wouldn't be picked off and the receiver had a chance to make a play on it. Definitely progress, though his rep count has quietly taken a hit recently.

Sears was again the best of the three QBs today, IMO. His first pass was a 40-yard TD to St. Brown that was thrown comfortably over the top of the defense while skillfully leading St. Brown, who separated himself late in the route. (Tajwar called a touchdown once he saw Sears release it.) After misplaying a snap -- this wasn't on Toa Lobendahn -- Sears regrouped and targeted Imatorbhebhe down the middle of the field. I thought it was catchable, but it required Imatorbhebhe to slightly break from his route a little and curl inside. He didn't, so the pass fell incomplete. That was about it for Sears, who otherwise hit Ware, Carr and Velus on screens and took a couple sacks. He had virtually no time on either one.

Defensive highlights include sacks from Jordan Iosefa, Brandon Pili and Raymond Scott. (Liam Jimmons nearly had another one.) Iosefa also sniffed out a screen to Imatorbhebhe behind the line of scrimmage. Love the way Iosefa is playing right now. Sometimes I think he's just as good, if not better, inside. Clancy Pendergast has corroborated this point in the past while stating he needs him outside more. Talanoa Hufanga also had a great stop on a receiver screen.

If you’re wondering, St. Brown is still primarily lining up outside. I was told before training camp that this would be the case. I really only mention it because I am convinced that he is already the third best receiver on the team. So I am surprised that he’s not getting more work in the slot. It was a mild upset that he didn’t come down with the bomb from Daniel. I asked Helton about it afterward and he concurred, explaining how most every freshman gets big-eyes the first time they practice in the Coliseum. St. Brown looked like he’d been playing there for years.

"He's going to play a lot, early," OC Tee Martin said afterward.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that right guard Andrew Vorhees absolutely trucked a defender on a screen that ultimately didn't go anywhere. Was a welcome sight regardless.

The Trojans will be back at Howard Jones on Friday and then back in the Coliseum on Saturday for a scrimmage that Helton said would be on par with a half of football.

I'll post interviews with Callaway, Bryan Ellis and Vaughns once we can get them transcribed, and Tajwar has the QB grades.

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DL COACH KENECHI UDEZE

--On the progress of Brandon Pili, Marlon Tuipulotu and Jay Tufele after one year in the program
“I feel great with all of them because they’re competitive. Everybody really battles their butts off to get back on the field. As a coach when you have a competitive room, a lot of great stuff happens. Guys are competitive enough to where they can help the guy next to them. It’s really cool after practice when the guys stay after and really try to help Trevor Trout and try to help each other instead of just waiting for the next day and where we’re in the individual period again. So I’m not only happy with the guys developing but also developing each other.”

--If he feels comfortable with playing his line
“I feel great with them, I really do. And the best thing about watching a Brandon Pili, a Jay Tufele, a Marlon Tuipulotu, they’re all different. They all possess different special qualities. It’s really cool when we have out package and they’re all on the football field. It’s really cool to see them all attack and do what makes them special. So as a coach, you just have to keep developing, maturing them and finding different ways to make them better.”

--If the defensive front can control games
“I don’t see why not but that’s something we have to prove. We have to prove that with our first opportunity. And before you know it’s going to be here really soon and we have another following that and so forth. So all I’m really concerned about is the next day in practice because that’s what we control.”

--On shifting the whole line up in practice
“This is camp. Guys have to get reps, we have to see what they can do, what they can handle. And I never put a guy in if he’s not ready or if I don’t think he can execute at a high level. So it’s really about the guys that have proven themselves, that are competing and are trying to get the technique that we’re asking them to go in there and demonstrate and those guys are being rolled in because they’re doing a great job at it.”

--On the differences between Pili, Tuipulotu and Tufele
“Pili’s athleticism at that size, the stuff that he can do is really remarkable. With Marlon, Marlon is going to do everything right. I’m really happy and really proud of him stepping into fall camp and not missing a beat. You can’t do anything but really smile as a coach and be happy for the young man. And Jay is literally what I call the bully. He’s strong, he’s aggressive and when he puts his hands on you, he tells the story of what’s going on. They all have something really special about them and as we develop through this, they’re all just going to keep developing and adapting other abilities through the game of football. But for right now, it’s really about getting them ready on a day to day basis, having their minds right and making sure that they’re really sound. I’m a firm believer that the best football players are always the smartest.”

--On Christian Rector at defensive end
“I love it. In a realistic 4-3 defense, in the NFL, he has the end body. So I love the fact that he’s getting reps at end because he’s a natural and he moves naturally. He has a really good feel for the game, so I’m really happy that he’s getting reps all over the place. He’s a utility man, he does everything.”

--On Connor Murphy
“Connor Murphy is doing really good. I think his change of direction, his agility, with our strength and conditioning staff, with Coach (Ivan) Lewis really developing him over the summer. And you can see it in fall camp, you can see he does a great job of changing direction. You can see it year by year, he’s getting better and better and he’s moving better.”

--On Caleb Tremblay taking a jump
“Anytime you get a young guy that comes here, he doesn’t know what we’re asking to do. You can get overwhelmed, you can’t mad at them, but they don’t know what they’re doing. So you have to teach them what we’re asking them to do and then overtime, you see the changes, you see them taking the coaching and them showing up in a team setting. Now they’re defeating a man in front of them and now they’re having success and that builds confidence. So when guys are here, especially when they come and are admitted as a spring enrollee, you get that much more time to work with them, instead of just getting them in fall camp. That’s why you can see a jump from where he was in spring to where he is now.”

Looks like Rasheem is going to fit in nicely with PC's SeaHawks.

7 tackles - 3 solo - 1.5 sacks - 1 TFL

Outstanding production for his first game as a pro.