Thirteen down, two to go. The countdown of the 15 USC players to watch in spring practice is nearly complete. For Nos. 3-15, see below. For No. 1, check back in a couple of hours. NO. 2 — RB ALLEN BRADFORD Profile: 5-11, 235, redshirt senior 2009 stats: 13 games, 115 carries, 668 yards, 5.8-yard avg., 8 TDs Why... more »
A focused Trojan effort should lead the Trojans to a victory over a Boston College team that plays a conservative pro-style offense, fitting right into what USC defends against the best. The Trojans also possess offensive speed, even without RB Joe McKnight and Tight End Anthony McCoy that Boston College has yet to see this year.
However, getting the Trojans to play focused and passionate in a normal bowl game will be a tall order for Coach Carroll.
Keys to the Game:
Avoid Complacency: Since 2002, the Trojans have been playing in BCS bowls so it is a foreign concept for the Trojan players to be participating in a lower tier bowl to finish the season. Typically, teams in this situation do not play with the focus and passion that is required to beat an opponent who is looking forward to knocking off a top tier program. With four losses including two where they were soundly beaten, the Trojans cannot think for a second that a pedestrian effort will win this game. Couple that with the loss of four big contributors due to academics or NCAA investigation (McCoy, Spicer, Smith and McKnight), Troy has no room for error.
On the flip side, a focused effort should result in a victory to help wash away some of the disappointment of the season.
Stuff RB Montel Harris early: Boston College Running Back Montel Harris has rushed for 1,355 yards this season and accounts for about 70% of BC’s offense when they win. He is a strong straight ahead runner who also possesses good break away speed. When Harris is running well, especially early, it allows BC to play it safe in the passing game and avoid turnovers. It will be interesting to see how SC fares against Harris. BC runs a very simple offense with uncomplicated blocking schemes which should play right into the Trojans hands. Against similar schemes this year, the Trojans were successful stopping the run but those teams didn’t possess a back like Harris.
It will be bad news for the Trojans If Harris runs the ball around 30 times and rushes for over 150 yards. . .
Confuse the BC Quarterback: 25 year-old freshman Quarterback Dave Shiniskie has had a solid year for BC throwing for 1,831 yards with 14 touchdown passes in a run happy offense. However, he has also thrown 13 interceptions and played awful against teams that mixed things up defensively and possessed team speed like the Trojans. Against Virginia Tech and North Carolina, both games that BC fell behind early and had to throw, Shiniskie was 13 for 31 with 6 interceptions and only 1 td pass. He ended up being pulled in the second half of both games. He does not do a good job of throwing the ball away against pressure and will literally throw it up for grabs at times. The BC coaches have been working with him on just taking the sack or throwing it out of bounds but the Trojans should still get opportunities at multiple interceptions if they contain the running game.
*Offensive keys to the game, players to watch and a little inside the locker room info after the break
Kicker Jordan Congdon, holder Garrett Green and snapper Chris Pousson go through early-practice field goal drills. Matt Barkley and tailback Curtis McNeal line up in the backfield during 7-on-7 period. Matt Barkley leads the Trojan offense in the final team period. Wideout Brice Butler poses for a picture with football legend Jim Brown.... 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 »
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.
*QB Aaron Corp has been throwing in 7-7 drills the past few days and has looked solid. The coaches have been happy with his accuracy and most importantly, his swagger. He appears confident and is showing good leadership skills despite being out with a cracked fibula. He will return to full practice next week. It will be interesting to see how his mobility looks as that seems to be the only thing that concerns the coaches regarding Corp. If Corp is even just 90% going into San Jose State I think he will get the start. The coaches are more comfortable with Corp's command of the offense and trust him to make the right throw depending on the situation. It will really come down to his health and how he performs the next two weeks.
*Freshman QB Matt Barkley has had a tough week following his 5-18 scrimmage performance in which Coach Carroll threw him into the fire against a heavy rush and disguised coverage's. The hope was that Barkley would bounce back fairly quickly from the performance but even Coach Carroll admits the expectations for Matt from everybody, coaches included, might have been too high.
The spotlight shined very bright on Matt since Corp went down and he has received nearly every first team snap to get him ready. In the process, they may have overloaded him. However, all this work will pay off in a big way for him in the future. He may have struggled but he never quit and has handled himself "beautifully" as Coach Carroll would say. Barkley will continue to get opportunities and may see significant time in the San Jose State game in a "platoon" situation. He has so much talent and moxie that they want to get him on the field sooner rather than later.
Also, the coaches have not ruled out the thought of a "platoon" system this year while they bring along Barkley. Carroll says he is opened to it but I don't think it fits his coaching style. We'll see... it worked with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow at Florida.
In the meantime, if Corp heals properly from his injury, in the near term, Corp gives the program the best chance to win.
See which players had standout performances during Sunday's practice:- Quarterback Matt Barkley turned in another exciting performance Sunday, especially on one string of plays during 7-on-7 period. First, he connected with receiver David Ausberry on a beautiful 35-yard fade to score a touchdown down the right sideline, eliciting a rousing applause from the hundreds of fans in attendance. Then,... 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 »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller Ever wonder what a coach might say about a quarterback competition the day before he announces a pecking order? You're in luck! USC coach Pete Carroll stopped by for a chat with the Pac-10 blog on Monday, the day before he announced on his Web site that Aaron Corp would emerge from spring practices... more »
Got Shorty? They do now...Not to open up old wounds, but when Oregon State freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers busted 186 rushing yards on the best defense in the country, the world took notice. At 5'-7 Rodgers was cloaked behind his o-line, and the likes of Cushing, Maualuga, Matthews and Mays couldn't draw a bead until he was already five yards down field. Pete Carroll watched this "undersized" kid burst through the seam again and again and he must of thought to himself, 'I got to get me one of those.'
Enter redshirt freshman, Venice High running back Curtis McNeal.
<!----><!---->Saturday's Coliseum scrimmage was a welcomed break in the action from the routine of spring football. USCFootball.com was there shooting video of the pregame action as well as player interviews. Inside: Highlights of the quarterbacks warming up and interviews with Everson Griffen, Curtis McNeal, Kevin Thomas and Brice Butler... more »
(0)
