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.
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.
