USC held about a 50-play scrimmage Saturday morning. Here were my impressions:
The day mostly belonged to Jack Sears and the offense. It didn't start out that way as Sears, throwing out of his own end zone, was intercepted by Jonathan Lockett for an easy pick-six. Sears skipped his first read inside and hastily threw to the perimeter. I don't know if it was indicative of his supreme confidence in his outside receivers or incomplete handle of the offense. Maybe both. At the same time, Velus Jones was the intended target and didn't run a great route, leaving Sears out to dry to some extent.
Sears would rebound, however. You could even say it was his best day of spring. He hit Velus on about a 85-yard touchdown. As I've mentioned before, Sears wants to work downfield. The problem of late has been succeeding in that endeavor. But his ball placement was really good. He also seemed to have better timing with the receivers, something that I felt was fine early in spring but wasn't quite there the past two weeks. He also hit Vaughns on a short pass for a TD.
It's a bit hard to read where Sears is at right now. I thought he was establishing himself as the team's best option at QB over the first two weeks. But he really struggled the past two weeks, to the point that it started to feel inevitable J.T. Daniels would arrive in fall and, so long as he could competently execute the playbook, win the job within the first month of the season, if not by the season opener. Then today happened, with Sears' playmaking potential on full display. My feeling is he was underperforming the past two weeks and will show over time that he can function at an above-average level. His inconsistency isn't totally shocking given his overall lack of first-team reps in his career. While you never want to overreact to a single practice, it was evident how relieved Helton was about his quarterback situation after today.
"I know it helps me sleep better at night. We needed this day offensively," Helton said. "... It was the best function of the quarterbacks. I thought their field generalship on the day was excellent."
That includes Matt Fink, who wasn't involved in big plays but was efficient and demonstrated that his legs remain a big asset. Speaking of running, Helton made a great point about the play of the offensive line and the running game opening up the pass game. This is hardly a footnote. USC will need to function as a run-first offense, especially early in the season, to be successful. It was encouraging to see both Vavae Malepeai and Aca'Cedric Ware impose their will between the tackles -- the offense as a whole was pretty physical. Malepeai had a huge gain after a sharp cut enabled him to burst through the second level. Ware seemed to wear down the defense with a series of punishing runs. He's a rhythm runner who likely needs to be fed multiple times in a row to be most effective.
Velus was another big winner from the scrimmage. In addition to the touchdown grab, he had another long reception that he would have scored if not for a TD-saving tackle by Talanoa Hufanga (gotta love the freshman's hustle). Velus made a great double-move to free himself for the catch. He later got to the outside on a sweep and ran through a couple defenders and scored again. He can be an X factor for the offense, seeing that he's probably its biggest game-breaker.
"He's the one body type that's kind of different in our offense," Helton said. "You got a kid that truly has 4.4 speed."
I asked Helton in what ways is Velus different from last spring, which was similarly impressive (but ultimately didn't translate to games). Helton theorized that Velus is responding to being pushed to the forefront and being asked to do more in the wake of Deontay Burnett and Steven Mitchell leaving. He said Velus' is showing better retention and not thinking as much; he has better clarity.
Lockett's big play early was merely the latest in an extended stretch of good performance. He probably came into spring as an afterthought for some, but Lockett has always shown up when healthy. He reminds me of Chris Hawkins in that way. A serviceable athlete, Lockett's biggest strength is his mind. He reads quarterbacks and he reads plays. His interception was more proof, as he anticipated a quick slant and deftly stepped in front of the receiver for the turnover. Jack Jones isn't losing his starting job this spring but he could be losing snaps. Moreover, USC is searching for a starter for the season opener against UNLV. Don't be surprised if it's Lockett (a.k.a. Mr. Reliable).
One of the final big moments from the scrimmage was Biggie Marshall stripping Vaughns and scooping up the ball for a touchdown. Biggie, the best tackler among the corners, often stands out in scrimmage settings. The more important development is how he's been practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He's not taking days off. I spoke with him this week and he conceded that his effort wasn't where it needed to be day in and day out last year. We're seeing the best version of him on a more regular basis and I believe it's elevating his teammates.
Final notes:
QBs coach Bryan Ellis was back at practice -- his baby daughter was born at 2:46 a.m. this morning.
OT Austin Jackson did not practice -- Helton didn't say why.
WR Michael Pittman (shoulder) didn't participate in the scrimmage, and DT Brandon Pili (back) and C Brett Neilon (ankle) were limited.
USC's final week of spring practice begins Tuesday. I'll post my standouts from Week 4 later this weekend.
The day mostly belonged to Jack Sears and the offense. It didn't start out that way as Sears, throwing out of his own end zone, was intercepted by Jonathan Lockett for an easy pick-six. Sears skipped his first read inside and hastily threw to the perimeter. I don't know if it was indicative of his supreme confidence in his outside receivers or incomplete handle of the offense. Maybe both. At the same time, Velus Jones was the intended target and didn't run a great route, leaving Sears out to dry to some extent.
Sears would rebound, however. You could even say it was his best day of spring. He hit Velus on about a 85-yard touchdown. As I've mentioned before, Sears wants to work downfield. The problem of late has been succeeding in that endeavor. But his ball placement was really good. He also seemed to have better timing with the receivers, something that I felt was fine early in spring but wasn't quite there the past two weeks. He also hit Vaughns on a short pass for a TD.
It's a bit hard to read where Sears is at right now. I thought he was establishing himself as the team's best option at QB over the first two weeks. But he really struggled the past two weeks, to the point that it started to feel inevitable J.T. Daniels would arrive in fall and, so long as he could competently execute the playbook, win the job within the first month of the season, if not by the season opener. Then today happened, with Sears' playmaking potential on full display. My feeling is he was underperforming the past two weeks and will show over time that he can function at an above-average level. His inconsistency isn't totally shocking given his overall lack of first-team reps in his career. While you never want to overreact to a single practice, it was evident how relieved Helton was about his quarterback situation after today.
"I know it helps me sleep better at night. We needed this day offensively," Helton said. "... It was the best function of the quarterbacks. I thought their field generalship on the day was excellent."
That includes Matt Fink, who wasn't involved in big plays but was efficient and demonstrated that his legs remain a big asset. Speaking of running, Helton made a great point about the play of the offensive line and the running game opening up the pass game. This is hardly a footnote. USC will need to function as a run-first offense, especially early in the season, to be successful. It was encouraging to see both Vavae Malepeai and Aca'Cedric Ware impose their will between the tackles -- the offense as a whole was pretty physical. Malepeai had a huge gain after a sharp cut enabled him to burst through the second level. Ware seemed to wear down the defense with a series of punishing runs. He's a rhythm runner who likely needs to be fed multiple times in a row to be most effective.
Velus was another big winner from the scrimmage. In addition to the touchdown grab, he had another long reception that he would have scored if not for a TD-saving tackle by Talanoa Hufanga (gotta love the freshman's hustle). Velus made a great double-move to free himself for the catch. He later got to the outside on a sweep and ran through a couple defenders and scored again. He can be an X factor for the offense, seeing that he's probably its biggest game-breaker.
"He's the one body type that's kind of different in our offense," Helton said. "You got a kid that truly has 4.4 speed."
I asked Helton in what ways is Velus different from last spring, which was similarly impressive (but ultimately didn't translate to games). Helton theorized that Velus is responding to being pushed to the forefront and being asked to do more in the wake of Deontay Burnett and Steven Mitchell leaving. He said Velus' is showing better retention and not thinking as much; he has better clarity.
Lockett's big play early was merely the latest in an extended stretch of good performance. He probably came into spring as an afterthought for some, but Lockett has always shown up when healthy. He reminds me of Chris Hawkins in that way. A serviceable athlete, Lockett's biggest strength is his mind. He reads quarterbacks and he reads plays. His interception was more proof, as he anticipated a quick slant and deftly stepped in front of the receiver for the turnover. Jack Jones isn't losing his starting job this spring but he could be losing snaps. Moreover, USC is searching for a starter for the season opener against UNLV. Don't be surprised if it's Lockett (a.k.a. Mr. Reliable).
One of the final big moments from the scrimmage was Biggie Marshall stripping Vaughns and scooping up the ball for a touchdown. Biggie, the best tackler among the corners, often stands out in scrimmage settings. The more important development is how he's been practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He's not taking days off. I spoke with him this week and he conceded that his effort wasn't where it needed to be day in and day out last year. We're seeing the best version of him on a more regular basis and I believe it's elevating his teammates.
Final notes:
QBs coach Bryan Ellis was back at practice -- his baby daughter was born at 2:46 a.m. this morning.
OT Austin Jackson did not practice -- Helton didn't say why.
WR Michael Pittman (shoulder) didn't participate in the scrimmage, and DT Brandon Pili (back) and C Brett Neilon (ankle) were limited.
USC's final week of spring practice begins Tuesday. I'll post my standouts from Week 4 later this weekend.
