USC was in shells and shorts Tuesday. Here's a rundown of the news:
LB Jordan Iosefa suffered a knee injury and did not finish practice. Clay Helton characterized it as a twist and said it doesn't seem to be severe.
OL Chuma Edoga was pulled because of lower back pain.
DT Brandon Pili (ankle) and C Brett Neilon (ankle) remained out.
WRs Michael Pittman (shoulder), Josh Imatorbhebhe (head) and Randal Grimes (groin) were out of non-contact jerseys.
Trevon Sidney and Tyler Vaughns claimed today's kick return reps.
Impressions from practice:
It's clear that Marlon Tuipulotu is working hard in his rehab. It also seems to be important to him to remain connected to the team, which isn't always clear with players who are out for an extended period. Tuipulotu is always present, and today he ran wind sprints on Howard Jones that were in conjunction with his teammates, who ran on Brian Kennedy Field.
Marvell Tell, who by all accounts is having a good spring, broke up another pass today. I believe he's had more of those of late. USC needs its safeties to get their hands on more balls this season and ultimately intercept them. Tell, perhaps, is building toward that.
Jack Sears threw a pretty ball to the deep middle that Imatorbhebhe couldn't hang onto. Chase Williams did a good job in coverage, but it's a play Imatorbhebhe, with his leaping ability and athleticism, eventually needs to make. I asked Tee Martin about Imatorbhebhe today and he essentially said the next step for him is to dominate on a regular basis. That would seem to be a lofty goal, but more consistent performance is not. Imatorbhebhe had an excellent second week of spring ball and has been pretty quiet otherwise. There's a lot of talent in there that for whatever reason doesn't surface regularly.
Matt Fink threw a couple of balls Tuesday that ended up in no man's land. I'm talking several yards away from the closest person. Other notable reps for Fink included a first down to Vaughns and a sack by Porter Gustin in which Fink just held the ball for too long. I wasn't charting every pass but Fink might have completed a higher percentage than Sears. It was just very uneven play from both of them.
Sears had a nice play-action rollout where he hit Vaughns for a first down and he completed another strong throw over the middle to Pittman. But he finished practice on a low. One pass was batted at the line of scrimmage by Christian Rector. Another was nearly picked off by Ajene Harris, this after evading a sack, as Sears unleashed a dangerous heave down the field. His final rep was a pass to Josh Falo that was a bit high and behind the 6-6 tight end, prompting Falo to put up a hand and tip the ball to C.J. Pollard for an INT. He was also sacked by Cam Smith, which is a pretty rare occurrence.
Vavae Malepeai had another strong practice. The play that stood out to me most was a downfield reception in the middle of the field. He's always appeared to run good routes and possess good hands, we just haven't seen him utilized in this fashion much. Maybe that will change moving forward.
Velus Jones was given a run for his money today. Biggie Marshall slapped away one of his targets and Harris ran him off another pass. Harris later added a pass break-up while working against Imatorbhebhe.
Final notes:
Helton offered some final thoughts on the QBs from Saturday's scrimmage: He liked where their eyes were going but said they needed to get the ball out quicker. Their anticipation isn't there yet in terms of throwing guys open and not just waiting for them to get open.
Helton conceded the two quarterbacks have "hit a wall," as Bryan Ellis initially stated. Helton is hopeful that will turn around now that offensive installation is complete.
Helton and Martin lamented the execution of deep balls. Sears has completed a low percentage while Fink doesn't really attempt them. I almost wonder if they need to try fewer of them and sort of build up to that point with more intermediate throws. That's not the plan, however, as the two coaches made it clear they intend to rep it more.
Another area in which the two agree: Velus is having a big spring. Helton noted he's running routes better and with more control, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Martin said Velus is learning to catch the ball coming out of more routes than simply deep ones that often require an over-the-shoulder grab. I too think Velus has been solid. Not sure that I've seen him make a leap. But he's certainly growing.
USC continues to incorporate a little more under center and heavy packages (multiple backs/tight ends) into its offense.
I asked about the competition at left tackle and got the impression that Austin Jackson holds an edge, although probably not a sizable one. Helton pointed out that Jackson's picking up twists that he struggled with a year ago, while Martin plainly said Jackson has been "phenomenal." Still, Helton reiterated the competition will go into fall. The two have been alternating practices with the first team throughout spring. Jackson was with the ones today and that was highlighted by him pancaking Gustin on one particular rep.
I asked a follow up about Johnston, who hasn't been spoken of much over the past year despite consistently being in the thick of things. Helton lauded his athleticism as well as his ability to play on either side. He might be USC's most versatile tackle in that regard.
***
USC's next practice is Thursday. There are only five remaining.
I have a few lengthy interviews to transcribe with Aca'Cedric Ware, Michael Pittman and Jack Sears. Please forgive me if I don't get to them immediately. Have some things I need to tend to at home and Swanson, who typically assists in this endeavor, is celebrating his birthday. (Happy Birthday, Swanson!).
We have video interviews with Tee Martin, who offered his impressions of the offense thus far, and Bryan Ellis, who sized up the quarterbacks. Plus, we spoke with Matt Fink and Velus Jones. At the very least, I believe you'll find the first two interviews worthwhile.
LB Jordan Iosefa suffered a knee injury and did not finish practice. Clay Helton characterized it as a twist and said it doesn't seem to be severe.
OL Chuma Edoga was pulled because of lower back pain.
DT Brandon Pili (ankle) and C Brett Neilon (ankle) remained out.
WRs Michael Pittman (shoulder), Josh Imatorbhebhe (head) and Randal Grimes (groin) were out of non-contact jerseys.
Trevon Sidney and Tyler Vaughns claimed today's kick return reps.
Impressions from practice:
It's clear that Marlon Tuipulotu is working hard in his rehab. It also seems to be important to him to remain connected to the team, which isn't always clear with players who are out for an extended period. Tuipulotu is always present, and today he ran wind sprints on Howard Jones that were in conjunction with his teammates, who ran on Brian Kennedy Field.
Marvell Tell, who by all accounts is having a good spring, broke up another pass today. I believe he's had more of those of late. USC needs its safeties to get their hands on more balls this season and ultimately intercept them. Tell, perhaps, is building toward that.
Jack Sears threw a pretty ball to the deep middle that Imatorbhebhe couldn't hang onto. Chase Williams did a good job in coverage, but it's a play Imatorbhebhe, with his leaping ability and athleticism, eventually needs to make. I asked Tee Martin about Imatorbhebhe today and he essentially said the next step for him is to dominate on a regular basis. That would seem to be a lofty goal, but more consistent performance is not. Imatorbhebhe had an excellent second week of spring ball and has been pretty quiet otherwise. There's a lot of talent in there that for whatever reason doesn't surface regularly.
Matt Fink threw a couple of balls Tuesday that ended up in no man's land. I'm talking several yards away from the closest person. Other notable reps for Fink included a first down to Vaughns and a sack by Porter Gustin in which Fink just held the ball for too long. I wasn't charting every pass but Fink might have completed a higher percentage than Sears. It was just very uneven play from both of them.
Sears had a nice play-action rollout where he hit Vaughns for a first down and he completed another strong throw over the middle to Pittman. But he finished practice on a low. One pass was batted at the line of scrimmage by Christian Rector. Another was nearly picked off by Ajene Harris, this after evading a sack, as Sears unleashed a dangerous heave down the field. His final rep was a pass to Josh Falo that was a bit high and behind the 6-6 tight end, prompting Falo to put up a hand and tip the ball to C.J. Pollard for an INT. He was also sacked by Cam Smith, which is a pretty rare occurrence.
Vavae Malepeai had another strong practice. The play that stood out to me most was a downfield reception in the middle of the field. He's always appeared to run good routes and possess good hands, we just haven't seen him utilized in this fashion much. Maybe that will change moving forward.
Velus Jones was given a run for his money today. Biggie Marshall slapped away one of his targets and Harris ran him off another pass. Harris later added a pass break-up while working against Imatorbhebhe.
Final notes:
Helton offered some final thoughts on the QBs from Saturday's scrimmage: He liked where their eyes were going but said they needed to get the ball out quicker. Their anticipation isn't there yet in terms of throwing guys open and not just waiting for them to get open.
Helton conceded the two quarterbacks have "hit a wall," as Bryan Ellis initially stated. Helton is hopeful that will turn around now that offensive installation is complete.
Helton and Martin lamented the execution of deep balls. Sears has completed a low percentage while Fink doesn't really attempt them. I almost wonder if they need to try fewer of them and sort of build up to that point with more intermediate throws. That's not the plan, however, as the two coaches made it clear they intend to rep it more.
Another area in which the two agree: Velus is having a big spring. Helton noted he's running routes better and with more control, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Martin said Velus is learning to catch the ball coming out of more routes than simply deep ones that often require an over-the-shoulder grab. I too think Velus has been solid. Not sure that I've seen him make a leap. But he's certainly growing.
USC continues to incorporate a little more under center and heavy packages (multiple backs/tight ends) into its offense.
I asked about the competition at left tackle and got the impression that Austin Jackson holds an edge, although probably not a sizable one. Helton pointed out that Jackson's picking up twists that he struggled with a year ago, while Martin plainly said Jackson has been "phenomenal." Still, Helton reiterated the competition will go into fall. The two have been alternating practices with the first team throughout spring. Jackson was with the ones today and that was highlighted by him pancaking Gustin on one particular rep.
I asked a follow up about Johnston, who hasn't been spoken of much over the past year despite consistently being in the thick of things. Helton lauded his athleticism as well as his ability to play on either side. He might be USC's most versatile tackle in that regard.
***
USC's next practice is Thursday. There are only five remaining.
I have a few lengthy interviews to transcribe with Aca'Cedric Ware, Michael Pittman and Jack Sears. Please forgive me if I don't get to them immediately. Have some things I need to tend to at home and Swanson, who typically assists in this endeavor, is celebrating his birthday. (Happy Birthday, Swanson!).
We have video interviews with Tee Martin, who offered his impressions of the offense thus far, and Bryan Ellis, who sized up the quarterbacks. Plus, we spoke with Matt Fink and Velus Jones. At the very least, I believe you'll find the first two interviews worthwhile.
