USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast is never revealing when it comes to the status or expectation for injured players, so his comments Wednesday were expected.
"It's too early to tell," he said.
Except, it didn't sound that way in a couple of cases, listening to linebacker Palaie Gaoteote and defensive end Christian Rector, who both seemed eager and expecting to play Saturday against No. 7/8 Oregon after missing the last two games.
Rector made his return earlier in the week, while Gaoteote was the key storyline Wednesday. After remaining sidelined with his injured ankle the day before, Gaoteote went through individual drills with the other linebackers during the early portion of practice open to media and later confirmed he did "a lot" during the mid-week session.
"I felt like I was full-go and ready to go," he said.
Rector, meanwhile, had sat out those last two games to give his lingering ankle injury (which occurred in Week 2) time to get closer to 100 percent and affirmed that he felt good after practicing through the first part of this week.
"It's been a good week of work, it's good to be back out here after two weeks off resting my ankle. I'm in good place right now, I'm happy. … I feel 100 percent," Rector said.
USC still had a number of key players sidelined Wednesday, though. Safety Talanoa Hufanga (shoulder) and running back Stephen Carr (hamstring) jumped rope off to the side while defensive end Drake Jackson (ankle) and running back Vavae Malepeai (knee surgery) worked on balance and bending exercises with the trainer.
Jackson and Carr would seem the most likely of those four to have a chance to push for a return as the week progresses. Head coach Clay Helton, who isn't available to reporters on Wednesdays, said earlier that all the injured guys were "day-to-day" as USC prepares for the biggest remaining game on its schedule.
The Trojans (5-3, 4-1 Pac-12) control their path to a South division title as of now, but a loss to cross-division Oregon (7-1, 5-0) could jeopardize that depending on what happens earlier in the day with Utah's game at Washington.
It seemed logical that the USC coaching staff would place a priority on getting key players back for such a pivotal game, and Rector more or less confirmed that was the plan in his case.
"Going into Arizona week, like Tuesday, [Helton] talked to me about sitting out one week, maybe two. We just talked it out and thought it was the best decision for me and the team. I just feel I was hurting myself trying to fight through injury and I just wasn't helping out the team," Rector said.
"It was definitely hard to accept. ... But in the long term I think it was the smartest decision for me."
Gaoteote was asked if this game had been the target for him as well since spraining his ankle during the Trojans' loss at Notre Dame.
"When I got hurt my motivation was to come back for Arizona. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, but just being able to be mentally ready and prepared for game by game, that was my biggest focus. And it just happened that I'm coming back for the Oregon game," he said, again leaving little doubt as to his expectation.
What he wouldn't say is how big of a role he is expecting to have Saturday, assuming he does indeed get the green light to play?
"I'm not too sure about it, but whatever I can do to help the team I'm here for it," he said.
Greg Burns on Briton Allen's significant fourth quarter role
The story of the last few weeks for USC -- and really all season -- has been freshmen being thrust into key roles in key moments.
The latest example was safety Briton Allen, who took over for starter Isaiah Pola-Mao for a stretch in the fourth quarter at Colorado. Allen played 11 snaps before Pola-Mao returned late in that final quarter, and Burns explained the timing of the move.
"I had to talk to the other safety to make sure he understood there were some things I wanted him to do better. It was a culmination of things, so it just got to the point where I was like, 'I've got to let him know he's got to clean something up,'" Burns said.
Allen, who has played in seven games now overall (mostly on special teams), made his debut on defense the week earlier with 15 snaps late in the lopsided win over Arizona. But this was a key sequence of the game Friday night as he played on the first two defensive series of the fourth quarter before Pola-Mao returned for the final series.
"Not bad, not bad," Burns said of Allen. "I've been wanting to get him in for a while. It's just kind of the way things have gone, but it was good to get him in to get a taste of what it felt like and he did a good job.
"He's got some splash stuff. He's a good open-field tackler and he'll put his face in on tackles and that type of stuff. I just kind of wanted to see if it would happen in a game. He didn't quite get the tackles, but he was doing everything he needed to do."
As for Pola-Mao, who has had an up and down season and struggled in coverage Friday night (allowing 3 completions on 4 targets for 61 yards, according to PFF College), Burns reiterated his confidence in the starter.
"He's still the guy. It was just a moment in the middle of a game," he said. "I still have high expectations for him and everything that he's doing, but at the same time, my group they have to understand that every week it can change. Because I think it's only right for the guys that are working hard and improving that if they're doing well then they should get an opportunity."
Matchup thoughts
Pendergast had strong praise for Oregon's offensive line and star quarterback Justin Herbert in assessing the Ducks.
Oregon starts four senior offensive linemen -- right tackle Calvin Throckmorton, right guard Dallas Warmack, center Jake Hanson, left guard Shane Lemieux -- along with sophomore left tackle Penei Sewell, who is the top-ranked OL in the country by PFF College and has been the Pac-12 offensive lineman of the week three times this season.
"It's one of the better [offensive lines] I've seen at the collegiate level. They have a lot of experience, lot of talent and most importantly the most impressive thing looking at them is that they work really well together, not only in the running game but the passing game," Pendergast said. "The quarterback has a lot of time back there in the play-action passes and the drop-back passes, so I think they're very impressive in how they work together because they have been together for some time."
As for Herbert, projected to be a high NFL draft pick this year, the senior has passed for 2,104 yards, 21 touchdowns and 1 interception this season.
"Obviously the quarterback speaks for itself, the talent level and what he's been able to do -- his numbers not only this year but in his whole career," Pendergast said. "... He's a big talented quarterback with a big-time arm that sees the field really well. I think he's kind of his own guy. He makes a lot of good reads in the run game in terms of checks at the line of scrimmage and then distributes the ball vs. coverage really well. I'm very impressed with his skill set. He's definitely going to make somebody a really good quarterback at the next level."
"It's too early to tell," he said.
Except, it didn't sound that way in a couple of cases, listening to linebacker Palaie Gaoteote and defensive end Christian Rector, who both seemed eager and expecting to play Saturday against No. 7/8 Oregon after missing the last two games.
Rector made his return earlier in the week, while Gaoteote was the key storyline Wednesday. After remaining sidelined with his injured ankle the day before, Gaoteote went through individual drills with the other linebackers during the early portion of practice open to media and later confirmed he did "a lot" during the mid-week session.
"I felt like I was full-go and ready to go," he said.
Rector, meanwhile, had sat out those last two games to give his lingering ankle injury (which occurred in Week 2) time to get closer to 100 percent and affirmed that he felt good after practicing through the first part of this week.
"It's been a good week of work, it's good to be back out here after two weeks off resting my ankle. I'm in good place right now, I'm happy. … I feel 100 percent," Rector said.
USC still had a number of key players sidelined Wednesday, though. Safety Talanoa Hufanga (shoulder) and running back Stephen Carr (hamstring) jumped rope off to the side while defensive end Drake Jackson (ankle) and running back Vavae Malepeai (knee surgery) worked on balance and bending exercises with the trainer.
Jackson and Carr would seem the most likely of those four to have a chance to push for a return as the week progresses. Head coach Clay Helton, who isn't available to reporters on Wednesdays, said earlier that all the injured guys were "day-to-day" as USC prepares for the biggest remaining game on its schedule.
The Trojans (5-3, 4-1 Pac-12) control their path to a South division title as of now, but a loss to cross-division Oregon (7-1, 5-0) could jeopardize that depending on what happens earlier in the day with Utah's game at Washington.
It seemed logical that the USC coaching staff would place a priority on getting key players back for such a pivotal game, and Rector more or less confirmed that was the plan in his case.
"Going into Arizona week, like Tuesday, [Helton] talked to me about sitting out one week, maybe two. We just talked it out and thought it was the best decision for me and the team. I just feel I was hurting myself trying to fight through injury and I just wasn't helping out the team," Rector said.
"It was definitely hard to accept. ... But in the long term I think it was the smartest decision for me."
Gaoteote was asked if this game had been the target for him as well since spraining his ankle during the Trojans' loss at Notre Dame.
"When I got hurt my motivation was to come back for Arizona. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, but just being able to be mentally ready and prepared for game by game, that was my biggest focus. And it just happened that I'm coming back for the Oregon game," he said, again leaving little doubt as to his expectation.
What he wouldn't say is how big of a role he is expecting to have Saturday, assuming he does indeed get the green light to play?
"I'm not too sure about it, but whatever I can do to help the team I'm here for it," he said.
Greg Burns on Briton Allen's significant fourth quarter role
The story of the last few weeks for USC -- and really all season -- has been freshmen being thrust into key roles in key moments.
The latest example was safety Briton Allen, who took over for starter Isaiah Pola-Mao for a stretch in the fourth quarter at Colorado. Allen played 11 snaps before Pola-Mao returned late in that final quarter, and Burns explained the timing of the move.
"I had to talk to the other safety to make sure he understood there were some things I wanted him to do better. It was a culmination of things, so it just got to the point where I was like, 'I've got to let him know he's got to clean something up,'" Burns said.
Allen, who has played in seven games now overall (mostly on special teams), made his debut on defense the week earlier with 15 snaps late in the lopsided win over Arizona. But this was a key sequence of the game Friday night as he played on the first two defensive series of the fourth quarter before Pola-Mao returned for the final series.
"Not bad, not bad," Burns said of Allen. "I've been wanting to get him in for a while. It's just kind of the way things have gone, but it was good to get him in to get a taste of what it felt like and he did a good job.
"He's got some splash stuff. He's a good open-field tackler and he'll put his face in on tackles and that type of stuff. I just kind of wanted to see if it would happen in a game. He didn't quite get the tackles, but he was doing everything he needed to do."
As for Pola-Mao, who has had an up and down season and struggled in coverage Friday night (allowing 3 completions on 4 targets for 61 yards, according to PFF College), Burns reiterated his confidence in the starter.
"He's still the guy. It was just a moment in the middle of a game," he said. "I still have high expectations for him and everything that he's doing, but at the same time, my group they have to understand that every week it can change. Because I think it's only right for the guys that are working hard and improving that if they're doing well then they should get an opportunity."
Matchup thoughts
Pendergast had strong praise for Oregon's offensive line and star quarterback Justin Herbert in assessing the Ducks.
Oregon starts four senior offensive linemen -- right tackle Calvin Throckmorton, right guard Dallas Warmack, center Jake Hanson, left guard Shane Lemieux -- along with sophomore left tackle Penei Sewell, who is the top-ranked OL in the country by PFF College and has been the Pac-12 offensive lineman of the week three times this season.
"It's one of the better [offensive lines] I've seen at the collegiate level. They have a lot of experience, lot of talent and most importantly the most impressive thing looking at them is that they work really well together, not only in the running game but the passing game," Pendergast said. "The quarterback has a lot of time back there in the play-action passes and the drop-back passes, so I think they're very impressive in how they work together because they have been together for some time."
As for Herbert, projected to be a high NFL draft pick this year, the senior has passed for 2,104 yards, 21 touchdowns and 1 interception this season.
"Obviously the quarterback speaks for itself, the talent level and what he's been able to do -- his numbers not only this year but in his whole career," Pendergast said. "... He's a big talented quarterback with a big-time arm that sees the field really well. I think he's kind of his own guy. He makes a lot of good reads in the run game in terms of checks at the line of scrimmage and then distributes the ball vs. coverage really well. I'm very impressed with his skill set. He's definitely going to make somebody a really good quarterback at the next level."
