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.
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.
