Tuesday’s USC practice provided three rare sights (besides almost half the team being unable to participate because of injuries): C.J. Gable ran with the first-team offense. Aaron Corp ran the scout team. Kristofer O’Dowd ran well. With Allen Bradford and Joe McKnight nursing knee injuries, the coaching staff had no choice but to turn to Gable, last season’s starter... more »
Thoughts from Tuesday's practice, through the eyes of USCRipsIt...- Down two with three plays remaining in the full-pads practice, the offense cam roaring back with three straight wins to capture an 8-7 victory on Competition Tuesday and earn loads of praise from the coaches. "That's the kind of practice that gets us right," Coach Carroll said in the post-practice... more »
C.J. Gable said he does not intend to speak to the coaches about his playing time and Pete Carroll talks about who he was yelling at on the sideline during the Cal game.... more »
<!----><!---->With Cal more than capable of putting up points in a hurry, there is even more pressure on the Trojan offense to find the end zone early and often. We talked to receiver Brice Butler and tailback C.J. Gable about taking on the Golden Bears this weekend... more »
The offense got off to a strong start, but they were inconsistent and fumbled more than they should have, but on the bright side, coaches opened up the playbook and allowed Matt Barkley to complete some deep passes. However this offense, and the receiving game in particular, needs to play better. Trojan fans eagerly await the return of the fastest receiver, Ronald Johnson, who suffered a shoulder injury in the scrimmage game in August.
This defense is impressive. They almost held the Cougars to a shutout if it were not for Aaron Corp's fumble late in the game. Defensive back Marshall Jones and defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo each suffered season ending injuries in this game. Injuries are part of the game, and this is why it never hurts to have depth like USC does. Pete Carroll and coaching staff "stockpile" talent, and given the current waves of injuries, this is when the depth is tested.
Check out the standout performers from Monday's practice:- Tight end Blake Ayles had the highlight play of the day when he stretched out for a one-handed catch on an over route before rolling to the ground near the left sideline during team period, drawing an ovation from the several hundred fans in attendance. "That was one of those, 'Oh,... more »
The end is near.And with it, so too is the beginning.The entire team hustled through an hour-long Trojan Run workout early Friday morning, completing their sixth week of the summer program and leaving just 10 more workouts before Fall Camp and the 2009 season officially kick off.Through agility and conditioning drills under the watchful eye of the USC strength... more »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller USC Trojans 2008 overall record: 12-1 2008 conference record: 8-1 Returning starters Offense 9, defense 3, kicker/punter 0 Top returners WR Damian Williams, C Kristofer O'Dowd, OT Charles Brown, OG Jeff Byers, TB Stafon Johnson, TB Joe McKnight, FS Taylor Mays, CB Josh Pinkard, DE Everson Griffen. Key losses QB Mark Sanchez, LB Rey... more »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller Two things revealed themselves at USC's spring game: Aaron Corp is the clear No. 1 quarterback for a reason heading into the off-season and the defense is not exactly going to stink next fall. Eleven sacks? Come on! Corp completed 14 of 23 passes for 157 yards with a touchdown and, again, no interceptions,... more »
The jury is out. Pete Carroll announced today his depth chart going into the huddle. Of course in traditional Carroll fashion, the competition for starting positions will continue throughout Summer workouts. But the Spring depth charts typically hold strong resemblance to the final list, come start of the football season.
After practice ended Tuesday, Matt Barkley spent about 15 minutes firing pass after pass to Damian Williams and other USC receivers. Never mind the wind chill (yes, there was a wind chill, I swear) — Barkley was determined to get the hang of some new routes he hadn’t worked on before. Once the throwing session was complete, Barkley became... more »