Notes and observations from Wednesday's practice ...
USC was in shells and shorts, which is typical for Wednesday workouts by the middle of the season.
11-on-11:
Whitney makes a catch near the sideline and heads up field but Uchenna Nwosu catches him from behind and clubs the ball out. Whitney goes down and doesn't return. (We learned later he injured his clavicle but Clay Helton is hopeful he'll be able to play Saturday.)
Delvon Simmons registers a sack.
Antwaun Woods follows with a sack.
Leon McQuay got some work with the first team.
***
Adoree' Jackson breaks up a pass. (He spent the majority of practice on D but did spend a little time on O. Helton said later Jackson played too many snaps vs. Washington and that he will give more consideration to the plays he's involved in on offense and special teams. In other words, big plays will likely result in decreased snaps away from D. Helton made it clear his impact at cornerback is the priority.)
Jalen Greene catches a crossing route.
Deontay Burnett catches a slant.
Kevon Seymour stays with JuJu Smith-Schuster on a crossng route. He's moving around significantly better than he was two weeks ago, even last week.
***
Lamar Dawson plugs a tight end screen.
Greene goes up high and catches a long jump ball for a touchdown over John Plattenburg. Max Browne spun out of a potential sack from Isaiah Langley and made a great throw to give Greene a shot.
Dominic Davis catches a swing pass and takes it for a long gain.
Cody Kessler hits Burnett on an out.
***
Kessler follows with another strong throw to Greene deep to the left side.
Kessler squeezes one in late to Hampton, who makes sure to get a foot in bounds. He might have been the final read on the play. Excellent sequence from Kessler. (Helton made it a point to commend Hampton afterward. You wonder if his role will change under Helton. He'd become almost non-existent under Sark and appeared pretty discouraged, understandably so.)
Ronald Jones II nicely picks up a block, buying time for Kessler to take a shot downfield. (He just missed Greene.) Jones has been working hard to improve in this area.
Quinton Powell stretches out and picks off Cody Kessler and returns it for a TD. Powell perfectly read it as Kessler telegraphed his throw to a tight end.
Kessler hits Jones in the middle of the field for a short pass. This is another area Jones is working to improve in.
***
Practice went the typical two hours. The mood has been business as usual. These players are resilient.
Helton revealed that the team (and their families) watched the 30 for 30 doc "Trojan War" on Tuesday night.
"You really see how powerful 'SC is and the brand of 'SC and how special this place is," he said. "There's no other place like it in the world. You got to see how success is made, and it's made right here on this practice field. That's what I took away from it."
USC was in shells and shorts, which is typical for Wednesday workouts by the middle of the season.
11-on-11:
Whitney makes a catch near the sideline and heads up field but Uchenna Nwosu catches him from behind and clubs the ball out. Whitney goes down and doesn't return. (We learned later he injured his clavicle but Clay Helton is hopeful he'll be able to play Saturday.)
Delvon Simmons registers a sack.
Antwaun Woods follows with a sack.
Leon McQuay got some work with the first team.
***
Adoree' Jackson breaks up a pass. (He spent the majority of practice on D but did spend a little time on O. Helton said later Jackson played too many snaps vs. Washington and that he will give more consideration to the plays he's involved in on offense and special teams. In other words, big plays will likely result in decreased snaps away from D. Helton made it clear his impact at cornerback is the priority.)
Jalen Greene catches a crossing route.
Deontay Burnett catches a slant.
Kevon Seymour stays with JuJu Smith-Schuster on a crossng route. He's moving around significantly better than he was two weeks ago, even last week.
***
Lamar Dawson plugs a tight end screen.
Greene goes up high and catches a long jump ball for a touchdown over John Plattenburg. Max Browne spun out of a potential sack from Isaiah Langley and made a great throw to give Greene a shot.
Dominic Davis catches a swing pass and takes it for a long gain.
Cody Kessler hits Burnett on an out.
***
Kessler follows with another strong throw to Greene deep to the left side.
Kessler squeezes one in late to Hampton, who makes sure to get a foot in bounds. He might have been the final read on the play. Excellent sequence from Kessler. (Helton made it a point to commend Hampton afterward. You wonder if his role will change under Helton. He'd become almost non-existent under Sark and appeared pretty discouraged, understandably so.)
Ronald Jones II nicely picks up a block, buying time for Kessler to take a shot downfield. (He just missed Greene.) Jones has been working hard to improve in this area.
Quinton Powell stretches out and picks off Cody Kessler and returns it for a TD. Powell perfectly read it as Kessler telegraphed his throw to a tight end.
Kessler hits Jones in the middle of the field for a short pass. This is another area Jones is working to improve in.
***
Practice went the typical two hours. The mood has been business as usual. These players are resilient.
Helton revealed that the team (and their families) watched the 30 for 30 doc "Trojan War" on Tuesday night.
"You really see how powerful 'SC is and the brand of 'SC and how special this place is," he said. "There's no other place like it in the world. You got to see how success is made, and it's made right here on this practice field. That's what I took away from it."
