Thoughts from Tuesday's practice, through the eyes of USCRipsIt...
- On a stormy afternoon, the Trojans sloshed through a rain-drenched full-pads practice, completing a Competition Tuesday workout in very unfamiliar conditions. And to decide the 12-12 tie in the practice-ending team period, Coach Carroll made the most of the elements when he pitted offensive line coach Pat Ruel against defensive line coach Jethro Franklin in a slip-and-slide competition. With players forming a tunnel along the sideline, the first go-round wasn't enough to settle the tie, as the two coaches slid the same length -- about 20 yards -- down the puddle-filled field. But on the second attempt, the 43-year-old Franklin easily outdistanced the 58-year-old Ruel to give the defense the victory, which set off a wild celebration by all the smiling, incredulous players. It was a fun and memorable ending to closely contested practice.
- Even with the rain, Matt Barkley had an impressive effort Tuesday, tossing several pretty strikes to his receivers downfield. On back-to-back snaps, he lobbed a perfectly thrown ball over the cornerback and into the arms of wideout Travon Patterson deep over the middle and then, off his back foot and with a defender in his face, Barkley chucked a 40-yard touchdown to receiver Damian Williams near the front left pylon. "He had a terrific day," Carroll said. "When he had to make some bug plays, he made some great throws."
- Mitch Mustain took all the reps as the No. 2 quarterback on his first official day as the backup.
- After sitting out several workouts with a knee bruise, defensive lineman Nick Perry participated in many drills during Tuesday's practice. "He's on the road back," Carroll said.
- Kicker Jordan Congdon overcame the elements and connected on all five of his field goal attempts during special teams period.
University Southern California Trojans
Tuesday, June 23
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