Scrimmage Update: Key Injury

According to Scott Wolf, starting RB Chauncey Washington left the scrimmage after an apparent shoulder injury:

Washington appears to hurt his shoulder on a run as he comes off the field favoring his right shoulder.

This is not good news, Chauncey kicked off the scrimmage with a 63 yard run and has been very impressive during fall camp. All we can do now is hope that Chauncey is okay. Following the injury, Stafon Johnson proceeded to run with the first team. Suddenly, Moody's transfer doesn't seem so insignificant anymore. Don't forget that freshman RB Broderick Green has yet to be cleared academically by the NCAA. USC is hurting at tailback right now, as seen by Alfred Rowe (who was recently converted to fullback from safety) getting extensive carries tonight:

USC is running out of backs and Rowe gains two for the reserves...Washington, Joe McKnight, C.J. Gable and Hershel Dennis are all standing on the sidelines injured. Plus Marc Tyler.

Get healthy soon guys.

Fight On!

UPDATE on Chauncey, from Wolf's Blog

End of Fall Camp Scrimmage

The USC football team will close what has been a very eventful and entertaining fall camp with an intra-squad scrimmage tonight in the Coliseum. Unfortunately, none of us here at USC Sports Talk will be able to attend due to work and time constraints, but you can follow the action over at Scott Wolf's blog who will be reporting from there live. The 1st team offense will square against the 2nd team defense and vice-versa for the 1st team defense. Let's wish for a high intensity scrimmage and for all of our players to come out of this thing healthy.

Fight On!

Saturday Morning Practice Notes

The USC football team will conduct 4 days of two-a-day style practices during fall camp. On those days the team will have a morning practice at 9am and then return in the afternoon at 4pm. Saturday is the 1st two-a-day session of camp, and here are a few notes from the hour and a half long morning session, in which the players wore helmets and shorts...

• The team continued to work on special teams, and today the focus was on the punt coverage and field goal units. Junior kicker Dave Buehler had a solid workout, showing good accuracy and a strong leg. I didn't get a total count on his attempts, but his only miss came when he hit the right upright from at least 40 yards out. It is obvious that Buehler has the skill necessary to be an efficient kicker at this level, the only question is if that incredibly clutch 49 yard kick he made against UC-Berkeley last season was an aberration or a sign of things to come.
  

• The offensive star of the morning workout, again, was David Ausberry. This guy is a fucking "beast." I know the term "beast" has been overused lately, but Ausberry is very deserving of it. It's debatable whether he's the best WR on the team, but he's by far the most impressive. Just watching him play on the practice field makes you say "Wow!" He has soft hands and is a mismatch nightmare for whichever defensive back that lines up against him. With Travon Patterson and Jamere Holland sitting out, Ausberry often lined up at split end (X), with Ronald Johnson at flanker (Z), and Patrick Turner in the slot. That's a line-up that very few teams in college football can match-up against.
  

• Offensively, the first team offensive line and most of the running backs had a light session during the scrimmage type 11-on-11 team period. The focus during this period seemed to be on the passing game, as the offense went against the defense (which was rotating players regularly).
  

• There wasn't any contact, as the workout was brisk and smooth, but look for that to change in the afternoon session. We'll get a better look at the defense once the team comes out in full pads again.
  

Friday Practice Notes

The USC football team suited up in full pads today, for this time this fall, and entertained the crowd. The team went through their usual routine of individual position drills, but lined up for some live scrimmaging for much of the 2nd half of practice. PCbestever and I were able to attend the entire practice, and he'll fill you in with his thoughts on the LBs, DBs, offensive backs and WR's. Here's what I observed from the offensive and defensive lineman, and the team session...

• I spent most of the day watching the defensive line during the positional drills, and later the unit drills, when they combine with (and go up against) the offensive line. The focus of today's d-line drills was on defeating cut blocks (where offensive blockers dive at a defender's legs in order to get them to the ground). The younger players seemed to struggle early on, but got better as the drill progressed. The next drills emphasized hand use techniques such as swim moves and slapping a blocker's hand away. I must say, I'm very impressed with the hand speed and power of the Trojan d-linemen. The 1-on-1 battles between the offensive and defensive linemen featured some great match-ups. Starting left guard Jeff Byers in going to be nasty this season. He displayed incredible technique and physically dominated starting DT Fili Moala twice. Averell Spicer showed that he is ready to contribute at NT this season as he beat starting C Matt Spanos on the same pass rushing drill. The best battle of the drill however, was DE Kyle Moore going against All-World OT Sam Baker. Moore has a very quick first step and gave Baker all he could handle. There is no doubt in my mind that Moore will be the starter on the right side this season, as highly touted freshman DE Everson Griffen continues to learn what big time college football is all about. The o-line looks very solid and has not skipped a beat with Charles Brown filling in at RT for projected starter Drew Radovich.
  

• During the 11-on-11 team scrimmage segment, there wasn't really much separation at RB. Marc Tyler and Hershel Dennis didn't practice, and Broderick Green (along with WR Brandon Carswell) wasn't in full pads, which meant more carries for the 7 other backs. Redshirt freshman WR David Ausberry was the star of the day for the offense, showing off his big-play capability with an impressive touchdown grab in the back of the end zone. Ausberry's size is a definite mismatch for any opponent, and is making a strong case for extensive playing time this season. CB Jim Abbot had the hit of the day when he leveled sophomore RB Stafon Johnson, who had broken off a nice run on the play, with a crushing tackle that got Johnson off his feat and put him on his back.
  

• Joe McKnight had a sub-par workout today and, like Everson Griffen, is still getting introduced to the rigors of big time college football.

PCbestever what were your thoughts from Friday:

• Safety Will Harris did not participate in today's practice. Apparently he suffered a stinger in his neck after yesterday's vicious hit on Jamere Holland. The coaches held him out as precaution and he should be back for tomorrow's practices.

• Today Josh Pinkard took the majority of the first team reps at free safety alongside Kevin Ellison during the 11-on-11. When he wasn't with the first team at safety he was in at corner. Pinkard is playing very well and if he continues to play at such a high level there is no way the coaching staff will be able to keep him off the field.

• Linebacker of the day... Clay Matthews. Matthews had a great day in practice today. He was blowing by offensive linemen in the 11-on-11 team scrimmage, batting down passes, and chasing down ball carriers.

• Fielding punts today were the freshmen Joe McKnight, Brandon Carswell, and Ronald Johnson and senior Desmond Reed. The freshmen had difficulties holding on to the ball as Reed looked the most comfortable and consistent.
  

Fall Camp Coverage continues...

Today is Day 5 of fall camp and USC will practice in full pads for the first time. Some of the younger players and newcomers better make sure their helmets are strapped up because we're gonna find out a lot today.

USC Sports Talk will have two representatives at practice today, which should help us provide a more detailed practice report. I'll mainly focus on the linemen, while PCbestever will get a long look at the skill positions, but we'll do our best to cover as many positions as possible. Practice is scheduled to begin at 3pm, so we'll post our report later this evening.

For a look at the fall camp practice schedule, click here (via Conquest Chronicles).

Fight On!

Fall Camp Preview: Offense

After previewing the defense yesterday, it was obvious that there aren't many question marks on the defensive side of the ball. However, as most of you already know, that is not the case offensively. First of all, there have been a couple of changes to the coaching staff. Steve Sarkisian steps in as USC's new offensive coordinator - though he and Lane Kiffin served as "co-offensive coordinators" the past two seasons, it was actually Kiffin who called the plays - and John Morton was brought in to serve as passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach. I am very excited to see Sarkisian's play-calling style, since I was often very critical of Kiffin's. I think he's ready for the challenge and will do just fine. Morton was a key (and under the radar) addition to the staff, and will not only bring some new ideas to the passing game, but should help develop and mentor the young WR's this season.

Offensive Line
What we know: All-world Left Tackle Sam Baker returns for his senior season and junior Chilo Rachal is back at Right Guard. Junior Jeff Byers appears to be healthy and will likely start at Left Guard, which means senior Drew Radovich - last year's starter at LG - will move to Right Tackle. That leaves senior Matt Spanos at Center, who is finally eligible after missing all of last season due to academic issues.

Fall Questions: (1) How much will USC miss Ryan Kalil, who was a three year starter at Center and team captain. A guy like Kalil is irreplaceable, but hopefully the return of Byers and Spanos can help offset his loss.
(2) How will Radovich perform at Right Tackle? Radovich struggled at times last season, so maybe he's better suited to play tackle instead of guard.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
What we know: Junior WR Patrick Turner is the only returning player with any significant game experience at WR. Senior TE Fred Davis enters this season as one of the leading candidates for the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation's best tight end.

Fall Questions: (1) How in the heck will this young group of wide outs match the production and consistency of Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith? The one advantage this group has is that they have a veteran QB who can get them the ball. The best of the bunch right now is Turner. He and redshirt freshman David Ausberry certainly have the size (6'5") to dominate games, but Ausberry is not a great route-runner and lacks experience. Ausberry played very well in the spring game though and is getting better every day. Sophomore Vidal Hazleton is penciled in as the starter opposite of Turner, but is his game as big as his ego? To his credit, Hazleton has looked really sharp in summer workouts and is coming off a great spring, so he just might be as good as he proclaims. Sophomore Travon Patterson and redshirt freshman Jamere Holland have the speed to really stretch the field, though Holland can't seem to stay healthy. Patterson had a breakout performance in the spring game, but does he have the size and toughness to catch passes across the middle? The X-factor is freshman Ronald Johnson. From what I've seen, he looks to have great acceleration and change of direction, runs crisp routes, and has very soft hands. RoJo will get a chance to play right away, so we'll know early on in camp if he's for real.
(2) Is there any depth at TE behind Fred Davis? Senior Dale Thompson, junior Jimmy Miller, and sophomore Anthony McCoy will need to show that they can contribute whenever USC lines up in a multiple tight end formation, or even become serviceable backups should anything happen to Davis.

Running Backs
What we know: No running backs are lost from last season, but the addition of 3 highly touted freshmen means that there is an even bigger log-jam at tailback. There are 1o players vying for carries and playing time this season: Seniors Chauncey Washington, Hershel Dennis, and Desmond Reed; Sophomores C.J. Gable, Emmanuel Moody, Allen Bradford, and Stafon Johnson; Freshmen Joe McKnight, Marc Tyler, and Broderick Green. At the conclusion of spring drills, Washington and Gable were listed as co-1st teamers at RB, with Stanley Havili listed as the #1 fullback (who also had an amazing spring).

Fall Questions: (1) Who will separate themselves from the rest of the pack at running back, and who will end up switching positions or transferring? With the exception of Stafon Johnson, we've seen all of the backs in action and have a pretty good idea as to what each of them can do. Johnson and the 3 freshmen need to be given a chance early on to see if they can become the game-breaker that USC's offense was lacking at RB last season. Chauncey showed he can be a workhorse, and Hersh looks like his old self before the injuries. I feel really good about both of those guys. Gable, Moody, and Bradford just didn't show me enough last season and may still be a year away from being ready.
(2) Will Stanley Havili remain healthy? The fullback position is very important to the USC offense. It's a position that has been ravaged by injuries the past couple seasons. Havili has shown wonderful abilities in practices and will have a big role this season. He can catch, block, and runs very well.

Quarterback
What we know: There is no quarterback controversy this season, as senior John David Booty appears to be the front-runner for this year's Heisman. He had a very good season last year, especially when you consider that it was his first as a starter, and USC's inabililty to find a consistent running game. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be even better this year. Redshirt sophomore Mark Sanchez should be ready to fill in as a backup, if needed.

Fall Questions: (1) Who will emerge as the heir apparent to Booty for next season? Sanchez has the early advantage, having spent 2 years in the program already, but he will definitely be looking over his shoulder at two other QB's. Due to NCAA rules, Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain will have to sit out the season, but he will practice. Fall camp gives Mustain an opportunity to measure himself against Sanchez, and offer us a preview of what to expect in the 2008 QB battle. The third candidate will be freshman Aaron Corp. Though highly talented, Corp is very likely to redshirt this season in order to get himself physically ready to compete for the 2008 starting job. He just doesn't have the body that can withstand the punishment and rigors of Division I football, at least not yet.

Hope this was enough information to get everyone ready for what should be a very fun and entertaining fall camp.

Fight On!

Fall Camp Preview (Defense)

A new football season is right around the corner, so as USC gets ready to open fall camp on Monday, it's time to get re-acquainted with the 2007 Trojans. You've all heard the old adage "Defense Wins Championships" so let's first take a look at the defense. This season's USC Defense is expected to rank near the top of every statistical category as the #1 ranked Trojans return 10 starters from a unit that was pretty darn good last season. The emphasis this year will be on creating turnovers and to generate big plays that swing a game's momentum. USC definitely has all the pieces needed to become one of the best defenses in the country, but there are still a few questions that can only be answered through fall camp. Here's what I think Pete Carroll and his staff need to address in the next few weeks...

Defensive Line
What is known: LDE Lawrence Jackson, NT Sedrick Ellis, and DT Fili Moala, all returning starters, have solidified themselves on the first team unit and are in no apparent danger of losing their jobs. They form the core of what is the best defensive line in college football, and will thrive off of each other this season.

Fall Questions: (1) Just how good is DE Everson Griffen? I am really high on Kyle Moore, the projected starter at RDE, who had a great spring and should be a very serviceable starter for the Trojans. If Griffen can play himself into the rotation, or even earn a starting spot, then I will feel really good about our D-Ends.
(2) Who will step up at defensive tackle? Fall camp will allow the coaches to evaluate the young tackles that are being counted on to provide depth up the middle. Guys like Averell Spicer (R-So.), Alex Parsons (R-Fr.), and incoming freshman DaJohn Harris will all get a chance to show what they got.

Linebackers
What is known: The starters are Rey Maualuga (MLB), Keith Rivers (WLB), and Brian Cushing (SLB). Senior Thomas Williams, who is a versatile, reliable veteran that can play all 3 LB positons, returns as the top backup. Maualuga and Rivers are two of the best in the country at their position and will be 1st Round picks when they enter the NFL Draft. Cushing returns to his preferred position of strong-side linebacker after playing the "elephant" position last season...

Fall Questions: (1) How well can Cushing play the strong-side LB spot? He played really well in that hybrid DE/OLB role towards the end of last season (especially vs. Michigan), but he struggled mightily during the 1st half of the season. I realize he was only a sophomore, but it took a while for him to grasp his new position. It raises some questions as to how quickly he can pick things up and learn a new role as he is once again asked to play a different position than the year before. The fact that he missed most of the spring due to injuries, and the quality reps that come with practicing, further illustrates my point that there is a little bit of uncertainty at SLB.
(2) Will freshman LB Chris Galippo have an immediate impact this season? It's not likely that he'll crack the starting line-up at all this season, but it'll be interesting to see him and Luthur Brown battle it out for the #2 MLB spot.

Secondary
What is known: All 5 players who started a game last season return (CB Terrell Thomas, CB Cary Harris, FS Taylor Mays, SS Kevin Ellison, S/CB Josh Pinkard), but only 4 of them will start. For the moment, Pinkard is the odd man out, but he was the leader of the Trojan secondary before suffering a season ending knee injury in last year's opener. Terrell Thomas and Kevin Ellison are probably the only guys who aren't looking over their shoulders.

Fall Questions: (1) Where will Pinkard play? He started at corner in 2005, so maybe he can take over Cary's spot if Carroll wants to put his best players on the field, but maybe he take back his starting free safety spot from last year's freshman All-American Taylor Mays.
(2) Injuries...how will the players returning from injuries hold up? Kevin Thomas, T. Thomas, K. Ellison, and J. Pinkard were all kept out of practice for most or all of the spring.

The offensive preview will be posted on Monday morning.

Fight On!